Lucid Introduces UNITY Graphics Board Architecture to Make HYDRA Accessible to All

[btarunr]

Today LucidLogix Technologies (Lucid) announced its arming video card manufacturers with the new Unity graphics board architecture for the HYDRALOGIX engine (previously known as HYDRA). Now graphics board vendors for the first time can combine a single HYDRALOGIX 200 real time distributed processor with any single NVIDIA or ATI GPU, creating an affordable, flexible multi-GPU-ready graphics card that can make any motherboard a high performance gaming system.

Gamers and high performance PC enthusiasts will have even more options to configure multi-GPU systems, which until recently were limited to vendor-exclusive architectures or HYDRALOGIX equipped motherboards. And mainstream graphics users can now buy even a $99 graphics card and upgrade their system in the future with the brand graphics card of their choice.



"The Unity architecture provides a win-win situation for the market and for consumers," said Offir Remez, Lucid President. "Graphics board vendors can increase the total market for multi-GPU computing from the low end to the high end. And as a consumer, why wouldn't you choose to buy a graphics card with HYDRALOGIX on board? You only get more!"

The benefits of the UNITY architecture for HYDRALOGIX include:
Card Manufacturers:

• Create multi-vendor-multi-GPU upgradeable cards by integrating a single, low-cost HYDRALOGIX chip
• Allow their customers to couple a UNITY type VGA with any additional existing or new VGA from any vendor on Intel or AMD motherboards
• Create differentiated products by using any brand or GPU model, mixing and matching capabilities, power consumption and price points
• Easy upgrade with additional cards

Consumers:

• Add HYDRALOGIX multi-GPU graphics capabilities to existing motherboards
• Run multiple NVIDIA and/or ATI GPUs on any motherboard
• Upgrade system performance simply by leveraging any existing GPUs by coupling with a new UNITY based VGA.
• Combine a low cost graphics card with another for increased performance, or turn up the volume with multiple high end graphics card of choice
• Combine both an AMD and NVIDIA GPU to enjoy the benefits of both graphics features and performance

System Builders:

• Flexibly design custom systems at multiple price/performance targets
• Save costs with royalty-free alternative to vendor-specific multi-GPU graphics architectures

Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research says "The market for multi-GPU systems has shown continual growth even in a down economy. Lucid's expansion of its HYDRALOGIX technology to the graphics board further expands options for OEMs, ODMs and consumers, and should provide additional momentum to the growth of reasonably priced, high-powered gaming systems."

Ted Chen, TUL CEO at TUL, maker of the 1st Unity architecture based VGA - the PowerColor Evolution says: "Lucid's graphics card implementation of HYDRALOGIX creates new marketing opportunities for graphics card vendors, and we're proud to be first to offer this technology integrated into our graphics cards. With more options for consumers, we are looking forward to continued healthy growth for PC gaming technology."

Pricing & Availability
The Lucid UNITY architecture for graphics board with HYDRALOGIX 200 engine are both available now to graphics board OEMs. With multiple configurations of the HYDRALOGIX engine, vendors can provide nearly limitless combinations of GPUs to meet a variety of target audiences and price points.

Consumer graphics boards are expected to be available for the holiday buying season 2010 at accessible prices under $199.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Phxprovost]

i still don't understand lucid, the idea of grouping together various gpu's seems like a driver nightmare

 

[bpgt64]

i still don't understand lucid, the idea of grouping together various gpu's seems like a driver nightmare

I think there general selling point is that you can combine different gpu(s), without needing to stay within similar generations or brands. Making Graphics rendering scale across traditionally segregated lines put in place by Nvidia and Ati out of spite, or lack of interest.

 

[the54thvoid]

Knowledgable response required.....

Does Lucid mean an ATI (sorry AMD) card can work in x-fire/sli with and NV card? Obviously yes, this is the whole point. But, does it not mean also that Physx will work? It was my belief that the NV driver disabled something when it detected a non NV gpu. Will it still disable physx?

Remembering that NV claimed QA as the reason for disabling it, it wouldn't make sense for NV to adopt the Lucid chip. Unless the QA rationale was 'weak'.

The first response to defend NV over physx gets the 'I'm an NV marketing sucker' prize. The first AT... sorry AMD fan to rant about NV's exploits gets the similar AMD prize.

This reply is simply conjecture at why NV wouldn't realistically want to allow Lucid seeing as its disabled other functionalities thus far.

 

[wolf]

an interesting idea but I feel they still need to pour a completely titanic amount of work into the software side, now that the hardware seems pretty good.

also when did they change from a lucid hydra, to a 'lucidlogix hrydalogix'? some sort of corporate merger?

EDIT: I think I'm also still one of the only ones that wants this baby here;

Doesnt anyone esle like the idea of a completely separate GPU subsystem with its own PSU/cooling etc, linked by a pci-e host card? I think its the bomb.

 

[cadaveca]

Doesnt anyone esle like the idea of a completely separate GPU subsystem with its own PSU/cooling etc, linked by a pci-e host card? I think its the bomb.

I've been asking for cpu-add-in cards instead of motherboards, with the focus on the mainboard being gpus, for some time now. The PCI-E cabling infrastructure is already there in the server market(16x PCI-E cabling), so I'm all for it.

When I'm running multiple cards, it seems foolhardy for the cpu and memory to be the focus of a mainboard, to me. The majority of my system's focus is vgas...

