Friday, November 6th 2009
NVIDIA Shuns Lucid Hydra
A promising new technology from LucidLogix, the Hydra, has perhaps hit its biggest roadblock. The Hydra multi-GPU engine allows vendor-neutral and model-neutral GPU performance upscaling, without adhering to proprietary technologies such as NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossfireX. NVIDIA, which is staring at a bleak future for its chipset division, is licensing the SLI technology to motherboard vendors who want to use it on socket LGA-1366 and LGA-1156 motherboards, since Intel is the only chipset vendor. On other sockets such as LGA-775 and AM3, however, NVIDIA continues to have chipsets that bring with them the incentive of SLI technology support. NVIDIA's licensing deals with motherboard vendors are particularly noteworthy. For socket LGA-1366 motherboards that are based on Intel's X58 Express chipset, NVIDIA charges a fee of US $5 per unit sold, to let it support SLI. Alternatively, motherboard vendors can opt for NVIDIA's nForce 200 bridge chip, which allows vendors to offer full-bandwidth 3-way SLI on some high-end models. For the socket LGA-1156 platform currently driven by Intel's P55 Express chipset, the fee is lower, at US $3 per unit sold.
The Lucid Hydra engine by design is vendor-neutral. It provides a sort of abstraction-layer between the OS and the GPUs, and uses the available graphics processing resources to upscale resulting performance. This effectively kills NVIDIA's cut, as motherboard vendors needn't have the SLI license, and that users of Hydra won't be using SLI or Crossfire anymore. Perhaps fearing a loss of revenue, NVIDIA is working on its drivers to ensure that its GeForce GPUs don't work on platforms that use Hydra. Perhaps this also ensures "quality control, and compatibility", since if the customer isn't satisfied with the quality and performance of Hydra, NVIDIA for one, could end up in the bad books. This could then also kick up warranty issues, and product returns.
MSI has the industry's first release-grade motherboard, the Big Bang Fuzion P55 that uses Hydra to power multiple GPUs, while also allowing users to mix and match various PCI-Express GPUs to suit their needs, something new particularly for NVIDIA users. Earlier expected to be announced around this time, MSI's Big Bang Fuzion, as it is called by its maker, has been indefinitely delayed up to Q1 2010. Apparently to fill the void created by months of hype, MSI rushed in its cousin, a similar-looking motherboard, that uses the nForce 200 chip, to provide 3-way SLI support, called the Big Bang Trinergy P55, which will stay on as the company's top offering for the P55 platform. One can only hope that Hydra doesn't end up stillborn because of corporate strategy by much larger companies.
Source:
Overclock3D.Net
The Lucid Hydra engine by design is vendor-neutral. It provides a sort of abstraction-layer between the OS and the GPUs, and uses the available graphics processing resources to upscale resulting performance. This effectively kills NVIDIA's cut, as motherboard vendors needn't have the SLI license, and that users of Hydra won't be using SLI or Crossfire anymore. Perhaps fearing a loss of revenue, NVIDIA is working on its drivers to ensure that its GeForce GPUs don't work on platforms that use Hydra. Perhaps this also ensures "quality control, and compatibility", since if the customer isn't satisfied with the quality and performance of Hydra, NVIDIA for one, could end up in the bad books. This could then also kick up warranty issues, and product returns.
MSI has the industry's first release-grade motherboard, the Big Bang Fuzion P55 that uses Hydra to power multiple GPUs, while also allowing users to mix and match various PCI-Express GPUs to suit their needs, something new particularly for NVIDIA users. Earlier expected to be announced around this time, MSI's Big Bang Fuzion, as it is called by its maker, has been indefinitely delayed up to Q1 2010. Apparently to fill the void created by months of hype, MSI rushed in its cousin, a similar-looking motherboard, that uses the nForce 200 chip, to provide 3-way SLI support, called the Big Bang Trinergy P55, which will stay on as the company's top offering for the P55 platform. One can only hope that Hydra doesn't end up stillborn because of corporate strategy by much larger companies.
230 Comments on NVIDIA Shuns Lucid Hydra
Regarding ATI's OpenCL support - I'd want to say that their late driver set was more to do with the cutbacks the company had made to keep their tail afloat during the first half of this year (it was rather rough on everyone) . . . but, TBH, I think it was more to do with their focus on Stream . . . which, ATI are pulling an nVidia with that technology. They're doing just like what green did with PhysX/CUDA, release it free with their drivers, and release the SDKs free . . . meanwhile, pushing software devs to pick up on it, while at the same time setting the drivers up so that Stream will only work on ATI/AMD hardware.
<sigh>
Someone should write a sitcom based off the 3-ring circus known as the PC video hardware market.
I think if Intel and AMD stick with Hydra, then they'll muscle nV into having to support it or face being... well, obsolete.;):roll:classic:nutkick:Nobody needs to many angles when dealing with a situation. I don't need to know how a car engine works to know the seats make me uncomfortable, even if the engine is the reason for that. I am a consumer, thus I expect the necessary service and/or goods rendered, not be told what I need by those I buy from, I was blessed with a brain for that.:pEyefinity is possible for ATi because of the 5xxx GPU architecture, it's not a standard, neither proprietary nor open; it's a feature.
