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Loading ...Nvidia - scared of Intel already?
Clive Webster
During the testing and write-up of the GeForce 9800 GTX review, I came across some odd language from Nvidia in its Reviewer’s Guide (the fact sheet Nvidia sends out to reviewers in order to brainwash them into thinking its next product is great). It’s no real secret that Nvidia is worried about Larrabee, Intel’s forthcoming ‘graphics product’, hence phrases such as:
“A second GeForce 9800 GTX offers tremendous bang for the buck. Compared to upgrading the CPU, it offers much higher performance at a fraction of the cost.”
In other words, ‘don’t buy a Core 2 Quad and a GeForce 9800 GTX, just buy two 9800 GTXes.’ Hmm…
Of course, Nvidia has some benchmarks to back this up. For gaming, Nvidia’s graphs say that a pair of 9800 GTXes with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 processor gets you better frame rates in a load of games than a single 9800 GTX with a £600 Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650. But as we all know, a pair of graphics cards isn’t going to help non-3D apps, while a CPU will.
The CPU requirements for testing with the 9800 GTX also seem low – a £70 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo E4500 is apparently fine for a single card, while a £180 3.16GHz Core 2 Duo E8500 won’t limit 3-Way SLI performance. Given that almost every Core 2 Duo can hit 3GHz, Nvidia seems to be saying, ‘spend all your money with Nvidia, your CPU is fine.’
This paranoia on Nvidia’s part seems a bit early given that Intel hasn’t even said whether Larrabee will be aimed at gaming or CAD-type applications, and it won’t be out until the end of 2009 at the earliest either.
Rated: 90% (2 votes)
Loading ...If it wasn’t for Crysis, would you need a new graphics card?
Clive Webster
Even a £135 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT can play modern games at 1,920 x 1,200 without sacrificing any image quality. All bar Crysis that is, which struggles to be playable on this card even at relatively low resolutions with detail settings turned down. With Nvidia co-operating with Crytek (the makers of Crysis) from an early point - giving them access to early GeForce 8800 cards, helping optimise game code drivers, and so on.
So, with other games easily playable even at very high resolutions and maximum detail settings, wouldn’t Nvidia need a reason for you to buy a new GeForce graphics card? And hopefully to spend more than £135. Enter Crysis, which demands some kind of monster PC to run with Very High settings at a decent resolution and frame rate. ‘Want to play Crysis?’ Nvidia asks, ‘then get yourself a pair of GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB cards…’
Surely, given that Nvidia has been so involved with the development of Crysis, it should have a card capable of playing it? Granted, this isn’t a consipracy of David Icke proportions, but is far more believable. What do you think?
Rated: 90% (2 votes)
Loading ...GeFarce
Clive Webster
Bless me reader, for I have sinned. It’s been two months since my last blog…
And not being catholic I have no idea how the rest of a Confession is meant to go; this is pretty much all Hollywood has let me see of the fascinating ritual. That and the Hail Marys (nope, no idea what they are either) and perhaps some farcical mix up where someone’s pushed into the booth and has to recommend an appropriate course of action to a bewildered worshipper.
Anyway, onto the blog, which is all about a new screen I recently bought. Yes, bought. With my own actual money what I had earned. Read more