Next-gen NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280, GTX 260 Specifications Unveiled
NV55
Later this week NVIDIA will enact an embargo on its upcoming next-
generation graphics core, codenamed D10U. The processor will make its
debut as two separate graphics cards, currently named GeForce GTX 280
(D10U-30) and GeForce GTX 260 (D10U-20).
The GTX 280 sports all of the features of the D10U processor, the GTX
260 version will consist of a significantly cut-down version of the
same GPU. The GTX 280 version of the processor will enable all 240
unified stream processors. NVIDIA documentation, verified by
DailyTech, claims these second-generation unified shaders perform 50
percent better than the shaders found on the D9 cards released earlier
this year.
The main difference between the two new GeForce GTX variants revolves
around the number of shaders and memory bus width. NVIDIA disables 48
stream processors on the GTX 260 version. GTX 280 ships with a 512-bit
memory bus capable of supporting 1GB GDDR3 memory; the GTX 260
alternative has a 448-bit bus with support for 896MB.
GTX 280 and 260 add virtually all of the same features as GeForce
9800GTX: PCIe 2.0, OpenGL 2.1, SLI and PureVideoHD. The company also
claims both cards will support two SLI-risers for 3-way SLI support.
Unlike the upcoming AMD Radeon 4000 series, currently scheduled to
launch in early June, the D10U chipset does not support DirectX
extentions above 10.0. Next-generation Radeon will also ship with
GDDR4 while the June GeForce refresh is confined to just GDDR3.
The GTX series is NVIDIA's first attempt at incorporating the PhysX
stream engine into the D10U shader engine. The press decks currently
do not shed a lot of information on this support, and the company will
likely not elaborate on this before the June 18 launch date.
After NVIDIA purchased PhysX developer AGEIA in February 2008, the
company announced all CUDA-enabled processors would support PhysX.
NVIDIA has not delivered on this promise yet, though D10U will support
CUDA, and therefore PhysX, right out of the gate.
NVIDIA's documentation does not list an estimated street price for the
new cards.
Beladi Nasrallah
> ...
I am not giving up my HD3870 card anytime soon for a newer card. At
least for a couple of years.