 

[AphexDreamer]

an interesting idea but I feel they still need to pour a completely titanic amount of work into the software side, now that the hardware seems pretty good.

also when did they change from a lucid hydra, to a 'lucidlogix hrydalogix'? some sort of corporate merger?

EDIT: I think I'm also still one of the only ones that wants this baby here;

http://techreport.com/r.x/lucid-hydra-preview/lucid-demo.jpg

Doesnt anyone esle like the idea of a completely separate GPU subsystem with its own PSU/cooling etc, linked by a pci-e host card? I think its the bomb.

I like that. Sure it takes up more space but if you have the room thats just epic. So this is what the Unity Graphics Board is ? If so I'm sold.

 

[btarunr]

First implimentation of this is by PowerColor, showed at Computex: http://www.techpowerup.com/123613/PowerColor_HD_5770_Evolution_Pairs_with_Any_Other_Card.html

Basically, if your motherboard doesn't give you Hydra, a card with Unity (such as PowerColor's HD 5770 Evolution), will give it Hydra capabilities.

 

[Yukikaze]

I want them to make an expansion card with a Hydra chip on it able to work with a pair of GPUs in other slots, that'd be what I am waiting for for mixed GPU setups.

 

[a_ump]

i hear Yukikaze on this. A seperate board with the hydra chip, then throw in your gpu's.

 

[wolf]

i hear Yukikaze on this. A seperate board with the hydra chip, then throw in your gpu's.

see post 5 too brah

 

[WarEagleAU]

It is actually a genius idea of offering more choice. Id love to team my 4870 or higher GPU with an Nvidia 9800 or higher gpu.

 

[Yukikaze]

see post 5 too brah

Hardly the same thing as I want. I want a simple, single-slot card to stick in my third PCIe slot and gain Hydra functionality. This monster isn't even close, although it is definitely cool.

 

[KainXS]

for 50 bucks I would buy one but not for 200

 

[wolf]

Hardly the same thing as I want. I want a simple, single-slot card to stick in my third PCIe slot and gain Hydra functionality. This monster isn't even close, although it is definitely cool.

ahh my bad, I think I've misinterpreted the both of you

I do like your idea too, and from what I gather, I't may even be pheasable on a pci-x / pci / pci-e 1x slot.

 

[Sasqui]

HossHuge Provided this link in the thread BT pointed out:

http://techreport.com/articles.x/17934/3

VERY interesting testing results with a mix of AMD/NV cards.

 

[wolf]

I like that. Sure it takes up more space but if you have the room thats just epic. So this is what the Unity Graphics Board is ? If so I'm sold.

It is not what the Unity Graphics Board is unfortunately... well, unfortunately for us dreamers anyway.

 

[Taskforce]

For 200 bucks no, i wouldn't.

 

[a_ump]

yea at that pricepoint it doesnt make sense...in any way. U can move up like 2 market segments if u used the 200 on a better card.

 

[TheLostSwede]

It's not that easy to make just a board with a Hydra chip on it, as most boards don't have three x8/x16 slots (with full bandwidth) which would be a requirement. I'm sure it's possible, but as Lucid doesn't make any retail hardware, I guess everyone else wants to make sure it's tied in with their products rather than as a stand-alone add-on card that can go into any system.
Sure, it'd be fine on an X58 board, but pretty much anything else wouldn't work with it.
Not impossible, just improbable, especially as the market would be fairly small.

 

[Baum]

is it possible that it adds only the pure GPU power to your mixture?

as if i mix a ATI HD xxxx GPU with DirectX 10.1 and a Nvidia GPU that only has DirectX 10 do i loose the 10.1 abilitys as it is just a : "We add GPU rendering power together?".

just for clarification, i can't believe that it adds features together even when it might be possible due to the ability to move the 10.1 effects to the "capable" gpu it won't increase it's speed.

thanks

 

[blu3flannel]

It'd be cool to have a Danger Den double-sided case or something and be able to install all of this in that, it would look pretty epic having all these cards in it.

 

[Mussels]

excellent news!

and no, this doesnt add features.

If you mix a DX10 and DX11 card together, it will likely only give one cards performance in DX11 mode.

(that said, i know there is compatibility between DX10 and 11, so maybe the second card could render some parts of it, textures/AA whatever - if lucid is up to the task with drivers)

 

[jcgeny]

it looks good but the "market" is more going to have a crossfire and a nvidia card for physx using a patch that removes nvidia protection .
i still have some questions to ask ;']
does it make possible to have 4 x 5970 ?
i would like to see if there is an article that talk about the hydralogic chip + the nf200 + the pci bridge ati uses with the 5970 .
i mean that is it possible we will see some 5870 chipset with a gtx280 on the same board connected by an hydra and a nf200 or ati-bridge ?

 

[Mussels]

it looks good but the "market" is more going to have a crossfire and a nvidia card for physx using a patch that removes nvidia protection .
i still have some questions to ask ;']
does it make possible to have 4 x 5970 ?
i would like to see if there is an article that talk about the hydralogic chip + the nf200 + the pci bridge ati uses with the 5970 .
i mean that is it possible we will see some 5870 chipset with a gtx280 on the same board connected by an hydra and a nf200 or ati-bridge ?

no, it doesnt work on cards with internal crossfire/SLI (dual GPU cards)

many single GPU combinations are possible, but from what i saw bandwidth to the hydra chip can slow down really high end combinations.