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AMD and Nvidia already preparing for 8K (7680*4320) UHD displays

Nowadays the Holy Grail for core gamers are 4K (3840/4096*2160 resolutions) monitors as well as graphics cards capable of providing decent performance in such high resolutions. However, it is well known that makers of displays have already started to work on 8K (7680*4320 resolution) screens, which are not going to show up on the market earlier than in several years’ time. What is interesting is that designers of graphics processors have also started to think about 8K resolutions.

According to researchers from NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, Japan Broadcasting Corp.) 8K ultra-high-definition television format is the final 2D format as the 7680*4320 resolution (and similar resolution) is the highest 2D resolution that the human eye can process. It is believed that after 8K all the future video formats should be stereoscopic. Therefore, 8K is something that will stay for a long time, which is why many companies are already thinking about how to build displays, graphics processors and software that take advantage of such ultra-high-definition video standard.

“If we get to a display resolution of about 8K horizontally and about 6K vertically then, for a player with 20/20 vision, they will have something that is close to perfect for their visual system,” said Richard Huddy, AMD’s chief gaming scientist, in an interview with PCGamesN.

sharp_8K_tv
A Sharp 8K UHD TV-set. Image by Hermitage Akihabara.

Nowadays there are virtually no single-chip graphics solutions that can render all games at 60fps in 3840*2160 or 4096*2160 resolutions. Those, who want to play in 4K UHD nowadays have to use multi-GPU graphics sub-systems. 4K UHD monitors display 8MP images (depending on actual resolutions), but 8K UHD displays will have to show whopping 33MP – 48MP pictures, which will require tremendous amount of graphics processing horsepower.

“That’s about 48 million pixels to fill the field of view,” said Mr. Huddy. “So it would take a card six times more powerful than a card capable of producing 4K graphics.”

Moreover, since video games and rendering techniques are getting more complex, graphics cards may need to be even more powerful in the future so to produce high-quality 8K UHD graphics. The chief gaming scientist at AMD believes that it may easily happen that GPUs will have to render essentially 16K images for 8K monitors, which means that twelve times higher graphics processing performance will be needed for 8K gaming (compared to performance of GPUs required today for 4K gaming).

“If you had 16K you’d offer a perfect experience, no one would see artifacts if they had 20/20 vision,” explained Mr. Huddy. “An eagle might be frustrated that it was low resolution for them but for the human eye that resolution is close to perfection.”

nvidia_battlebox_4K_uhd_sli_geforce_gtx_titan

While performance of GPUs is increasing fast, it may not be increasing really fast for 8K and other graphical advancements. The first consumer 8K displays could emerge three to four years from now, which means that numerous graphics cards will be needed for 8K UHD gaming.

“8K, or anything above 4K is going to require multiple GPUs,” said Scott Herkelman, Nvidia’s head of GeForce GTX. “4K for most GPUs is pretty tough, the GeForce GTX 980 handles it well, but it’s still one of those things that the more GPUs you have the better it looks.”

It will be a hard task for GPU designers to create graphics processors that can render graphics in 8K-class UHD resolutions, moreover, it will require the industry to create new types of memory, cooling and other necessary devices. But will we ever have graphics cards that will enable 8K UHD games? Without any doubts!

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KitGuru Says: Last year a scientist from NHK said that integral photographic 3D that is currently researched by the company creates actual spatial images in front of the screen, which requires extreme amounts of pixels. In fact, 10 to 100 times more than the 8K UHD has, or at least 330MP. Imagine what kind of graphics processing power will be required after the 8K UHD era…

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16 comments

  1. Kim IT-Kim Pedersen

    Just got a 4K monitor, and two r9 290x… and it’s just wow!!!….. but this… sounds insane.

  2. Yes it will be awhile. Talking nearly 14 terabytes of raw footage for a 2 hour film, not to mention all the retakes, effects, editing, etc. I can’t imagine the workflow on that.

  3. I’ll take that in a 80″ display for under $5000 please!

  4. Maybe Pascal and AMd’s Next would be able to power 8K res

  5. 8K is still far away.. Probably until 16nm or 10nm era we will not see a single GPU that can handle 8K at at least 60fps.

  6. 8K will not be problem for 10nm GPU. These GPU arrive faster than 8K displays. The same situation is now with 4K displays. Current 28nm can handle it pretty well, and 20nm GPU will handle it very good. But less than 1% gamers have these displays.
    8K near perfect for eye ? Then why printers have 2400 dpi, if 500dpi is near perfect ?

