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Hardware More "G80" Derivatives in February
Sven Olsen (Blog) - November 8, 2006 5:03 AM

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30 comment(s) - last by fumar.. on Nov 11 at 8:46 PM

8800GTX and 8800GTS not enough for you? Wait until February

The GeForce 8800 powerhouse was announced earlier today with much fanfare, but it appears as more products are already in the pipeline. According to internal NVIDIA roadmaps released yesterday, the company is expecting at least one more G80 derivative in February of 2007.

Both the GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS cards are based on the same G80 processor, even though the 8800GTS is a cut down of the same core; the 8800GTX features 128 unified shaders while the 8800GTS features only 96. Additionally, the 8800GTS is a smaller card, with less cooling and a lower profile PCB.

Although vendors are tight lipped about the upcoming card, it seems that the only two options the card may be is either another cut down -- which is common as yields mature -- or a multi-GPU solution similar to the GeForce 7950GX2.

AMD is also expected to announce the ATI R600 graphics core around the same time.

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More info would be nice

By jtesoro on 11/8/2006 5:39:00 AM , Rating: 2

I wish we had more information. The only new fact is that something is coming up (which isn't much, actually), then it's just speculation on what it could be... :(

RE: More info would be nice

By KristopherKubicki

(blog) on 11/8/2006 5:40:16 AM , Rating: 2

My money is on a cut down, but we'll probably know for sure later this week.

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RE: More info would be nice

By jtesoro on 11/8/2006 6:01:18 AM , Rating: 2

A cut-down would be nice from my perspective actually. Early 2007 is when I'm considering getting a new system as my existing one is a bit long in the tooth already. I was hoping to get a mid-range system built around a G80, Core 2 Duo and Vista.

As mentioned by someone else, an 8600GT for $200 would be great. And it'll match up with my purchasing history: I bought my existing 6600GT for about that much also.

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RE: More info would be nice

By LtFarva on 11/8/2006 7:45:15 AM , Rating: 2

Yea a $200 G80 card will be very nice, just right for me, especially in SLI :)

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RE: More info would be nice

By Russell on 11/8/2006 12:08:26 PM , Rating: 3

Except that it won't happen, at least not for a good 8 months. We'll be lucky to see a $250 "8600gs" style card. The full 8600GT (if they keep that naming convention) will certainly cost a solid $300.

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RE: More info would be nice

By crystal clear on 11/8/2006 6:20:35 AM , Rating: 2

"Asus exposes Nvidia physics card product"
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/21/asus_spill...

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RE: More info would be nice

By KristopherKubicki

(blog) on 11/8/2006 6:34:52 AM , Rating: 3

Physics is already built into the G80 core.

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RE: More info would be nice

By crystal clear on 11/8/2006 8:03:43 AM , Rating: 2

If you link VISTA -SANTA ROSA platform-Core2DUO(merom)CPU line up(T7300,7500,7700 models)then a matching Graphics card
to complete the link.

So a G80 for laptops/notebooks?

The pairing of Intels Santa Rosa platform with Vista in the 2Q 07 is next big thing for the first tier notebook manufacturers & all they need is a matching G80 for this setup.

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RE: More info would be nice

By crystal clear on 11/8/2006 8:23:38 AM , Rating: 2

To finish off-

* 4 GB SSD (serve as a high speed Nand Flash cache for notebooks in conjunction with VISTA OS)

* Matching memory

*Intels GM965/PM965 chipsets

*82566MM Gigabit Network/Wireless WiFilink 4965AGN network chip.

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RE: More info would be nice

By Dactyl on 11/8/2006 10:10:36 AM , Rating: 2

I see your rumor and raise you one:

Just as the G80 is a graphics card that can handle physics . . .

NVidia's physics card--optimized for physics--will also function as a graphics card. That way, when you're not playing a game (or running a simulation, etc.), you can use it to display a 2nd monitor . . . just like NVidia's diagrams show an SLI setup + 3rd card that does physics + 2nd monitor.

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RE: More info would be nice

By friky19 on 11/8/2006 8:06:10 AM , Rating: 2

It might be a cutdown, but i am still wondering why nvidia did not implement DDR4 on these new vid cards. Or maybe that new one coming out will have it.

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RE: More info would be nice

By a123456 on 11/9/2006 10:54:07 AM , Rating: 2

I think the current yields on GDDR4 memory are low right now. There was an old Samsung article that said something to that effect. They just went with the cheaper GDDR3 and it works relatively well according to the benches. Then, once yields ramp up, they can stick that on the "8900 series" cards to match when the R600 comes out.

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8800GTX SLI or GX2 = wow

By UzairH on 11/8/2006 5:41:12 AM , Rating: 2

Hmmm... a 8950GX2 - can you say overkill unless its for Crysis on a 30" display. Anyway a hardware freaks; wetdream.

Personally I am interested in the 8600 GT... getting X1900XT or better performance plus DX10 in a < $200 package sounds sweet.

