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- Aug 5, 2013
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Note: This might sound like a rumor thread but I actually just have a question about VRAM vs GPU power consumption.
So, let's assume HBM on the new flagship will save precisely 50W under peak gaming loads.
We'll also use the 290X's power consumption, about 290W, as a starting point. So now we have a 390X card that uses approximately 240W under load. That's great, 50W less than the 290X and about the same as the Titan X!
Now let's say all of the additional shaders and no new arch improvements have pushed the GPU up 50W. So now the total video card power usage is back to 290W again.
So, previously, we had a 290X GPU that used let's say 200W (+90W GDDR5).
Now we have a 390X GPU that uses 250W (+40W HBM).
However if you bench both cards, they will show the same amount of power at the wall (290W). But that load has now shifted from the ram chips to the GPU itself.
So... What does this mean for overall video card performance? Lower stability? Lower OC headroom? Higher temps than Hawaii?
Isn't this considered cheating, maybe? Shifting power usage from memory to GPU won't show any effects in benchmarks but will have HUGE negative side-effects.
All of the past leaks point to a ~290W 390X and people have been saying "No big deal it's the same as the 290X" but considering the changes in power usage, could it be a bigger problem than before?
So, let's assume HBM on the new flagship will save precisely 50W under peak gaming loads.
We'll also use the 290X's power consumption, about 290W, as a starting point. So now we have a 390X card that uses approximately 240W under load. That's great, 50W less than the 290X and about the same as the Titan X!
Now let's say all of the additional shaders and no new arch improvements have pushed the GPU up 50W. So now the total video card power usage is back to 290W again.
So, previously, we had a 290X GPU that used let's say 200W (+90W GDDR5).
Now we have a 390X GPU that uses 250W (+40W HBM).
However if you bench both cards, they will show the same amount of power at the wall (290W). But that load has now shifted from the ram chips to the GPU itself.
So... What does this mean for overall video card performance? Lower stability? Lower OC headroom? Higher temps than Hawaii?
Isn't this considered cheating, maybe? Shifting power usage from memory to GPU won't show any effects in benchmarks but will have HUGE negative side-effects.
All of the past leaks point to a ~290W 390X and people have been saying "No big deal it's the same as the 290X" but considering the changes in power usage, could it be a bigger problem than before?