I'm envisioning a computer with no video card; CPU/GPU combined. And a computer with no memory or cache. Just SSD. Fewer separate components, less bus path, lower power consumption, quieter, no more moving parts ... ah, progress is satisfying.

I think we have a bit of a wait to endure first, though. ;)

TIGRI'm envisioning a computer with no video card; CPU/GPU combined. And a computer with no memory or cache. Just SSD. Fewer separate components, less bus path, lower power consumption, quieter, no more moving parts ... ah, progress is satisfying.

I think we have a bit of a wait to endure first, though. ;)

You don't have to....www.techpowerup.com/?66655

We are coming ever closer to ubiquitous computing. Advantages aside, I see this leading eventually to digital devices that can only be modded in software, as the hardware will be too integrated for the average person to modify/upgrade.

laszloso future is here already;i expected this to happen after 2010 but seems we won't need stand alone gpus in a few year;this is bad news for nvidia and also for ati because the oem built pc's(not the expensive ones) has a weak gpu so they can spare now ...

The bad news already came out of nvidias mouth, thats the reason nvidia is getting out of the chipset business. I think down the road vidio cards will be gone also, shared by the, ah slipped my mind, Havoc or the (phisix)forgot spelling, chip, intel bought the other outfit. The only way I see Nvidia is going to survive is to join with lets say IBM, via is out of the picture because the nano is regulated to specialty items. Its fairly quiet from nvidias camp, something is cooking, usually their coming out with all kinds of future ideas, what is beyond 280, by now we would of heard reliable sources of their future intentions. They can't make it as a Gpu only company. I for one do not feel sorry for them at all, what goes around comes around. Remember 3dfx, the technology was already here in the early 2000, sli, 2 chips on one board, I still have the Voodoo 2 sli cards, I hope they go down in flames. Nvidia stifled technology by buying and then shutting 3dfx down, I know some of you guys will say they amalgamated but that's bull , once the engineers left from 3dfx nvidia had tech they didn't know what to do with. Lo and behold Sli came out years after it had already been implemented.

I really dont think in 2 or 3 years time we wont have video cards around. We will still need them, but they will be paired with a new type of fusion chip and offer even better performance perhaps. Gonna be hardpressed to put a 45/55nm gpu core (dedicated memory or shared system memory) with a 45/65nm cpu core (independent memory) and make it work with less heat and power. Im talking a 4850 with a phenom 9550.

Also, what would take the place of ram? I would think we would need to stick with that as perhaps SSDs couldnt replace them.

MusselsI can see a few problems arising from this setup.

#1. Motherboard needs support - otherwise you have no outputs
#1.1. You're really screwed if you want more/different outputs (adding HDMI, etc)
#2. what will happen if you add an unsupported video card (Nvidia for example)? will it be able to be disabled?

bonus#. This will be fun for itx and really tiny systems. Only one heatsink needed...

well its a new socket for laptops
so it will garanteed atlest have a VGA output, on more expensive models it will have VGA and DVI or HDMI
just like AMDs 780G/GX boards

wiak: that was already answered :P laptops and micro systems, this is great. i was initially htinking it was for the desktop segment.

in a laptop, being able to upgrade CPU and GPU at the same time would be sweeeeet....

IcrushitIThe bad news already came out of nvidias mouth, thats the reason nvidia is getting out of the chipset business. I think down the road vidio cards will be gone also, shared by the, ah slipped my mind, Havoc or the (phisix)forgot spelling, chip, intel bought the other outfit. The only way I see Nvidia is going to survive is to join with lets say IBM, via is out of the picture because the nano is regulated to specialty items. Its fairly quiet from nvidias camp, something is cooking, usually their coming out with all kinds of future ideas, what is beyond 280, by now we would of heard reliable sources of their future intentions. They can't make it as a Gpu only company. I for one do not feel sorry for them at all, what goes around comes around. Remember 3dfx, the technology was already here in the early 2000, sli, 2 chips on one board, I still have the Voodoo 2 sli cards, I hope they go down in flames. Nvidia stifled technology by buying and then shutting 3dfx down, I know some of you guys will say they amalgamated but that's bull , once the engineers left from 3dfx nvidia had tech they didn't know what to do with. Lo and behold Sli came out years after it had already been implemented.

Except that NV never said they are getting out of the chipset business. That was an unfounded rumor.

And nvidia isn't going to die anytime soon. Both ATI and NV have had their ups and downs, like NV is seeing right now. They'll turn back around again.