Published: Friday 7th November, 2008 | Author: Parm Mann
Companies: Microsoft (All Microsoft content), ATi Technologies (All ATi Technologies content), NVIDIA (All NVIDIA content)
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email to a friendVarious manufacturers seem to think that squeezing more GPUs into desktop or notebook systems is the way to attract the enthusiast market. Microsoft, however, believes that two-or-more GPUs just ain't all that.
At WinHec 2008 in Los Angeles, Microsoft made available a document entitled Guidelines for Graphics in Windows 7 and there's one particular section that'll bring frowns to the faces of both NVIDIA and AMD.
According to the document, Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 7 operating system won't offer native support for hybrid graphics. Furthermore, the software giant will be advising system manufacturers to avoid utilising such technology, stating that it results in an unstable system that provides a poor user experience. The relevant section reads:
"A hybrid graphics system typically has two GPUs: a low-power, fairly low-performance integrated GPU and a second high-power, higher performance discrete GPU.
The integrated GPU is typically used when long battery life is desired, and the discrete GPU is used when battery life is not important or when higher performance is required. Such systems require a reboot to switch between GPUs.
Windows 7 does not offer native support for hybrid graphics systems. We strongly discourage system manufacturers from shipping such systems, which can be unstable and provide a poor user experience."
It's becoming increasingly common for notebooks to feature an IGP and discrete GPU combination, but it's a trend that Microsoft is hoping to change, and it may have a point. At present, a notebook equipped with an IGP and a dedicated GPU has the advantage of switching between the two to save battery life. However, it could be argued that the savings don't warrant the use of complex technology that results in larger and more expensive systems.
Despite NVIDIA and AMD pushing multi-GPUs as the best thing in graphics, a HEXUS poll earlier this year found that SLI and CrossFire configurations remain a niche solution with very few readers showing any intent to use multi-GPU technology in the near future.
Microsoft, it seems, believes that better-optimised single-GPU solutions that are capable of throttling performance on-the-fly as required, are the way forward. Opportunity knocks for Intel's Larrabee, perhaps.
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so in short it's a windows thing. Microsoft could change this in kernel version 7 (not the same as windows 7) but i might be more trouble than is worth
Errr not in my understanding of the WDF?
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/default.mspx
Now the problem would be that you would have to re-create a 'new' desktop, and re-open each app, as fundementally the new GPU might not offer the same support as the old one.
As such the way everyone is doing this is by using the CPU and the GPU to pretend to be the same graphics card. I can really see why it makes sense to say do all of it in the GPU, not take any resources from the rest of the PC for emulating the better GPU with the lesser one.
Otherwise each app would have to be restarted when the change happened.Quote
And no, I do not work for or have shares in Microsoft. I've tried the others and found them extremely lacking for my needs. Yay Microsoft.Quote
:)
Microsoft are right. What's the point of paying for a system which as two different GPUs, with the extra weight, expense, cooling and board space needed to accomodate such a system? None. No point at all. The GPU manufacturers have the ability to design a processor that can run on very low power levels when needed. Look at the GTX 260 power requirements for idle and full performance just to prove this point. OK Microsoft don't get everything right but most of us use their OS (despite our moans & grumbles) in preference to any other, because Windows gives us without a shadow of a doubt the greatest hardware and software support of any other OS. All newly designed hardware (and a lot of older products as well) will come with drivers for the latest Windows OS (if needed). You can't say the same for Linux or OSX. Why not? Market share. Microsoft has it sewn up. They've done a damn good job in the home/enthusiast market over the last 15 years. Despite all the extremely widespread piracy of their OS's, they still make a mint. A company like that who ultimately determine how we interact with the beige/black/silver whatever humming box on our desks should be listened to. Their opinion is highly informed and not just puffed up pontification.
And no, I do not work for or have shares in Microsoft. I've tried the others and found them extremely lacking for my needs. Yay Microsoft.
Quote
Yay Microsoft.
Surely it's just yay no-one then?Quote
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