pouët.net

if it's x86 compliant, can it run a classic OS (win32, linux) alone ??

i thought i read somewhere that it has its own linux thingie for thread management, etc.??
(apart from that i think it's impossible to run an out of the box x86 os on it)

Hey nystep, calm down... Didn't mean to flame you. And you're right, I didn't read you post properly... ;)
I only wanted to point out that the "classic" radiosity algorithms imo don't make sense anymore...

And I also believe the first incarnation of Larabee-type chips will be much slower than specialized GPUs at the same time...

krabob: I think it'll be 'extended' with some new SSE instructions to handle graphics better, if so it shouldn't have too much disadvantage there.

Nystep: if so, I think intel need something like openCL, lots of developers using it for something worthwhile (which is at least likely if it gives a good performance boost), and larabee showing a clear advantage there.. otherwise it'll end up in HPC boxes and we won't get our raytraced demos :/

Zest: yes, but probably quite slowly compared to a normal CPU. It's made for running stream stuff, not OS stuff.

psionice; in the case of OpenCL, would you say that there are already "lots of developers using it for something worthwhile"?

Zest, intel plans to market multiple cards for large clusters without any Central CPU, I read somewhere (theinq?). So i guess the thing will have an OS still. So the card should be able to run its own OS. But will it be useful in a desktop pc? That's another question.

rarefluid, yep, sorry, i guess it's the bee excitement.. :S

psonice, Why using a stream programming language when you can have the flexibility of your everyday CPU with plenty of more power?

slummy: so far as I know it's been announced that they're working on it, and it's nowhere near completion, so i'd so there's zero developers using it at all so far :D

nystep: I can't see why you'd normally want to run an OS on a stream processor, but it's possible (probably with some porting or at least a recompile) - there's talk of motherboards that will take them. I guess it would be great (and cheaper) if you're only loading a tiny linux kernel or something, then running some HPC stuff over a network? Or maybe for a render farm doing something nice in realtime?

psonice, i was pointing out to the fact that you didn't understand that larrabee isn't a stream processor. :)

nystep: ah, sorry :) Yes, I'm using the wrong terms. What I meant there was more like 'massively parallel in-order' processor. Is there a term for that? Running an OS on a stream processor would be a pretty insane decision :)

people use the term GPGPU, which is such a bastard and blurred concept :>

zest: yeah, but that means a GPU used as a general processor.. how about the other way round - a processor with tons of simple cores, that can be used as a GPU? That seems to be what intel is aiming at.

exactly, what are intel marketroids waiting for to sell a new killing concept name ? :D

"Multimedia" :D

so what's next :D

does it accelerate my internet for real this time ?

any updated opinions about this..? you think the larrabee could take the reigns from current GPUs in terms of performance and flexibility?

I think you'll find that's usually performance or flexibility :)

flexibility is so nice :)

.