http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4441

DailyTech' s hands-on with the GeForce 8800 series continues with more information about the GPU and the retail boards. The new NVIDIA graphics architecture will be fully compatible with Microsoft’s upcoming DirectX 10 API with support for shader model 4.0, and represents the company' s 8th generation GPU in the GeForce family.

NVIDIA has code-named G80 based products as the GeForce 8800 series. While the 7900 and 7800 series launched with GT and GTX suffixes, G80 will do away with the GT suffix. Instead, NVIDIA has revived the GTS suffix for its second fastest graphics product—a suffix that hasn’t been used since the GeForce 2 days.

NVIDIA’s GeForce 8800GTX will be the flagship product. The core clock will be factory clocked at 575 MHz. All GeForce 8800GTX cards will be equipped with 768MB of GDDR3 memory, to be clocked at 900 MHz. The GeForce 8800GTX will also have a 384-bit memory interface and deliver 86GB/second of memory bandwidth. GeForce 8800GTX graphics cards are equipped with 128 unified shaders clocked at 1350 MHz. The theoretical texture fill-rate is around 38.4 billion pixels per second.

Slotted right below the GeForce 8800GTX is the slightly cut-down GeForce 8800GTS. These graphics cards will have a G80 GPU clocked at a slower 500 MHz. The memory configuration for GeForce 8800GTS cards slightly differ from the GeForce 8800GTX. GeForce 8800GTS cards will be equipped with 640MB of GDDR3 graphics memory clocked at 900 MHz. The memory interface is reduced to 320-bit and overall memory bandwidth is 64GB/second. There will be fewer unified shaders with GeForce 8800GTS graphics cards. 96 unified shaders clocked at 1200 MHz are available on GeForce 8800GTS graphics cards.

Additionally GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS products are HDCP compliant with support for dual dual-link DVI, VIVO and HDTV outputs. All cards will have dual-slot coolers too. Expect GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS products to launch the second week of November 2006. This will be a hard launch as most manufacturers should have boards ready now.

Nvidia have been very tight lipped about the development of the G80, and there were many odd rumours floating around in the past months. Now some real facts are coming through and in many respects Nvidia have exceeded expectations (going by specs). Memory sizes are certainly odd, but from what I' ve read, the reason is because they needed more memory bandwidth. A 256bit memory interface was limiting, but a 512bit memory interface would be too expensive. So they' ve opted for a 384bit memory interface, which leads to the 768MB/640MB memory sizes.

eg:
768MB RAM = Six 64bit (384bits total) channels, each addressing 128MB of RAM.

There will be more information to come, and a couple of other features are explored in these articles:

http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4442
http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4450
http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4444

So for the less technically literate, what does this all mean? Nvidia' s new graphics card is one powerful mothertrucker! Imagine two of these beasts running in SLI?

A bit surprising NVidia will be the first out with unified shaders when ATI was the first to do it with the Xbox 360.
Not the least bit surprising that NVidia went back on their word that they wouldn' t be making a unified shader card.

Actually while Nvidia supports DX 10, it does not have true unified shaders, I think it might be done on software to trick the engine that it has it. I' ve been doing my research and I think Ati is going to have something better with the R600. Even if the 8800GTX series looks sick, I' m going to wait until I see what Ati is doing.

To compare with the 360 which has 48 shader pipes, the R600 will have 64 and will have a significantly higher clock and much more memory bandwidth. I' m estimating the R600 will be about 60-80% more capable then Xenos. Now imagine this fucker in crossfire! Which by the way I suspect will change to compete with SLI. Currently SLI is better then Crossfire, it gets a higher boost with the second card. However I suspect that ATI will adopt a system closer to SLI.

I' m pretty sure what you heard about the G80 not having true unified shaders was one of those weird rumors floating around. I heard that one too but going by these specs, that rumor is looking less plausible.

It' s also important to note that DX10 certification is much more stringent than the previous DX versions. Either you make the cut, or you don' t - no half meeting requirements or loopholes (there was a lot of that in DX9). Unified shaders are a core requirement of DX10, and since Nvidia are releasing a " DX10 card" , it looks like it meets DX10 requirements and therefore be a true unified shader card.

