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News AMD launches XConnect external graphics card tech

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Gareth Halfacree, 10 Mar 2016.

  1. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Gareth Halfacree, 10 Mar 2016
    #1
  2. edzieba

    edzieba Virtual Realist

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    As far as I can tell, 'Xconnect' is a branding for systems that happen to implement standardised funcitons:
    - Thunderbolt 3 over USB Type C
    - BIOS that enables PCIe GPUs (all desktop boards by default, but not necessarily all laptops)
    - Driver support (implemented in Radeon 16.2.2, and in GeForce 361.75 up
    - OS support (at the moment only Win 10)

    There is no 'special sauce', just a requirement to tick the existing boxes.
     
    edzieba, 10 Mar 2016
    #2
  3. Jimbob

    Jimbob Minimodder

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    Another year, another external GPU idea.
     
    Jimbob, 10 Mar 2016
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  4. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Couldn't you say that about any given technology, though? There's no 'special sauce' in the Oculus Rift: it's just a display, accelerometer, positional tracker, and lenses in a plastic box - we've had all that for years. There's no 'special sauce' in an Intel Core-i7: it's just an bunch of logic gates. There's no 'special sauce' in a Whopper: actually, no, that one's right.

    ...and now I want a Whopper. Dammit.
     
    Gareth Halfacree, 10 Mar 2016
    #4
  5. edzieba

    edzieba Virtual Realist

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    It's more like taking a PC with a discrete GPU and a USB racing wheel, pedals & shifter attached, and declaring it as 'AMD XRacing technology'. It's literally the exact same HID devices and PC as before, you've just slapped your name on the front.
    People have been creating unofficial GPU adapters using external PCIe enclosures and Thunderbolt (or more ghetto mPCIe or M2. adapters) connections for quite some time. If someone happens to be using an external GPU dock over Thunderbolt 3 today, and then install the AMD driver, then suddenly they have an 'XConnect' system. The only change is in the driver to avoid crashing when the device is unplugged, a function that already exists in 'dockable' devices (e.g. the Surface Book).
     
    edzieba, 10 Mar 2016
    #5
  6. Wwhat

    Wwhat Minimodder

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    So will this enable apple computers to run VR headsets?
     
    Wwhat, 12 Mar 2016
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  7. Impatience

    Impatience Minimodder

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    Now THAT is a good question!
     
    Impatience, 12 Mar 2016
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