> except for new system buyers, I don't see the logic in using GCN cards

So you do see the logic for new system buyers. Fine :-)

> there a lot of 5000 and 6000 series cards at bargain prices right now
> that will absolutely fly under an NG OS.

Again, my point is neither about price nor about performance. It's just about what's 3D-supported by OS4 and thus sold with new OS4-compatible systems that happen to be (or will be) supported by MorphOS as well.

>> Programs don't talk to the graphics card drivers directly. There's at
>> least one level of abstraction in between, so I think the graphic
>> primitives can be different between drivers for different GPU generations.

> True, most graphics operations run through TinyGL

I don't think they do. While Ambient's effects (Enhanced Display) do use 3D functions of the GPU, they do not require a TinyGL driver.

http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11275&forum=12&start=6

The abstraction layer I was referring to is the 2D one called CyberGraphX/Cybergraphics (they can't agree to one definite name it seems).

>>> a well written MorphOS driver for these cards will easily allow our G4 systems to
>>> step all over Tabor

>>...except in 3D operations.

> Yeah, even if we get AGP R600 and R700 support, 5000-7000 (and later GCN) cards
> will have a distinct advantage

Also here I was not talking about performance but about the existence of 3D support, which OS4 provides for GCN1 (Southern Islands) GPUs.

> I'm beginning to wonder how well Tabor will work with its graphics cards.
> The P1022 has only SIX SerDes lanes which must drive the NIC, SATA, AND
> PCI-E interfaces.

Yes, and when you think of it, PCIe x4 + 2x SATA + GbE would require 7 SerDes lanes, wouldn't it? See there for a more detailed elaboration of Tabor's P1022 SerDes assignment conundrum ;-)

>> Unfortunately, we don't have the data to be able to subtract out the
>> X1000 users from this

> I don't know what X1000 owners have upgraded to

It's irrelevant as MorphOS won't support the X1000 :-) The reason I'd want to subtract out the X1000 owners is to see what the Sam460 owners have (X5000 owners all use GCN-based cards, no doubt).

> I'm not sure either could best a Radeon HD 6870

To me it's not about "best", but about when the GPUs used in MorphOS-supported machines (that aren't currently used with MorphOS by their owner) will be supported by MorphOS. The sooner the better I'd say. And to a lesser degree it's about 3D support :-)

> We need to provide support for the hardware they have, if we want them to try MorphOS.

Exactly! :-) And this includes the GPUs, of course.

> GCN cards will eventually be supported.

Yes, I'm confident they will. I'm just not sure every generation before them must be supported ;-)