RE: 8800GTX SLI or GX2 = wow

By tdream on 11/8/2006 7:26:26 AM , Rating: 2

Oh yes, a 8950GX2 would be oh so sweet. Especially since I have the 3007wfp. There's not going to be much money left over after christmas though...

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RE: 8800GTX SLI or GX2 = wow

By The Sword 88 on 11/8/2006 8:53:48 AM , Rating: 2

Yeah a cheaper DX10 card would rock.

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RE: 8800GTX SLI or GX2 = wow

By blojib on 11/8/2006 9:47:46 AM , Rating: 2

Just nitpicking but the -50 part of 7950GX2 isn't what denotes that it's a dual-GPU card. I'm pretty sure that the 7950 refers to the -50 revision of the 7900 family of chips.

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RE: 8800GTX SLI or GX2 = wow

By Dactyl on 11/8/2006 10:03:08 AM , Rating: 2

Yes. And if they release a dual-GPU G80 card, they won't start with the highest possible number (8950). They would start with 8800GX2, to leave room.

Further, given the sheer size of the current 8800 cards, it seems like they would have a hard time producing a dual G80 card that's significantly better than an 8800GTX. It would have to be significantly better to justify
a) making it in the first place
b) enthusiasts buying it, when the really crazy enthusiasts want to do SLI, and going from 1xGTX to 2xGTX scales better than 1xGX2 to 2xGX2

My money says the 8900*** and 8950*** cards will be on an 80nm process.

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Something to beat R600???

By nrb on 11/8/2006 11:31:16 AM , Rating: 2

The fact that something new is coming in February strongly suggests to me that is intended specifically as a counter-attack to (or spoiler for) R600.

I'm guessing the current G80 release is deliberately slower than it could have been, because to make it faster right now would make it too expensive. But, come February, GDDR4 prices will have fallen slightly, and Nvidia will want to retain its "we're the fastest in the world" bragging rights. So I reckon it will use DDR4 memory, have a 512-bit bus, and cost $750. :-)

Or not. ;-)

RE: Something to beat R600???

By nrb on 11/8/2006 11:32:10 AM , Rating: 2

Oh, proposed product would have 1GB of memory as well, of course. :-)

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RE: Something to beat R600???

By fumar on 11/11/2006 8:46:01 PM , Rating: 2

That card might cost less if it is 80nm or even better, 65nm. Plus nVidia could add more shader units and ramp up the clock speeds. And it could use a shorter PCB and less power!

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This info has leaked long long time ago.

By lopri on 11/8/2006 10:53:02 AM , Rating: 3

From my own G80 thread in AT.

NVIDIA_G80.DEV_0191.1 = "CompoTech GeForce 8800 GTX"
NVIDIA_G80.DEV_0192.1 = "CompoTech GeForce 8800 GT"
NVIDIA_G80.DEV_0193.1 = "CompoTech GeForce 8800 GTS"

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid...

Basically GTS is a crippled version of the GT. Just like 7600 GT and 7600 GTS.

RE: This info has leaked long long time ago.

By Ringold on 11/8/2006 11:38:36 PM , Rating: 2

No mention of a $200-250 card in there. Performance mid-range is in the cold, for now. Just another reason to actually wait for Vista to come out, and be out for a little while, before building a totally new rig. I've been shooting for mid-March for a while; I'll likely stick to it even more now.

Hopefully by then there will be a G80 around that range, and hackers will have found and exploited all the atrocious holes in Vista they will find in the form of the low-hanging fruit of a virgin OS, and everything will be alllll set.

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65nm

By Acanthus on 11/8/2006 8:58:18 AM , Rating: 4

Itll be a value 65nm G80, probably with less shaders / bandwidth.

Followed shortly thereafter by 65nm refreshes of the flagships.

It's not a wild stab in the dark guess, its what nvidia has always done in the past. Not exactly top secret.

TSMC says their 65nm is "ready for mainstream now".

Announced, right?

By Staples on 11/8/06, Rating: 0

RE: Announced, right?

By walmartshopper on 11/8/2006 5:33:06 PM , Rating: 2

There are already 5 different brands' cards available on newegg, some are even in stock.

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RE: Announced, right?

By fumar on 11/11/2006 8:43:38 PM , Rating: 2

Different brands does not mean different versions. Those G80 cards are the same except they are each from a different vendor.

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"...announced..."?

By HigherGround on 11/8/2006 6:09:00 AM , Rating: 2

Did I miss the boat or maybe I went through a wormhole into the future?

Ummm....

By FITCamaro on 11/8/06, Rating: -1

RE: Ummm....

By dolcraith on 11/8/2006 8:26:35 AM , Rating: 3

You see this is where choosing your motherboard wisely comes into play.

Always plan ahead.

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RE: Ummm....

By Ringold on 11/8/2006 11:33:29 PM , Rating: 1

Or stop feeding the Creative monster and live with onboard audio.

Unless you're an audiophile, I havent felt compelled to get a discrete sound card since I built a dual Athlon 2400+ MP system years ago.

But I dont disagree; must plan ahead. There are still other potential uses for those slots.

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