3 ms·

Such a shame that I, as an end-user is not the target audience for that shiny and promising "Flexible Tile Architechture". I'd like 4 CPU tiles, ECC memory con

Such a shame that I, as an end-user is not the target audience for that shiny and promising "Flexible Tile Architechture". I'd like 4 CPU tiles, ECC memory controller, no 3D GPU (frame-buffer, blitter and DP interface only) and no Management Engine, please...

cduzz 4y ago
Put in an order for $30 million of them and I'm sure they'll get you a SKU! (I'm not actually sure if $30 million is the magic number; probably depends on if there's another SKU just like it already or not) Amazon and the other big players likely do have private SKUs for this sort of thing. Otherwise, the 16 thread, ECC memory, no management engine, no GPU is a bit like the brown diesel manual transmission station wagon...
- kijin 4y ago
  Apart from the "no management engine" thing, GP's configuration looks remarkably similar to some of Intel's existing Xeon SKUs. Not exactly your typical sedan, but a slightly customized pickup truck maybe.
- trasz 4y ago
  I'd say it sounds exactly like what you'd want for a typical headless machine, like a server: no GPU, since it's headless, and no management engine, because it's a liability and can't be used for actual management anyway.
- Weryj 4y ago
  Or just wait for them to hit Ebay
dragontamer 4y ago
> no 3D GPU Do you like Windows? Because Direct2D, the 2D-renderer of Windows for Desktops / 2D applications, is built on top of DirectX. That means you need a 3D GPU to run Windows 7, let alone Win8, Win10, or Win11. ------ Using 3D GPU commands, in particular a 2D rectangle as the basis of texture-mapping (with textures being uploaded to "GPU-memory"), is the standard methodology today. Old-school 2D API (GDI) based off of bit-blitting just isn't how computers work anymore. INT 10H services (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INT_10H https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INT_10H) are long, long, long dead. IIRC, GDI is provided on modern Windows in terms of Direct2D emulation layer (ie: GDI is built on top of Direct2D, which is built on top of DirectX 3D commands). ------- This makes sense, because "pixel fill" / pixel-shaders are far more flexible than the ol' Bitblt. Even if you were to only be doing 2D code, modern GPU effects (ex: alpha-transparency, fades, etc. etc.) are best built out of pixel-effects and pixel-shaders. I admit to being ignorant to Linux graphics drivers, but I'd expect the same thing. Modern hardware is built out of the 3D API / paradigm. "Running code" on a remote GPU/SIMD-cluster is far more efficient than having those effects calculated on the CPU (ex: alpha-transparency, anti-aliasing, painter's algorithm, z-depth, etc. etc.)

cduzz 4y ago

Put in an order for $30 million of them and I'm sure they'll get you a SKU! (I'm not actually sure if $30 million is the magic number; probably depends on if there's another SKU just like it already or not) Amazon and the other big players likely do have private SKUs for this sort of thing. Otherwise, the 16 thread, ECC memory, no management engine, no GPU is a bit like the brown diesel manual transmission station wagon...

kijin 4y ago
Apart from the "no management engine" thing, GP's configuration looks remarkably similar to some of Intel's existing Xeon SKUs. Not exactly your typical sedan, but a slightly customized pickup truck maybe.
trasz 4y ago
I'd say it sounds exactly like what you'd want for a typical headless machine, like a server: no GPU, since it's headless, and no management engine, because it's a liability and can't be used for actual management anyway.
Weryj 4y ago
Or just wait for them to hit Ebay

dragontamer 4y ago

> no 3D GPU Do you like Windows? Because Direct2D, the 2D-renderer of Windows for Desktops / 2D applications, is built on top of DirectX. That means you need a 3D GPU to run Windows 7, let alone Win8, Win10, or Win11. ------ Using 3D GPU commands, in particular a 2D rectangle as the basis of texture-mapping (with textures being uploaded to "GPU-memory"), is the standard methodology today. Old-school 2D API (GDI) based off of bit-blitting just isn't how computers work anymore. INT 10H services (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INT_10H https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INT_10H) are long, long, long dead. IIRC, GDI is provided on modern Windows in terms of Direct2D emulation layer (ie: GDI is built on top of Direct2D, which is built on top of DirectX 3D commands). ------- This makes sense, because "pixel fill" / pixel-shaders are far more flexible than the ol' Bitblt. Even if you were to only be doing 2D code, modern GPU effects (ex: alpha-transparency, fades, etc. etc.) are best built out of pixel-effects and pixel-shaders. I admit to being ignorant to Linux graphics drivers, but I'd expect the same thing. Modern hardware is built out of the 3D API / paradigm. "Running code" on a remote GPU/SIMD-cluster is far more efficient than having those effects calculated on the CPU (ex: alpha-transparency, anti-aliasing, painter's algorithm, z-depth, etc. etc.)