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JPR is Likely Wrong about a Third of PCs Running Multi-GPUs in 2012

Posted 08/18/09 at 09:44:18 AM  by Paul Lilly

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Three years from now, two-thirds of all new desktop systems will be mutli-GPU capable and of those, 30 percent will be rocking multiple graphics chips. Or at least that's the not-too-distant future Jon Peddie Research Group (JPR) laid out last week in a report on the history, technology, and future of multi-GPU computing. But are we really on the verge of widespread multi-GPU computing?

Not so fast, says Arstechnica. The JPR report points to the desire for high performance computing as the driving force for multi-GPU setups, noting high performance workloads are highly parallel and unsuited for CPU applications. But according to Arstechnica, JPR hasn't thought through the manufacturing angle.

"GPUs are composed of many parallel processing units, so any multi-GPU system involves simply ganging together still more of such small, simple processor cores," Arstechnica writes. "Because the cores are small and the workload is parallel, there is no limit on core count analogous to the limit on the number of processors that can profitably be used in a single x86 CPU. The limits on single-die GPU horsepower are manufacturing limits."

But it's not just about manufacturing. As Ars points out, only two percent of all desktop PCs sold last year came with multiple GPUs, and in Q4 of last year, only 15.2 million out of 38.5 million PCs sold came with even a single discrete graphics card. It's hard to imagine such a dramatic shift towards multiple GPUs in just three short years from now.

There's more to Ars' argument, which you can read here.

Image Credit: techreport.com

COMMENTS:6
TAGS: graphics, videocard, gpu, sli, Crossfire, hardware, multi-gpu, build a pc, jpr
COMMENTS
avatareh..

Submitted by davey062 on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 9:36am

seems far fetched

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avatar"two-thirds of new ... and

Submitted by hades_2100 on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 9:24am

"two-thirds of new ... and of those, 30 percent will"

 

Isn't 30% of 66% equal to 20%?

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avatarhow is this even taken seriously?

Submitted by chocobo on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 9:05am

 

It's mid 2009 and barely 30% of desktops have ONE graphics card. So this guy thinks that within 3 years, every person with even a mild interest in gaming is going to be going multi-GPU? Nonsense.

First, graphics have approached a level of realism that is tough to improve on. It's hard to convince someone with graphics with a rating of "95% realistic" to shell out another $100+ to improve that to 96% realism. 

Second, even those who would care about it will be hesitant to spend the money on a second card.

Third, the vast majority of PCs are made with one graphics card slot.

Fourth, virtually all non custom built PCs don't have a strong enough power supply for two cards.

Fifth, people are not going to be excited about the electric bill of a PC that's eating up 600+ watts.

Sixth, people don't want computers that are putting off as much heat as a small campfire. 

 

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avatarFollow the leader...

Submitted by Havok on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 8:34am

 Seems like someone is drinking the green Kool-aid

 

 

OMGWTFBBQ

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avatarthis seems to be the case in

Submitted by Danielw719 on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 8:18am

this seems to be the case in my house, 1 PC is running multi-GPU and the other 2 are running single

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avatarIn my next setup I plan to

Submitted by I Jedi on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 8:17am

In my next setup I plan to either run SLI or Crossfire. One graphics card can handle the job, but not with the high-intensity and smoothness that I always want in gaming. Do I believe that the above article will happen? Maybe more so for the moderate and hardcore gamers on the PC, but I think we're awhile off yet from seeing widespread adoption like this.

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