Intel Larrabee - a prototype

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I am no longer in possession of the card, but the card is in good hands.
 
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I tried to win the Engineering Sample VCA, but definitely not as interested at all compared to the Larrabee... The VCA isn't rare or unreleased. I bid up to 170 and called it quits. I will say that the non-ES variants seem to be selling for $2000 in Retail ... i was only interested in slightly that it's an ES and also the possible $2000 current value.

Intel Prototype VCA1283LVV BPP2 2.9 GHz Visual Compute Accelerator Server XEON
 
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I honestly had no idea Larrabee made it that far to have a full GPU. I would have loved to see some more information on it.
 
I honestly had no idea Larrabee made it that far to have a full GPU. I would have loved to see some more information on it.

There were promotional PR releases as late as 2009:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-larrabee-graphics,2253.html

And there were regular updates on the whole cluster-fuck from rags like The Register.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/08/intel_larrabee_letdown/

And see here for the most in-depth discussion you will find about how functional the cards were, posted by one of the developers:

http://tomforsyth1000.github.io/blog.wiki.html#[[Why didn't Larrabee fail?]]
 
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And see here for the most in-depth discussion you will find about how functional the cards were, posted by one of the developers:

http://tomforsyth1000.github.io/blog.wiki.html#[[Why didn't Larrabee fail?]]


That's awesome, I love FreeBSD! Man, wish even more that I could of gotten it now.

"Larrabee emulated a fully ~DirectX11 and ~OpenGL4.x compliant graphics card - by which I mean it was a ~PCIe card, you plugged it into your machine, you plugged the monitor into the back, you installed the standard Windows driver, and... it was a graphics card. There was no other graphics cards in the system. It had the full ~DX11 feature set, and there were over 300 titles running perfectly - you download the game from Steam and they Just Work - they totally think it's a graphics card! But it's still actually running ~FreeBSD on that card, and under ~FreeBSD it's just running an x86 program called ~DirectXGfx (248 threads of it). And it shares a file system with the host and you can telnet into it and give it other work to do and steal cores from your own graphics system - it was mind-bending! And because it was software, it could evolve - Larrabee was the first fully ~DirectX11-compatible card Intel had, because unlike Gen we didn't have to make a new chip when Microsoft released a new spec. It was also the fastest graphics card Intel had - possibly still is. Of course that's a totally unfair comparison because Gen (the integrated Intel gfx processor) has far less power and area budget. But that should still tell you that Larrabee ran graphics at perfectly respectable speeds. I got very good at ~Dirt3 on Larrabee."
 
Yeah, I hadn't actually read that one from Tom until yesterday. Found it on a tech news site's feed while searching for other older articles I remembered reading.

It was an exciting time, so I kept close tabs on Intel's graphics division. I'm glad to see that the creators haven't forgotten the effort.
 
There were promotional PR releases as late as 2009:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-larrabee-graphics,2253.html

And there were regular updates on the whole cluster-fuck from rags like The Register.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/08/intel_larrabee_letdown/

And see here for the most in-depth discussion you will find about how functional the cards were, posted by one of the developers:

http://tomforsyth1000.github.io/blog.wiki.html#[[Why didn't Larrabee fail?]]

The last one was a really awesome read, thanks so much!
 
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I have Larrabee prototype in my collection. Unfortunatelly without special software it is mostly useless - card is visible only as coprocessor, not VGA adapter. I have contacted Tom Forsyth, he said that card needs to be initialized with this software first. As for now I didn't find such software :(
 
I have Larrabee prototype in my collection. Unfortunatelly without special software it is mostly useless - card is visible only as coprocessor, not VGA adapter. I have contacted Tom Forsyth, he said that card needs to be initialized with this software first. As for now I didn't find such software :(

How much to part with it? Does money talk? Everything has it's price?
 
I have Larrabee prototype in my collection. Unfortunatelly without special software it is mostly useless - card is visible only as coprocessor, not VGA adapter. I have contacted Tom Forsyth, he said that card needs to be initialized with this software first. As for now I didn't find such software :(
Pics?
 
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How much to part with it?
Sorry, not ready to part right now, may be later.

Here are the pics:

LRB1-front-150x150.jpg
LRB1-back1-150x150.jpg
LRB1-nude-150x150.jpg
LRB1-cooling-system-150x150.jpg

LRB1-close-view-150x150.jpg
LRB1-connectors-150x150.jpg
LRB1-fan-150x150.jpg
 
I wouldn't doubt it if Intel employees visit the forums, and flagged the ebay listing. Another reason not to publicly post about listings you're bidding on.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner.
Although I didn't see this thread until just now and I didn't report the listing (obviously), that's a very true statement.

