Nvidia, not Apple the Reason for 30 inch Cinema Display Delay

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18300' target='_blank'>http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18300</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Following reports that Apple Computer has <a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=634">delayed</a> its new 30-inch high-definition Cinema display into October, The Inquirer is reporting that the company's third party graphics card supplier <a href="http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18300">Nvidia may be to blame</a>. According to the report, Apple is "raring to go" forth with the new displays, but Nvidia is unable to produce stable versions of its new GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL card, which are required to power the 2560x1600 pixel mammoths. "With 6800 Ultras in short supply on the PC, and the marketing machine telling everyone to buy 6800GTs, this special edition 6800 Ultra must be a niche of a niche of a niche - and possibly even less viable to produce." The report also notes the <a href="http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9593G/A">massive size</a> of the graphics card, suggesting that it is neither cheap nor easy to manufacture.</i><br /><br />Not that any of us here are lining up to get one of these, but it is interesting that new Apple users will have to put up with the problems associated with high end Nvidia cards that PC users have dealt with for the past few years including the fact that they are just too damn wide for their own good. Coupled with the G5 processor, this must be about the hottest (temperature) desktop out there. <br /><br />No need to heat my house in the winter, I have a Macintosh.

[Filip Norrgard]

Not that any of us here are lining up to get one of these, but it is interesting that new Apple users will have to put up with the problems associated with high end Nvidia cards that PC users have dealt with for the past few years including the fact that they are just too damn wide for their own good. Coupled with the G5 processor, this must be about the hottest (temperature) desktop out there.

No need to heat my house in the winter, I have a Macintosh.
Maybe you can setup some distric heating using your Mac and keep your community warmer this winter. ;)

No, kidding aside, heat emission from our beloved and hated computers is essentially becoming a bigger and worse the more powerful the processors get. I mean, the temperature in the room rises about 3 degrees C thanks to the heat from my computer. Will there be a way out of this endless circle of heating up the house? :?

[mcsouth]

Where's my hot-dog stick? :D

I recently upgraded my computer in a less than traditional sense - I spent big money on a quiet power supply (Nexus 3500), modified my case to accept a 92mm rear exhaust fan, and installed two low speed, super quiet 80mm intake fans in front. As a result, my PC is significantly quieter and less intrusive. However, I also keep an eye on my MBM temps - I routinely see temps in the mid to high 50's (degrees C) - a little hotter than I would prefer, but the quiet sounds are bliss compared to the jet engines of the past.

I've been considering building a new PC, maybe in early '05, and I'm seriously considering water cooling, just for noise reduction.......

As much as I would like to upgrade to a new vid card (my Radeon 9500 Pro isn't very happy with Unreal '04), I hate the idea of buying a dustbuster, and having to deal with the increased noise to support my occasional gaiming habit.

By the way, the article doesn't state this outright, but maybe I missed it - does the 30" display come with the card, or is that an extra expense? Sounds to me like that display is really restricted to the top tier of PC's - how many folks possibly planned on getting this display, without realizing the graphics card requirements?

Okay, so I checked it out, and it looks like the card is an additional expense?!?!? So that's $3300 for the display and another $600 for the card - but wait.....Apple tells me that if I install two of these cards, I can drive two 30" displays! Ahhhhh, what bliss.......... 8)