  7. The article says you need GPUs 12X more powerful than the ones running 4K. Right now you need 970 SLI or 290 CF to run 4K in demanding games. Do the math. Even if Pascal is 2X faster than GM200, that’s still only 4X as powerful as 980 SLI assuming GM200 = 980 SLI. Then Pascal would be “only” 2X faster than 980 SLI. You’d still need 6X faster than Pascal based on the statements.

  8. Exactly. For 4K gaming for next generation games we will need dual GM200s or similar as 970 SLI is only sufficient for today’s games. By the time 8K launches, games will be at least 2-3x more demanding than Crysis 3. Therefore the GPU will need to not only shade 4x as many pixels as at 4K, but have to cope with 2-3x more demanding next generation effects/textures/detailed NPCs, etc.

  9. Some games 970 Sli is only pulling 40fps.. so it will dip lower.

    GTX 970 is a great card for 1080p and seems good for 1440p, but still 4k is just way too demanding. Forget 980 as well because it’s an overpriced “barely better” card.

    It will be a while still before a single card can handle 4k at a constant 60fps.. because right now at 1080p we still need pretty high end cards to maintain or get very close to 60fps or greater.

  10. Just built a $4300 dream machine with double (yes double) 28″ Ultra High monitors, Geforce GTX 980 Superclocked, 4 SSD’s in RAID 5, etc.

    I play planetary annihilation in 4k, and it runs great. The detail of these monitors makes other equipment look like junk. However I still have to turn down some of the detail, as the video card frame rates start to drop..

    If you can do anything ever, spend a grand and get 1 Ultra High Monitor using display port resolutions, it will change the way you use a computer.

  11. The chief gaming scientist at AMD believes that it may easily happen that GPUs will have to render essentially 16K images for 8K monitors

    1question: why rendering games in 16k images for just 8k tvs?

  12. maybe i think i know it myself, thats bcus to prevent failures like in dx11 from 2012-2014
    (still the best was in years 2010-2012). graphics 2014 didnt even surpass 2010/2013
    what a shame but maybe all for a better future for ‘harder’ times
    but yeah i dont know i still think 290x is overpowered for fullhd, but nothing is uhd ready except 295x
    SO 1: wtf you all talking about sli shit
    and 2: amd winner 2010-15!!!! i couldnt see a nvidias direct answer to 295x
    so 3: HAHAHA for all you nvidia sluts/fanboys/sluts (why sluts, bcus amd owning nvidia hard last years, and 295x is the answer.
    so 4: if you still dont see it or get it, you are blind or you can ask me, i bet, non of you can beat my 295x with 3 titans or 980s, only cards i fear 7990 5970 but thats past
    5: couldnt believe i came up with a question, cuz i know everything, and still dont excactly know why rendering 16k images for 8k, i think this power is needed bcus of pc newbies and noobs, HAHAHAHA
    so 6: what i meant by 5, if you experience pc gaming new, good luck, cuz no of you should be able to beat my 270x with a 280x, maybe if you do pc gaming for already years and have amd experience(and just laugh at the consoles).
    7: other words i can do more and play better games with a 270x then a newbie or a nerd with a 280x (so thats why a overpowered 280x is even in the game a 290,for uselesses and nothing canners so that they can at least enjoy games like a pro does with 270x 7950, but still the best for years 7970based cards like devil13/asus rog2 and 7990)CANT WAIT FOR MY 20nm HBM featured r9 390x!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    so 8: dont be too late before 8k screens come out and amd even beats nvidia with their apus

  13. -some things cant do the same work as real life????
    -they want to add/fascinate more people when time is oculus rift ready?(a time that will never be ready, but they already thinking of making commercials(what can bring new ideas to ‘easy’ ‘stupid’ people) so when they make a commercial about oculus rift you can be witched easier!)(special note: the oculus is something very pathetic and a insult of games beauty, like shit tablets and smartphones are)
    -or it just a thing only matter for AMD?cuz nvidia will never render real life 4k images ever.
    PC IS the only way of gaming! you dont game on a console, but if your option is console or on tablet then you game on console, HAHAHAHA, otherwise its bcus of patheticness you dont know any thing about, you, never-will-be-ready-for-anything human!(cuz there are forces that turned your eyes around or upside downed your brains)

  14. Insulting everyone and pretending to be the gaming equivalent of the gentry, doesn’t really work when your typing is unintelligible.

  15. Many years ahead IMHO.

  16. Thank you