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> I wound up with a dual width, definitely fan-equipped card that wasn't dirt cheap. For some time I've been grumpy about this, and sort of wondering where the
by brucethemoose2 3y ago
> I wound up with a dual width, definitely fan-equipped card that wasn't dirt cheap. For some time I've been grumpy about this, and sort of wondering where they went.
The answer is twofold:
- AMD and Nvidia are charging through the nose for small die graphics cards. Mostly because they can.
- They are also clocking them to the stratosphere, in an extremely inefficient power band where dropping performance ~15% would massively cut power.
There are other factors like drastically changing silicon scaling and capital costs, and better IGPs obsoleting really small GPUs, but those are the big ones.
If you are the writer, you should keep an eye out for AMD Strix Halo, which could put your cooling assertions to the test. Technically the Mezzanine GPU cards (and the actual MI300A CPU) you see in servers use CPU-like heatsinks as well.
- michaelt 3y agoI also suspect this is related to the increased popularity of laptop computers. Laptops outsell PCs by 4:1 according to https://www.canalys.com/newsroom/global-pc-market-Q4-2021 https://www.canalys.com/newsroom/global-pc-market-Q4-2021 And one of the main groups of holdouts still using desktop computers is presumably PC gamers - who don't buy passively cooled graphics cards. I'm sure there's some market for low-end desktop PCs - like traditionalists who just don't want a laptop - but I don't think it's a growing market.
- gpderetta 3y agothin clients are common in the office. I think they count as low-end desktops, although barely
- brucethemoose2 3y agoYeah, but they dont need discrete graphics. Integrated is just a nice bit of penny pinching for OEMs.
- gpderetta 3y agoOh, yes of course, there is almost no market for discrete low performance GPU.
- bonton89 3y agoDuring AMDs long dark age Intel shipped an iGPU on basically every mainstream desktop and laptop CPU which obliterated the cheapo bottom end of the market and as others have mentioned killed off any remaining GPU makers as their niches got even smaller. The only remaining markets for low end discrete GPUs I can think of are people who need basic video out for servers or people who have exhausted all display out options for multiple monitors and need a card to add more.