AMD DockPort, USB and DisplayPort United to fight Intel's Thunderbolt

[WYP]

Today with computing getting smaller and smaller, space has became a much larger luxury, with the recent explosion of popularity in Smart Phones, Tablets and even Mini Desktop machines, people have tried and tried again to unify all external connectivity by creating an all in one input/output solution.

Intel was early to the market with Thunderbolt, a standard which is able to both transfer data, deliver power and feed displays but has failed to become widely adopted outside of Mac Space.

AMD have now came to the table with their own solution, DockPort, a USB/DisplayPort Hybrid

DockPort in a nutshell is a combination of the existing USB 3.0 and the DisplayPort Standards, this allows it to be used for Charging devices, connecting storage or outputting visual and audio and be daisy chained to allow the connection of several devices through a single port.

DockPort will be available in DP and mDP form factors before any of you guys ask.

Here is AMD's description of DockPort, and below that is a video showing exactly what it can do;

AMD's versatile DockPort connection opens up a world of possibilities, like a portable hub where you can charge, transform, accessorize and otherwise connect your device in an all-in-one solution, reducing cable clutter and bringing data and display connectivity to your notebook or tablet via a single, DockPort supported DisplayPort link.

DockPort is now an Official, Royalty free, extension of the existing DisplayPort standard and should be finalized with the next iteration of Displayport in Q2 of this year.

This should mean that DockPort will also be compatible with AMD's "FreeSync" as it will also rely on the upcoming DP 1.3 standard. The cable will also be usable with all current DP devices for visual output, being part of the VESA standard.

This is a very short and early look at AMD's DockPort but we should see more of it in the coming months. It looks like AMD will be heavily backing DisplayPort, both to compete with Intel's Thunderbolt and Nvidia's G-Sync, only time will tell if this will pay off for them.

Source - AnandTech

 

[SeekaX]

wait. why would they make it an extension of the existing displayport standard, that's like charity work. i suppose that's the sacrifice for free sync.

 

[WYP]

wait. why would they make it an extension of the existing displayport standard, that's like charity work. i suppose that's the sacrifice for free sync.

AMD are part of VESA, as are Nvidia and Intel.

AMD are trying to use something that already exists both to help adoption and to lower the costs by essentially not building an entirely new technology.

When AMD come to the low power Tablet market, which should be later this year (don't quote me on that though), Dockport would be of great benifit.

 

[barnsley]

AMD has a good chance with the tablet market, especially if they can mess with their apus enough to make them tablet-able. This technology could also do very well.

 

[WYP]

AMD has a good chance with the tablet market, especially if they can mess with their apus enough to make them tablet-able. This technology could also do very well.

AMD has a few good low power APUs for Windows x86 based tablets, Codenamed Mullins.

Here is a look at their concept tablet

If Mullins based tablets were priced well I'd consider a windows x86 based tablet (but never Windows RT for obvious reasons).

 

[grassman]

Amazing that AMD are able to do that on a 28nm process.

Just imagine the capabilities if gaming engines were written for HSA and OpenCL.