intel acquire havok!!!!

[Fr0sty]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=8896




have fun reading

[AruisDante]

this could be interesting...

Integrated Physics processing anyone?

[BlakeFlies]

That would be sweet.

[SSPrncVegeta]

I thought Havok were working towards GPU abilities? I wonder if Intel plan to scrap that idea.

[Scubar]

I wonder what Intels upto now then.

[WiCKeD]

So how long until Intel Processors include Physics SIMD Extensions?

I think that's your answer.

I think the PPU also has merit, it just needed to be developed by a company that actually knows how to create processors. That company was not AGEIA. If they go beyond simple instruction code, it could even be a separate core dedicated to physics calculations! That was allegedly the same route AMD was going with GPUs.

[lexandro]

Well if Intel start adding them to CPU's wont that be a kick in the pants to AMD/ATI . And what about Nvidia, were they not working on a way to do physics via SLI or something similar? This could make a lot of research $ worthless in a flash.

[Fr0sty]

well nvidia will aft to pull some kind of move like that if they want to survive longer..

amd/ati now do both gpu and cpu design in house and share their knowledge.. so a ppu from them wont be trouble... intel with havok will have that same effect.. so now there his really 2 powerhouse so who's going to be better at processing physics? guess will see in proper time...

ohh and on that thing i said about nvidia .. dont flame me pls.. its only my 2 cents on the said subject

[Ozz81]

Based on how ATI/AMD has been doing lately with graphics cards, I don't think Nvidia will have trouble "surviving" - to me, ATI needs more of tech like this than Nvidia does ATM. Nvidia could be working on something like that right now for all we know, since ATI didn't really "bring their A-game" when it came to the 2x00 series of their cards.

Definitely looks interesting, I know Intel had been tweaking their onboard graphics (or so I'd heard a few months back), so I wonder if this might help in that respect too. I think it'd actually be neat if Intel got in on the mid-range and high-end video card market so we could have a third choice and a little more competition, since ATI and Nvidia pretty much smashed everyone else in that regard.

[Fr0sty]

why amd went to merge with ati? to get chipset gpu and cpu all in house.. what intel have in common with amd? chipset , cpu, and now ppu... yeah all we know about nvidia's next best thing his some name code wich seems to point us in some direction.. so well see in due time i guess but my point was both major player in the cpu market are going toward the same path but in their own way that's what i wanted to point out!! sorry if i didnt made it clear the first time

[MJR]

What about Intel GPU's? Wouldn't that seem like a natural course of action?

[AruisDante]

Intel already makes GPU's. In fact, they're the largest maker of GPU's in the world.

[MJR]

Are they Intel branded? Which ones do they make?

[SSPrncVegeta]

Are they Intel branded? Lol. Intel Extreme Graphics, aka **** for gaming but perfectly suitable for 99% of computer users.

[AruisDante]

I thought they had a DX9 integrated graphics solution at this point

[Dil-tech]

Originally Posted by AruisDante

this could be interesting...

Integrated Physics processing anyone?

What would be the purpose? You see, physics are generally done by floating point instructions anyway, and as such you'd just be cutting off FPU's from the cpu that it could otherwise use for more instructions elsewhere. CPU is not where a dedicated physics processor belongs, because the cpu has better uses itself for that power.

In all honestly, this sounds more like a move so that havok FX runs better on intels upcoming discreet gpus than anything. Or perhaps turn havok into something like the novadex api and launch a ppu to compete with ageia.

Or, it could just be due to the fact that a large majority of console games end up using the engine, and intel plans on cashing in on the console market.

There's plenty of good reasons for them to do this, the question is, which one is their focus?

[Anaema]

why have only one focus? sounds like a bad business plan if you only stare at one option.

[k@in]

hes got a point there...