Without giving away too much info, I work at Intel. I was actually the guy at our site responsible for the destruction/disposition of all Intel assets, including engineering samples and Intel confidential materials (including prototypes).
It is absolutely not only against multiple company policies for this item to have left Intel, let alone be up for sale on eBay, it's also theft and thus illegal.
If Intel was to trace the item or seller back to an employee, that individual will not only be fired but also face criminal penalties.
 
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Ding ding ding, we have a winner.
Although I didn't see this thread until just now and I didn't report the listing (obviously), that's a very true statement.

Without giving away too much info, I work at Intel. I was actually the guy at our site responsible for the destruction/disposition of all Intel assets, including engineering samples and Intel confidential materials (including prototypes).
It is absolutely not only against multiple company policies for this item to have left Intel, let alone be up for sale on eBay, it's also theft and thus illegal.
If Intel was to trace the item or seller back to an employee, that individual will not only be fired but also face criminal penalties.
Well that just makes you a big meany. We only want to have fun.
 
Well that just makes you a big meany. We only want to have fun.

Haha. I don't make the rules. I just happen to know what they are, my job depended on it.
I'm not a spy either, although that sounds fun. I've been around [H] for 12 years (more of a reader than a poster), long before I worked at Intel.

When I took over the role, it was painful to literally throw away pallets and 50 gallon barrels full of all manner of components and equipment, everything from Motherboards to CPU's to servers.
But after awhile, you get used to it. $1,000+ prototype i7 CPU's going into a barrel becomes normal. I got to handle some very cool things though, a good amount of it very few people ever see.
I would still be in that role, but I hurt my back a few years ago and could no longer do the job. I've moved onto other things since.


EDIT: *cough* I would love to have a custom title, Kyle *cough*
 
Haha. I don't make the rules. I just happen to know what they are, my job depended on it.
I'm not a spy either, although that sounds fun. I've been around [H] for 12 years (more of a reader than a poster), long before I worked at Intel.

When I took over the role, it was painful to literally throw away pallets and 50 gallon barrels full of all manner of components and equipment, everything from Motherboards to CPU's to servers.
But after awhile, you get used to it. $1,000+ prototype i7 CPU's going into a barrel becomes normal. I got to handle some very cool things though, a good amount of it very few people ever see.
I would still be in that role, but I hurt my back a few years ago and could no longer do the job. I've moved onto other things since.


EDIT: *cough* I would love to have a custom title, Kyle *cough*
Careful, it might end up being AMD Fanboy lol
 
lol I'm ok with that. Other than an old MAC Book Pro, I don't think anything I own actually has an Intel chip inside.
It's just too damn expensive and I refuse to pay a premium.
Good man, m68k and PowerPC 'til the end! :D
 
Ding ding ding, we have a winner.
Although I didn't see this thread until just now and I didn't report the listing (obviously), that's a very true statement.

Without giving away too much info, I work at Intel. I was actually the guy at our site responsible for the destruction/disposition of all Intel assets, including engineering samples and Intel confidential materials (including prototypes).
It is absolutely not only against multiple company policies for this item to have left Intel, let alone be up for sale on eBay, it's also theft and thus illegal.
If Intel was to trace the item or seller back to an employee, that individual will not only be fired but also face criminal penalties.
So Intel lost track of a number of engineering samples? Now discovered they are available on Ebay? :LOL:

Also since they were all suppose to be destroyed - means any left over are worth some very BIG BUCKS $. So I can see some scams going on with folks trying to obtain these.

Anyways as for theft and depending upon the state that if it can be proven or known, is 3-5 years for prosecutions. No federal law here. I am not a lawyer so just a little bit of research and could be wrong. This includes trade secrets as well. I am sorry, Intel would not have a leg to stand on if the card has been missing over that time. To prove it was stolen in court if it was not reported, serial # etc. GOOD LUCK. :D
 
So Intel lost track of a number of engineering samples? Now discovered they are available on Ebay? :LOL:

Also since they were all suppose to be destroyed - means any left over are worth some very BIG BUCKS $. So I can see some scams going on with folks trying to obtain these.

