>> The most reliable, smallest, lightest, least expensive, >> and most energy efficient component is the component that >> isn't there. >> >> So... for computers that: >> a) run a very simple window manager >> b) don't run fancy 3D CAD >> c) don't run scientific simulations (massive amounts of floating point) >> d) don't run games >> >> Why would such a computer need a GPU at all?
Timothy replies: > Actually, if you're going to do graphics at all, and you have the > space for it, a GPU is going to be a solid win for energy efficiency. Are you including the "embedded" energy (energy required to manufacture) or just the run-time energy? "The embodied energy of the memory chip alone already exceeds the energy consumption of a laptop during its life expectancy of 3 years" http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/06/embodied-energy-of-digital-technology.html >> Does anyone make simple cards with framebuffers and modern >> VGA/DVI/HDMI/Displayport ports? Vasileios Anagnostopoulos replies: > http://www.sunix.com.tw/product/vga0411.html which is a graphics card that only uses 2 Watts. They also make a DVI version, and low profile versions. Downside is that the resolution and color depth are rather limited. Finding a place to buy one is another problem. What if we designed a similar card, but with more resolution and color depth, multiple heads, sockets for an optional future OGP GPU chip and memory, and maybe a connector for an optional Broadcom Crystal HD video decoder? Will DVI, s-video, HDMI, and Displayport all fit on one bracket? That would give up to 5 heads (using a breakout cable for splitting DVI-I into DVI-D and DVI-A). Can we design the pinout of the OGP GPU chip before designing the internals? Various chips, including rather complex CPUs are designed to be pin-compatible with earlier designs, so it should be possible. _______________________________________________ Open-graphics mailing list [email protected] http://lists.duskglow.com/mailman/listinfo/open-graphics List service provided by Duskglow Consulting, LLC (www.duskglow.com)