I have no doubts in my mind that the R600 is going to be a beast - probably better than the G80, but once again Nvidia will win (from a business perspective). The R600 currently has a Q2 2007 release tag, which means Nvidia will have a huge lead. Much like this current generation, (ATI' s cards are slightly faster - but they lost a lot of market due to a late release) ATI will be playing catch up.


edit: ATI are unfortunately famous for " Paper Launches" , so even the Q2 2007 release is to be taken with a grain of salt. The R600 also will do away with the " Master card" bullcrap.

I laugh at the people who buy these cards the first day they come out.

hahahah yes, I laugh at one every day.

It' s difficult to get a new generation GPU the day it releases, or even 3 months after release. And these new GPUs are a big step up so they will sell like crazy.

If you have a decent card its still a bit retarded to buy a DX 10 card before Vista is released, especially when the competition isn' t out yet.

But you act as if though you could get these cards anywhere near release, you most likely wont be able to, and if you are it would be for ass raping prices like $150-$300 above MSRP.

Well Nvidia is better then Ati when it comes to making launches, they have more initially and it takes them less time to supply enough for demand. On the flip side (did I just say flip side?) Ati have been planning the R600 for a long time and it was pushed back several months simply to match Vista' s release. So Ati better not come out with a pussy soft launch, and I suspect they won' t.

As for being rapped by the price, you' re probably right usually the prices are ridiculous the first few months but I doubt it will be as bad this time for Ati as they will need to compete with a card already on the market.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4812

A few quick benchmarks...

Why would you buy a card so powerful [two pci slots? two power connections? to a single card!] whgen you have next to no games to show it off, unless you like to play shit like crysis for the graphics.

There is always games for new graphic cards. When you get more capable tech your games run better (at the very least). Maybe this card can run Black and White 2 and Oblivion properly. Another thing why this is interesting is that there are always gamers with outdated tech waiting for the right time to upgrade. So people with a Radeon 9600xt or a 5700LE are looking at this very seriously. There are always people in the market for a new card, I' m not saying one should buy a new card every year.

If you' re talking about mind blowing games, my response is maybe there aren' t any games for this cards because its not even out yet. I' m showing this as a preview of what the next jump will be, look at games like Unreal 2007, Alan Wake and Huxley and you can appreciate this card. Even though those are not going to be out for a while...And believe it or not some PC players actually like FPS.

Personally I' m waiting to see what ATI does, my next card will have unified shaders for one thing. I' ll probably end up upgrading to DX10 next summer/Fall.

Unreal 2007, Alan Wake and Huxley and you can appreciate this card

I think thats what the Geforce 7' s are for.

So people with a Radeon 9600xt or a 5700LE are looking at this very seriously

I had a Fx5700Le, it wasnt fun, and I upgraded to a geforce 6600Gt, for 80quid on ebay, works a dream and never had any problems.

I think its stupid to pay 400+ for something that isnt really going to get good use untill a few years time. When the card will be cheaper.

In a few months we will see reason for cards like this not years. I agree to an extent, buying a video cards right when they come out is stupid. Its much more prudent to wait for the competition along with a price drop.

I can' t wait to get an ATI GEFORCE XLOLXWTF 5^10000 GT

Don' t you have a 1900XTX Loco?

Yes, I was just joking about how stupid the names are.

I' d rather Nvidia kept the simple GT/GTX scheme, it' s a little more meaningful than the GTS/GTX.

Personally I think ATI' s marketing team needs to be taken out into the street and shot. When you start getting names like X1950XTX PE OC edition you know something' s really wrong. They have an unhealthy affection with the letter " X" .

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/391/1/

Gaming generations of PC gaming is defined by Direct X, everytime a new DX is released games make another leap and these benefits tricked down into consoles. These new DX 10 cards are going to be awsome. The link I have is an in depth article of the 88** series cards. These card are not a small upgrade, the difference is huge! A single 8800gtx is performing better then 7900GTX SLI, or even better then Quad SLI. Crazy...