External TB GPUs: Questions

[w00t951]

So I was reading and thinking about GPU cradles for Thunderbolt.
1) Do you think you will be able to use any desktop GPU in the cradles for Q4 2011?
2) Since games mostly shove their textures onto the GPU memory first and then send frames back to the monitor, do you think external GPUs will have reasonably good performance for games? I mean, bandwidth is a nonissue for games because texture loading happens during the loading screen and the MiniDisplay port is already capable of sending low latency video.
3) Most GPUs need something like 300-400W of power, so a wall plug would be obligatory, right?
4) Would you be able to Daisy Chain these GPUs?
5) What would be a reasonable price point for these when they finally come out?

 

[Darklandman]

So I was reading and thinking about GPU cradles for Thunderbolt.
1) Do you think you will be able to use any desktop GPU in the cradles for Q4 2011?
2) Since games mostly shove their textures onto the GPU memory first and then send frames back to the monitor, do you think external GPUs will have reasonably good performance for games? I mean, bandwidth is a nonissue for games because texture loading happens during the loading screen and the MiniDisplay port is already capable of sending low latency video.
3) Most GPUs need something like 300-400W of power, so a wall plug would be obligatory, right?
4) Would you be able to Daisy Chain these GPUs?
5) What would be a reasonable price point for these when they finally come out?

1. Probably, Sonnet is supposed to be releasing an external PCI-E box sometime in 2011.

2. Should be fine, have a look at Vidock and Diy vidock result's, thunderbolt has between 4-8 times the bandwith of expresscard (not sure if expresscard is 2.5Gbits both ways or just one.)

3.Gpu's only use around 100-200w watts, but a wall plug would still be obligitory, you might get away with a small notebook power adapter.

4. Theoretically but probably not in SLI/Crossfire and it would have pretty big bandwith constraints. (You might be able to crossfire on the Imac 27 it uses the z68 chipset and has two thunderbolt ports)

5. Probably around $200-300, but the price will come down eventually. The vidock is a good example. There might also be DIY options with HWTools(the maker of DIY Vidock components) reportedly working on a thunderbolt based version

Just my $0.02

 

[w00t951]

1) Sorry about the watt ratings, I was assuming SLI/Crossfire.
2) I just looked at the Sonnet offering. I like the looks of it, but they failed to mention if it would direct video to an external display or back to the internal monitor. From the looks of it, it looks as if the Thunderbolt port is in the back; therefore it sends video back to the internal monitor. I really hope it's internal. xD

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

really... 2 threads on the exact same topic? You couldn't have combined them?

especially when there are already 2 other threads on thunderbolt GPU's on the first page, and you even commented in one of them, you still felt the need to make two MORE threads about it?

 

[w00t951]

really... 2 threads on the exact same topic? You couldn't have combined them?

especially when there are already 2 other threads on thunderbolt GPU's on the first page, and you even commented in one of them, you still felt the need to make two MORE threads about it?

Well I'm sorry I wasted 15 KB of server space.