The problem here is asking why a GPU needs this much power? we've been doubling the capability of GPUs on the same voltage for ages, and all people are doing with it is quadrupling performance and doubling voltage.
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The voltage hasn't been going up, the amps have. The "width" of the chip. Some of what you're seeing is simply the advance in capabilities of i-GPUs: there's no point making a discrete GPU that's worse than what your processor already comes with, so <25 watts is a total nonstarter.
true. having said that, some of the latest AMD chips are showing promise by bringing in performance equal to budget GPUs and not below those like in previous processors. You wouldn't run Crysis at max yet, but they're close.
There are some variances in how different crypto systems work now. Bitcoin still does proof of work, but Ethereum is more into proof of resources in network, and Chia mining is nuts about fast and large storage to the extent that Chia miner specialised equipment is usually durable fast SSDs, not GPU
The end result of this is that regardless of what component you need for your PC, part of what's available, often the best, is being siphoned off for crypto. worse, some folks are trying to fake it and resell heavily used and potentially worn down gear back at prices that don't account for the wear.
I had this confirmed by a former nvidia engineer who confessed to me that since the 1080ti they knew GPUs have way more power than needed for games to look amazing. 'The plan was always AI' in his words.
i love technological developments that amount to crimes for which there is no law. watching our economic system's direction of "productivity" diverge ever further away from fulfilling human needs is great. it's the best
Because we essentially reached the physical limit of how small we can make microprocessors, so all we can really do is add more, which requires more power. That’s why they’re all rushing to AI to do heavy lifting.
How about making them CHEAPER, I say. imagine the renaissance that would happen if a decent chip cost 1/5th as much as it does now. you could embed it into lots of things, there would be less worry about shrinking it further, if it's spread out all over.
And eventually technology does reduce in price, the problem is: consumerism. People DEMAND the best and newest, so companies develop these things at the speed consumerism demands, and end up spending massive R&D and development costs to keep consumers placated. Capitalism is the problem.
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