NVIDIA Introduces ESA - Enthusiast System Architecture
by Wesley Fink on November 5, 2007 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
ESA Problem Solving
The only limitation to the capabilities of ESA is the imagination of manufacturers, software engineers, and enthusiasts. Perhaps the best way to understand what ESA can potentially do for systems is to look at some current system problems, and how they could be solved using ESA components and tools.
PROBLEM: Airflow in the case is uneven and this affects stability and overclocking capabilities
Causes:
PROBLEM: Poor cooling performance also affects overclocking
Causes: Water Cooling Effectiveness depends on
We would be remiss if we didn't point out a problem that ESA cannot solve: dust and pet hair buildup. However, ESA could tell us our fans are losing efficiency, and we may now look forward to pop-ups telling us we have clogged fans that need cleaning. Obviously, monitoring and control of cooling components can only go so far, but better monitoring at the very least should allow for easier troubleshooting and correction of certain types of problems.
The only limitation to the capabilities of ESA is the imagination of manufacturers, software engineers, and enthusiasts. Perhaps the best way to understand what ESA can potentially do for systems is to look at some current system problems, and how they could be solved using ESA components and tools.
PROBLEM: Airflow in the case is uneven and this affects stability and overclocking capabilities
Causes:
- Insufficient ventilation
- Air blockage in the system
- Poor chassis fan positions/speeds
- Distributed thermal sensors (with 3D position information)
- Instrumented fans that communicate speed and location
PROBLEM: Poor cooling performance also affects overclocking
Causes: Water Cooling Effectiveness depends on
- Flow rate
- Water temperature
- Good thermal connection between blocks and devices
- Monitored water temperature and flow rates
- Controlled fans and pumps
We would be remiss if we didn't point out a problem that ESA cannot solve: dust and pet hair buildup. However, ESA could tell us our fans are losing efficiency, and we may now look forward to pop-ups telling us we have clogged fans that need cleaning. Obviously, monitoring and control of cooling components can only go so far, but better monitoring at the very least should allow for easier troubleshooting and correction of certain types of problems.
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nullpointerus - Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - link
I know this is off-topic, but off-hand I do not know of any other way to reach AT staff.Most people in the Video forum were optimistic and open-minded about DirectX 10 and the performance/IQ claims made by Microsoft, yet most of the new games and demos introduced this year have a huge performance hit with little or no perceived IQ improvements. Hellgate London is the only game I've heard of where the performance benefits are said to be realized. Every other DX10 game/demo has been disappointing.
Unfortunately, every game seems to have different sets of issues related to DX10, leading to a variety of conflicting theories with no solid evidence.
It would be great if Anandtech published a realistic DX10 article describing the cause of the performance hit and highlighting any IQ improvements in upcoming/shipping games.
kobymu - Monday, November 5, 2007 - link
Fixed :)
erwos - Monday, November 5, 2007 - link
The return for nVidia is:1. Prestige.
2. Major influence on a new standard.
It's hard to write negative things about new standards, generally because they're invented to solve problems. Criticizing them for not having the software/hardware stack completely lined-up and out the door is ludicrous - these things take time. Would you prefer to be completely blind-sided by a new stack of things you've never heard of before coming out tomorrow?
Have you ever been involved with formulating a new standard for anything? There's nothing unusual going on here.
Regs - Monday, November 5, 2007 - link
I don't care about the graphics.I do care if the interface is easy to use and the program is written and supported accurately enough that it won't make my system unstable.
We all have different systems, drivers, software, and Os's. If they still struggle to uniform games to work stable enough on all our systems, then I have major worries about programs that intend to plug-in and control such vital operations such as cooling, voltage control, and others.
defter - Monday, November 5, 2007 - link
Read the article, ESA is an open platform. You are free to write an own small, fast, non-bloated application that utilizes ESA.mlau - Monday, November 5, 2007 - link
"open" can mean anything these days -- just look at Microsofts "OpenXML": it's theusual binary dump of their office formats with XML tags wrapped around (and the name
is pure marketing genius: combine two of the most recognizable buzzwords in the IT
industry and voila!)
emboss - Monday, November 5, 2007 - link
Indeed. PCI is an "open standard" yet you have to pay four figures to (legally) get a copy of it. Not to mention that there are many other "open standards" that have licencing fees.Given that NVidia only have a "contact us" link for getting hold of it, and given NVidia's history of secrecy, I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or both of these situations applied here. I've fired off an email but I'm not holding my breath ...
emboss - Thursday, November 8, 2007 - link
FWIW, NVidia have still not gotten back to me about it. Seems to indicate that their "open" standard is as open as Windows. What a surprise.