![]() ![]() Nvidia claims that the Maxwell was designed for a record-breaking performance-per-watt ratio. So if the GPU architecture is not optimized, heat dissipation per each square millimeter of the semiconductor chip will be growing until it becomes an obstacle to increasing clock rates and, consequently, performance. Even transitioning to a new tech process is not a solution anymore since transistor density grows faster than power consumption per each transistor. And it would not be possible without optimizing your product designs for better energy efficiency. When it is not possible to quickly switch to a “thinner” tech process, you have to resort to increasing clock rates in order to make your top-end solutions faster. Less advanced power and cooling systems can be used, which translates into better reliability and lower noise level.Įnergy efficiency has been improving for years, becoming even more important after the process of transitioning to new manufacturing technologies has slowed down. Moreover, lower power consumption makes a graphics card with better consumer properties, other factors being the same. The latter chip can be modified to have more computing subunits or higher clock rates and beat the first chip in performance because the 300W chip has no reserves for similar modifications due to its already excessive power draw. For example, suppose we have two chips with the same performance, but one consumes 300 watts whereas the other, 150 watts. The saved watts can be spent to increase clock rates or the number of computing subunits. ![]() Some people argue that performance matters more than energy efficiency but it turns out that energy efficiency is actually the key to high performance. There will be some additional modifications in the second-generation Maxwell but, like in the first generation, the focus will be on energy efficiency. The second generation of Maxwell-based GPUs will be rolled out in the second half of this year and will supposedly consist of three chips codenamed GM200, GM204 and GM206 – all manufactured on new 20nm technology. ![]()
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