PS, Benetanegia & pr0n inspector, please fill in your specs.:slap:
In fact this is as far as the thread got before PhysX was mentioned:
forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=1624229&postcount=2
POSTCOUNT=2Yet you are not using your brain, because you are blindly following an skewed vision. Half the article has been confirmed as false, to the point that the writer has apologized, and although Chrlie Demerjian is incapable of doing such thing as apologize, he has admitted to see the NF200 board several months ago. But you are still here complaining about the same thing as if it was 100% truth. A thing that is probably just false. Yes you need to look at things from mole angles if you want to be smart.AND that was my point, AMD loves to say they only support open standards for the good of all consumers, but when it's time to standardize something they have created they are nowhere near to "share" it. And in fact, they are promoting it as an AMD exclusive feature, more than Nvidia ever promoted PhysX or 3D Vision. It's just hypocrite to do so.
- PhysX is a feature too, one that only works on Nvidia cards, because AMD wanted that too, so where does it come all the complaints then?
- Antialiasing in BAtman is a feature too, one created specifically for Nvidia cards, because the UE3 doesn't support AA, so why complaints?
It's called Business.
I prefer Mike over theubersmurf, and since we get to call things whatever we prefer I'll stick to Mike. Thank you for your understanding.
But you know what, you're right, instead of referring to them by a name I made up...I'll refer to them as what they are, from now on I'm calling them "Little Intel". Trying to foist proprietary standards on everybody as a general standard, using a ham fisted method of dealing with people who jeopardize their technologies place in the market, using their market share to do it...Seems apt.
SHUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN the nonbelievers!
That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the title.
I'd bet good money that if ATI completely takes the upper hand in sales over nVidia's upcoming series - we'll see the tables turn . . . that is, ATI becoming more aggressive in their tactics, and nVidia playing it more quietly.
Hydra is with no doubt a good thing but don't forget this is business and in this field company's use to fight with all they got and nvidia is trying to protect they cake and everybody here in the skin of nvidia will do the same thing im trying to tell that they are the good guys all the way its not that but this is business.
Who complains about intel not supporting USB 3.0??? nobody
Let them fight with all they got in the end will be good for us this is what drives the tech forward and i want to be able to connect different GPUs like my actual GTX285 + GT300 with no probs but please don't forget that this is business...
There drivers will "break" the Hydra connections rendering the GPU not functional on Hydra installed motherboards.
Im about sick of nvidia doing this kind of bullshit.I guess thats why I havnt supported them (bought any of their products) in 4 years now.
I hate this very promising idea to go down the drain because of NV's business practices, but I suspect that this exactly what will happen. I also suspect that there is nothing anyone can do about it. I also hold absolutely no faith in any idea of a boycott, and I also think just about everyone so riled up about it here will quickly buy up the GT300 cards if they perform well and are decently priced.
Of course, if Lucid paid X dollars for each chip sold to nVidia, I bet nVidia would very quickly adopt it and support it.
nvidia has been with their chipsets and their chipets only (until x58)
I am missing something here?
nVidia will play, and I'll consider their cards in a Hydra system.
nVidia will not play, and I'll pair my existing 4870 with one or more 5xxx.
ATI and nVidia won't play, Hydra dies, f' them both, but I'll most likely move on with with ATI (triple output).
ATI won't play and nVidia does, f' ATI, I'm back to nVidia.
Of course everything is wrapped in one big "IF" statement, does Hydra perform adequately at all? Does it null a feature that I want/need? It could possibly come down to "f' Lucid".
I am not sure about my path of logic but I believe it will not matter if Nvidia shuns Hydra. here is what i think.
The latest Nvidia GPU came out months ago. So their drivers have matured enough there will be no immediate need to update drivers. And most probably Lucid tested Hydra using those drivers. That means Hydra works with current Nvidia drivers.
Old Nvidia users will still have the option to use their existing Nvidia GPU with an ATI 5800. And if they are happy with the results, next time they change to a new GPU it will be an ATI since they can use the existing ATI with the next generation.
That will hurt Nvidia's sales and in order to not to lose market share Nvidia will give way to Hydra in future drivers.
And if that works Hydra will speed up the release of new hardware from Ati or Nvidia (really new technology or tweaking of same stuff) because these companies will feed the need to be the best in the market.
Am i missing something here?
Eyefinity is just a name, and the name is the only thing owned by ATi itself, the actual result of the feature (running games across multiple monitors) isn't "Owned" by anyone as such.
If nVidia don't add this feature themselves, nVidia users still have the option of using TH2G.
Using 3x GTX295 with www.elsa-jp.co.jp/english/products/pes/vridge_x100_quad8/index.html
Crysis 191FPS avg... :eek::rockout::eek: