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AMD plans to really rub DirectX11 support into NVidia’s face at CES by launching a whopping 12 new DirectX11 GPU’s, six for desktops and six for mobile platforms.

The Radeon HD 5600/5500 (codenamed Redwood) series is expected to replace HD4600 series. The leaked information indicated that Radeon HD 5670 features 400 stream processors, GDDR5 memory, 128-bit of memory interface, DisplayPort/DVI/VGA ports, and support for Eyefinity technology.

Additionally, the Radeon HD 5400/5300 is reportedly designed to take the place of HD4550/4350. The above mentioned cards are expected to sell around or below US$90.

With NVidia waiting on Fermi for DirectX11 compliant and the recently announced delays, this could finally give ATI a chance to jump NVidia in marketshare.

via AMD Set to Unveil 12 DirectX 11 GPUs at CES 2010 – Expreview.com.

Hardware amd, ati, ces, directx, directx11

Theodore Gray, of Mathematica fame, has created a periodic table using pictures to actually show the elements. As you roll over the elements with your mouse, a picture of the element is shown along with details about the element, such as its atomic weight, density, melting point, boiling point, and uses. Some of the uses are quite funny. For example, for Einsteinium:

The most famous scientist of all time, Albert Einstein, obviously deserves to have an element named after him. Unfortunately his has a half-life of 472 days and no known applications. Better luck next time?

Want another laugh, try element 107, Bohrium. Want to buy it as a poster, card deck or place mat? You can buy it in their store. The one I want is the 3-D lenticular version.

Via PeriodicTable.com

Science infographic, molecular

Jan Vlietinck has published a simple 200x200x200 fluid simulation that simulates and renders the result using the new DirectX11 DirectCompute GPU acceleration systems.

The calculations make use of a well known scheme of velocity advection, Jaccobi pressure solving and making the velocity divergence free by subtracting the gradient of the pressure.This is the so called Semi-Lagrangian scheme. A more accurate solver makes use of the second order MacCormack technique. The simulation makes use of the latter. However it makes the simulation unstable and introduces artifacts. Limiting generated extremes can fix this, unfortunately I was not able to get this working, so the simulation runs without limiters, still the result is some visual interesting turbulent behavior.

The amplitude of the speed vectors are visualized. To make a 3d rendering, a simple ray maximum projection is used. This shoots rays through the volume searching the maximum speed along the ray. With a linear interpolation the speed is given some color.

via Fast software renderer.

Science directx, directx11, gpgpu, simulation

SemiAccurate is reporting that NVidia will be releasing Fermi with 448 cores instead of 512 cores because it is too hot to handle. In the past, SemiAccurate has lived up to its name with the false rumor that ORNL canceled its Fermi Supercomputer. This time, however, they link to a TESLA C2050 and TESLA C2070 Computing Processor Board PDF. The Tesla C2050 and C2070 are both based on the Fermi chip. The document shows that the Tesla C2050 will likely come with 448 cores, running at 1.25 GHz, and have 3 GB of RAM. The Tesla C2070 will likely come with 448 cores, running at 1.4 GHz, and have 6 GB of RAM.

Back on September 30, 2009, Nvidia released a white paper describing the Fermi architecture. Fermi was to have 16 streaming multiprocessors. Each streaming multiprocessor had 32 cores. In total, Fermi would then have 512 cores.

However, this PDF document is more recent, with a release date of November 16, 2009. It states that Fermi will have 14 streaming multiprocessors. In total, Fermi would then have 448 cores.

It is also important to note that NVidia does include the disclaimer in the Fermi Compute Architecture Whitepaper that:

The first Fermi based GPU … features up to 512 CUDA cores.

It was originally thought that the top-of-the-line Fermi card would have 512 cores, while a variant might have fewer cores. For example, the 280 GTX has 240 cores, while the 260 has 216 cores, which itself is up from an initial 192 cores. It is still possible that NVidia might release a 512 core variant, perhaps once the manufacturing process improves.

It is also possible that the gaming card will have 512 cores, while the Tesla will have fewer cores. It has often been the case that NVidia releases a gaming card that has higher clock speeds and memory capacity than the equivalent Quadro or Tesla. However, one would think that since a Tesla costs more than the gaming card equivalent, that NVidia would rather earn a higher profit margin on the Tesla rather than put it in the gaming card. Either way, the debate will rage on until NVidia actually starts selling the product, which should be in March 2010.

