12-23-2017, 12:06 AM
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/26...-gaming-vr
Quote:Micron is planning an aggressive ramp of GDDR6 technology across the entire GPU business. The introduction of GDDR6 has significant implications for the mainstream PC graphics business, where GDDR5 remains the dominant memory architecture.
GDDR5 has had an exceptional run. First introduced in 2008, it still dominates the PC graphics industry below the $300 price point, where the bulk of GPUs are sold. All good things, however, must come to an end. With VR and 4K both pushing into the mainstream, it’s time to boost memory bandwidth and capacities above the level GDDR5 provided. GDDR5X was a short-term solution to increase bandwidth at the high-end, but both AMD and Nvidia need solutions that scale upwards for lower total costs.
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When AMD switched to HBM, it justified the move due to the difficulty of scaling up GDDR5 to higher clock speeds and the increased power consumption that resulted. This paid off with Fury and Vega — by all accounts, both GPUs consume much less power than they would if they’d used GDDR5 or GDDR5X. At the same time, however, GDDR6 may present a better overall profile for future designs — especially if HBM2 costs can’t be brought under control.