Anyways as for theft and depending upon the state that if it can be proven or known, is 3-5 years for prosecutions. No federal law here. I am not a lawyer so just a little bit of research and could be wrong. This includes trade secrets as well. I am sorry, Intel would not have a leg to stand on if the card has been missing over that time. To prove it was stolen in court if it was not reported, serial # etc. GOOD LUCK. :D


#1. Not that I am aware of. But you have to keep in mind Intel has hundreds of locations and hundreds of thousands of employees around the world.
I can only speak for myself and my location during the time I was in that job role.
This is in NO way meant to be an official statement from Intel. I'm NOT speaking for the company or for any other person(s), I can speak only to my own experience.

#2. I would suppose like many other things, it's only worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Not like engineering samples carry an MSRP or have any sort of legitimate market that dictate price.
As for scams, absolutely. It's not difficult or an unlikely stretch of the imagination to find scams on eBay or other websites like it. I've been the victim of scams on eBay as both a seller and a buyer.

#3. I'm not a lawyer or in any way affiliated with law enforcement. Each region (state/province/country) will have their own laws and will dictate what crime(s), if any, has been committed and its corresponding punishment.
If Intel were to pursue a case against someone, I have no clue as to what either sides chances would be, what the person(s) could or would be charged with, or what punishment that person(s) would face.
This is also failing to take into account law enforcement investigation, internal investigation, and the court or whatever process exists for executing the law.
To comment on any of it would be nothing more than speculation and assumptions.

That being said, I would likely agree with you. There should be a paper trail to some extent. But the serial numbers or other identifying information were not always recorded when I processed any item prior to its destruction. We were only required to keep records of specific items. What records exist before or after I would of processed the item are largely unknown to me. Intel does use an internal database that among other things is used to create digital records of and consequently track equipment.The person or group who sent the item to me for disposition (destruction) also may or may not of kept their own records. But again, I can only speak to my own experience and the job role I once held.
 
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Bumping this thread, Linus Tech Tips apparently got their hands on this thing. He didn't manage to get it working, but it's interesting to see nevertheless.

 
Penus tech tips.

I have to physically fight myself to stop me from punching my monitor when I see that dipshit.

Yes, I am jealous of a youtube fickle freak who gets free shit.

Not really, I just dislike his face, his voice, the way he acts, his obvious love of men and his desperate dan chin.

Apart from that I think he is a great bloke.
 
Bumping this thread, Linus Tech Tips apparently got their hands on this thing. He didn't manage to get it working, but it's interesting to see nevertheless.



holy shit someone competent please take that card from him.

1. i would have loved to see the actual pcb on that board to compare it to the phi cards and that would tell you exactly how much vram it had

2. the knights corner phis were VERY picky about what server they ran in if it is trully similar i would like to see that card tested on a supported system

3. why not use a difernt card for display and see if that thing is even detected.

4. pull the vbios off that card and compare it or flash it onto a knights corner chip


on another intresting note for the future of intel graphics intel also tryed to get somthing simular by throwing a software lare on a pcb with 3 e5 xeons on it (vca 2) it will be intresting to see if intel tryes to just throw software ontop of the new phis (whitch are redicuasly fast, i use them to mine :p ) a new frankenstein of scalable xeons or an actual custom graphics chip.
 
He seems like he's probably an OK guy to me, but I find his actual videos
holy shit someone competent please take that card from him.

1. i would have loved to see the actual pcb on that board to compare it to the phi cards and that would tell you exactly how much vram it had

2. the knights corner phis were VERY picky about what server they ran in if it is trully similar i would like to see that card tested on a supported system

3. why not use a difernt card for display and see if that thing is even detected.

4. pull the vbios off that card and compare it or flash it onto a knights corner chip


on another intresting note for the future of intel graphics intel also tryed to get somthing simular by throwing a software lare on a pcb with 3 e5 xeons on it (vca 2) it will be intresting to see if intel tryes to just throw software ontop of the new phis (whitch are redicuasly fast, i use them to mine :p ) a new frankenstein of scalable xeons or an actual custom graphics chip.
The answer to most of your questions is most likely "Yeah, I know, but this way we get to make two videos with it instead of one."
 
He seems like he's probably an OK guy to me, but I find his actual videos

The answer to most of your questions is most likely "Yeah, I know, but this way we get to make two videos with it instead of one."

as long as he eventually gets to doing it right im fine with it but if he is just going to chalk it up as not working and put it on a shelf i would be abit sad
 
I still see the 5675C and 5775C (Broadwell C) as spiritual successors. It is a fast iGPU that actually has widespread driver support and is faster than Larrabee. Very awesome chip.
 
How many times has intel failed in making a decent graphics chip/video card again? Just save the money intel, and continue to buy the good parts from your competitors...
 
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