4 ms·

Was Van Gogh developed custom for Valve? I think I remember talk about Van Gogh from before the Steam Deck was announced, and at that time it wasn't presented a

by mastax 4y ago

Was Van Gogh developed custom for Valve? I think I remember talk about Van Gogh from before the Steam Deck was announced, and at that time it wasn't presented as a custom chip but delayed and troubled cheap gaming APU project. Silicon bug workarounds could explain some of the strange behavior seen here. If Van Gogh wasn't a custom project and Valve just happened to have the perfect use case for it that would be serindipitous.

shaunsingh0207 4y ago
It was developed for general laptop use, and valve just happened to have the perfect use case for it.
- TheEvilBlight 4y ago
  From 2021 or so: https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/147700-details-amds-low-power-low-cost-van-gogh-apu-emerge/ https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/147700-details-amds-low-po... https://www.hardwaretimes.com/amd-7nm-van-gogh-apus-w-rdna-2-graphics-reportedly-canceled-6nm-rembrandt-w-zen-3rdna-2-in-h2-2021/amp/ https://www.hardwaretimes.com/amd-7nm-van-gogh-apus-w-rdna-2...
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- neogodless 4y ago
  I believe the exact configuration of the Van Gogh APU is custom designed for Valve. There are very similar APUs but this exact chip is not used in laptops.
  - shaunsingh0207 4y ago
    It was originally with microsoft, to go in a surface device, then that fell through and the steam deck picked it up. Not general use persay, but microsoft's general use
agloe_dreams 4y ago
There was a rumor that it was for…someone else with a very square logo…but that project fell through.
- djmips 4y ago
  Square logo... I heard it was Tesla but it was disputed and their logo isn't square...
- peanuty1 4y ago
  Square, Inc?
7speter 4y ago
There were rumors of both a surfacebook and a MacBook that would’ve used it when the first rumors of Van Gogh circulated. The persistent story I’ve seen is that Microsoft wanted an apu for a gaming capable surfacebook then scrapped it, and valve ended up using said apu.
- mastax 4y ago
  Would be ironic if Microsoft funded the development of the best thing to ever happen to Linux gaming.
  - 7speter 4y ago
    Yeah, if linux gaming does take off the story of the development of this chip might be have the trappings of “Pirates of Silicon Valley” story one day, at least to techies. It would be interesting to get the details of how this all went down considering about a year before Van Gogh, at the beginning of 2020, there was a rumor that Apple was going to make a 5000 dollar gaming mac (that would sorta slot into where the mac studio is now). If the “gaming mac” portion of the rumor is true, that potentially raises more questions like if Apple might have wanted to keep designing x86_64 macs, and if AMD was shopping the idea of this chip to a number of parties or who put money in the development of this chip and when (as you pointed out). Again not because theres something nefarious going on, but just because it seems like a great story.
  - milsorgen 4y ago
    Isn't that akin to what happened with Cell and IBM/Sony? With Microsoft and the 360 benefiting from the same work but dropping the SPEs? Details are fuzzy for me so I might be misstating things but I always found that to be quite a fascinating tale of technology.
  - amarant 4y ago
    Kinda like how Nintendo basically created the PlayStation, and then abandoned it pre launch, leaving Sony with a almost finished competing product. I guess in the gaming industry you shouldn't kill your darlings?

by mastax 4y ago

shaunsingh0207 4y ago

It was developed for general laptop use, and valve just happened to have the perfect use case for it.

TheEvilBlight 4y ago
From 2021 or so: https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/147700-details-amds-low-power-low-cost-van-gogh-apu-emerge/ https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/147700-details-amds-low-po... https://www.hardwaretimes.com/amd-7nm-van-gogh-apus-w-rdna-2-graphics-reportedly-canceled-6nm-rembrandt-w-zen-3rdna-2-in-h2-2021/amp/ https://www.hardwaretimes.com/amd-7nm-van-gogh-apus-w-rdna-2...
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
neogodless 4y ago
I believe the exact configuration of the Van Gogh APU is custom designed for Valve. There are very similar APUs but this exact chip is not used in laptops.
- shaunsingh0207 4y ago
  It was originally with microsoft, to go in a surface device, then that fell through and the steam deck picked it up. Not general use persay, but microsoft's general use

agloe_dreams 4y ago

There was a rumor that it was for…someone else with a very square logo…but that project fell through.

djmips 4y ago
Square logo... I heard it was Tesla but it was disputed and their logo isn't square...
peanuty1 4y ago
Square, Inc?

7speter 4y ago

There were rumors of both a surfacebook and a MacBook that would’ve used it when the first rumors of Van Gogh circulated. The persistent story I’ve seen is that Microsoft wanted an apu for a gaming capable surfacebook then scrapped it, and valve ended up using said apu.

mastax 4y ago
Would be ironic if Microsoft funded the development of the best thing to ever happen to Linux gaming.
- 7speter 4y ago
  Yeah, if linux gaming does take off the story of the development of this chip might be have the trappings of “Pirates of Silicon Valley” story one day, at least to techies. It would be interesting to get the details of how this all went down considering about a year before Van Gogh, at the beginning of 2020, there was a rumor that Apple was going to make a 5000 dollar gaming mac (that would sorta slot into where the mac studio is now). If the “gaming mac” portion of the rumor is true, that potentially raises more questions like if Apple might have wanted to keep designing x86_64 macs, and if AMD was shopping the idea of this chip to a number of parties or who put money in the development of this chip and when (as you pointed out). Again not because theres something nefarious going on, but just because it seems like a great story.
- milsorgen 4y ago
  Isn't that akin to what happened with Cell and IBM/Sony? With Microsoft and the 360 benefiting from the same work but dropping the SPEs? Details are fuzzy for me so I might be misstating things but I always found that to be quite a fascinating tale of technology.
- amarant 4y ago
  Kinda like how Nintendo basically created the PlayStation, and then abandoned it pre launch, leaving Sony with a almost finished competing product. I guess in the gaming industry you shouldn't kill your darlings?