Damn you Aloha!
Why is everyone picking on me today. Well, I guess I'll have to defend myself. I think the next iteration of graphics memory will be DDR SDRAM. I'm no expert in the area, but it seems that basic bandwidth issues are involved:
Rambus can go up to 800 mhz with a 16 bit wide interface: 1.6 GB peak bandwidth
DDR SDRAM (64 bit interface, 2 transfers per cycle) running at only 100 mhz: 1.6 GB peak bandwidth
Where is all this power people are talking about? In addition, Rambus has higher latency, requires special licensing, is more expensive (I think), and isn't widely available. According to the article I posted DDR is coming out now in 300 and 400 mhz varities. That's 6.4 GB of bandwidth!
I'm no semiconductor genius, but this looks pretty simple from my viewpoint. (Somebody, I'm sure, will correct me if I'm in error.) Given that RDRAM looks to be in tight supply, I do not think it a good idea to use it. In the long run, however, it won't really matter. With graphics cycling every 6 months, 3dfx has the ability to change their RAM type twice a year.
I stand by both my earlier statements. The difference between them is only a matter of timeframe (short or long run).
Pat |
