Nvidia details resizable BAR support plans

[porina]

Quotes

Quote

NVIDIA has stated that they will be adding support for the feature through GeForce Game Ready Drivers and it will be compatible with both Intel and AMD CPU based systems. Having support on both AMD and Intel platforms might give NVIDIA an edge since AMD's solution only works with its Ryzen 5000 lineup and compatible X570 motherboards. The driver is said to launch in late February so around the same time as the availability of the GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card.

Sources

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-resizable-bar-support-for-geforce-rtx-30-gpus-on-both-desktop-notebook-platforms/

https://www.nvidia.com/en-gb/geforce/news/geforce-rtx-30-series-resizable-bar-support/

 

Summary

While we knew it was being worked on shortly after AMD announced their equivalent "SAM", we now have a clearer picture of what will be supported and when.

 

30-series GPU equipped laptops will have it included when they launch in February.

Desktop users of 30 series GPUs will need:

1. VBIOS update for their GPU (presumably this will be included out of the box on the just announced 3060, but 30-series released before that will need a user update)
2. New driver due out in February
3. Compatible CPU/mobo platform

On the last point, we currently know that Zen 3 CPUs on 500 series chipset support it. It remains to be seen which Intel platforms will get this support. For now, there is the following quote from the nvidia page:

Quote

“Intel has been working with NVIDIA to enable Resizable BAR, an advanced PCI-Express technology, across the PC ecosystem,” said Fredrik Hamberger, GM of Premium & Enthusiast Laptop Segments at Intel. “This feature can give gamers an extra boost in gameplay FPS on Intel’s new 11th generation H/S and select 10th generation systems when paired with supported graphics cards, including NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs.”

 

My thoughts

Given what we've seen on AMD side for this feature, it could give a small boost to performance. This wont change the world, but free performance is still welcome for those that have a new enough system to support it. Given that nvidia only announced this after AMD, combined with the need for a VBIOS update makes it seem likely this is a reactionary move to keep feature parity with AMD, not something they planned before. Due to the need to implement and verify operation, I wouldn't hold my breath expecting this to be rolled back to older generations of hardware on any of red, green or blue sides.

[TrigrH]

Z370 or riot.

[porina]

8 minutes ago, Tedny said:

Vbios for something that will give around only 1-5%, at best?! 

If they didn't implement the feature support already, it has to be added somehow. Guess it needs more than just a driver update to make happen. This might be something for advanced users. If you're fortunate enough to get a 30 series card already, they'll keep working regardless.

[D13H4RD]

Doesn't look like Turing will be supported.

 

Though it's not exactly the end of the world, and certainly not something that justifies the anger thrown over at NVIDIA's page. A 1-3% performance boost on average in most games (with a 10-ish% bump in some games and a regression of a similar amount in some others) isn't exactly something to get excited over.

[YubinTheBunny]

I hope the new vbios also raise the power limit a little for  my 3080.

[tim0901]

9 minutes ago, Tedny said:

Let me guess, in 4000 series it will just works,right?! 

Well... yes. Same as it will likely "just work" on any 3000 series GPU built after ~February 2021. Because it will be a part of the vbios installed in the factory. It's not like they're making it an 'optional feature' that you have to download separately every time you get a new GPU.

[CommanderAlex]

1 hour ago, D13H4RD said:

Doesn't look like Turing will be supported.

 

Though it's not exactly the end of the world, and certainly not something that justifies the anger thrown over at NVIDIA's page. A 1-3% performance boost on average in most games (with a 10-ish% bump in some games and a regression of a similar amount in some others) isn't exactly something to get excited over.

I was hoping it would...