Via SemiAccurate: Nvidia castrates Fermi to 448SPs

Hardware ferni, nvidia, popular

The NVidia Fermi is probably the most anticipated graphics card in recent history, for it’s massive computational performance puts it years ahead of the competition.  While exact execution figures (aside from our discoveries of the N-Body simulation figures) are still a mystery, NVidia says the figures are looking impressive.

“We expect [Fermi] to be the fastest GPU in every single segment. The performance numbers that we have [obtained] internally just [confirms] that. So, we are happy about this and are just finalizing everything on the driver side,” said Luciano Alibrandi, the head of Nvidia public relations department in EMEAI region, in an interview with DonanimHaber web-site.

Although it seems NVidia still isn’t happy with the card, indicating that they may have to push it back to March 2010 (the tail end of Q1 2010) because of continued 40nm process problems.

Nvidia originally scheduled to launch Fermi in November 2009, but was delayed until CES in January 2010 due to defects, according to market rumors. However, the company recently notified graphics card makers that the official launch will now be in March 2010, the sources noted.

Nvidia plans to launch a 40nm GDDR5 memory-based Fermi-GF100 GPU in March, and will launch a GF104 version in the second quarter to target the high-end market with its GeForce GTX295/285/275/260, the sources pointed out.

via Nvidia Is Happy With Performance of GeForce GF100 “Fermi” Graphics Card – X-bit labs. and DigiTimes: NVidia Delays Fermi to March 2010

Hardware fermi, nvidia

A recent picture featured on Victoria Secret’s website was pointed out by PhotoshopDisasters for it’s reckless retouching, leaving a model holding only the handbag straps. However, Neal Krawetz believed the digital manipulator didn’t stop there and performed some in-depth analysis using principal component analysis, luminace diagrams, and details of JPEG compression to find that the entire image had been retouched and edited.

The large squares at the bottom of her dress and in the background are from a JPEG resave. (They also exist on her face, but that was washed out when I applied the histogram.) So those areas were modified and then saved as a JPEG. However, the rest of her dress contains no rectangular artifacts — those were touched up.

And speaking of touched up… notice the round dark artifact on her chest. JPEG artifacts are rectangular, not round. That is where the artist removed her nipple. (My gal friends tell me that she should have worn a padded bra.)

The min/max values of the image identify one other manipulation. Normally these dots should should look like random noise. There should be no visible patterns in real images. In this case, her face, hair, arms, and dress all have different noise patterns. This matches the other findings that indicate that her dress, face, and limbs were all digitally modified.

Body By Victoria – Secure Computing: Sec-C.

Science analysis, bad, photoshop, popular

You’ve seen our “Resource of The Week” posts every Wednesday morning, and now we’ve taken it to the next level with out new VizWorld.com Store, powered by Amazon.com.  The store contains everything you’ve seen in our Resource of the Week category, as well as other books, dvd’s, and hardware.  If you’re in the market for HDMI cables, Graphics cards or equipment, or just training materials, we hope you’ll stop by the VizWorld.com store to see if we have it first. In addition, I’ve created a “Hot Items” category where I imported Amazon.com’s entire DVD, Book, Software, and Electronics categories so you can buy all the things you usually do, but kick back a bit to VizWorld.com.

Each purchase contributes a tiny (4%) amount to keep VizWorld.com open.  If you want something from Amazon but it’s not on the store, feel free to shoot us an email and we’ll happily add it for you or give you a customized link, so that you can continue to support us in your purchases.

Graphics, Hardware, Science, Website amazon, feature, Website

Another week has gone, and it’s time to draw our winners.  This week’s winner of a $25 Gift Card from Amazon.com is:

Kevin K

Congratulations!  I’ve just sent you an email, and you have 7 days to respond.

If you didn’t win, then don’t despair. 2010 will host more contests, more prizes, and more chances to win! So check back regularly and we hope to see you again soon!

Website contest, survey, Website

The MSI GTX275 Lightning has been pushed to unseen extremes by Belgium overclocker Massman, who has hooked it up to some KingpinCooling hardware and brought it to new depths of cold.

The MSI GTX275 Lightning default: 700/1404/1150MHz was successfully overclocked to 1375/2757/1435MHz, achieving the highest core clock we’re seen so far on an NVIDIA-based graphics card.

Several pictures, including the impressive 3dMark Vantage score of P20460, available an Expreview.

via MSI GTX275 Lightning Achieves New NVIDIA GPU World Record – Expreview.com.

Hardware msi, nvidia, overclock

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, and Happy Chanukah.  Whatever spirits you enjoy, have fun.

No news tomorrow, back this weekend.

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