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Nvidia GeForceFX(NV30) Officially Launched
egarland writes "Tom's Hardware has a new article previewing the new GeForceFX chip and discussing its architecture. 0.13 Micron, 16 GB/s memory bandwidth, 128-bit DDR2 memory interface, 125 M transistors, support for 8x FSAA. Sounds like an interesting chip. They stuck with a 128 bit memory bus so ATI's R300 still has more memory bandwidth (19.8 GB/s) but NVidia has new lossless memory compression so we will have to wait for benchmarks to see if NVidia comes up a winner here. The reference card also sports a massive new cooling system which is worth a look."
Readers Oliver Wendell and JavaTenor add links to additional stories at The Register and at AnandTech.
I'm not so sure about that cooling system. Why put the intake right next to the output? Seems to me like it'll just be sucking that hot air right back in.
I'd think it would make more sense to use air inside the case and blow it out the back. With a grill/fan on the front of the PC, you're helping to improve the overall air-flow inside the system instead of just recycling your heat-wash.
Well, I've had my GeForce2 for almost 2 years now, and with this announcement of the GeForce FX, it's finally a sign to upgrade.
:)
It's funny, practically my entire workstation (P4 2.2GHz, 256MB DDR400, 80GB HD, etc.)has been upgraded in terms of components, however, my video card has remained static. Not that I'm complaining, because I can run pretty much every game out there at (what I consider to be) fairly decent speeds. Take Age of Mythology as an example. It's more than fast enough. Unreal Tournament 2003 is a tad different, as I have to turn down some of the graphics, but it's is still fine for the 'average' game. Plus, my Xbox and PS2 are for my gaming needs
Now, does the theory of diminishing marginal utility apply to video cards, or is it the opposite? How much more powerful can video cards get so that we won't even 'notice' (at least in the loose sense) any difference when playing games? The Radeon 9700 Pro (with a fast CPU) can run pratically every game on the market at max details at most resolutions. Well, so can the GeForce FX 5800. Sure it may be 30-50% faster, but the utility gained for current games is definately marginal.
Since I've held out for 2 generations of video cards, for me, it's definately the time to upgrade. Though, it's not really because my video card is too 'slow'. I suppose it's an issue of just gloating to my friends!
Moreover, in terms of approaching cinematic rendering, nVidia is definately going in the right step. They are quickly approaching the level of "Final Fantasy" in terms of quality of output. Nonetheless, they'll still need to add quite a bit of horsepower to be able to do it all in real-time.
This board is clearly out of spec...
/., but most people have video, sound, and network. And nowadays you can do without the network and perhaps the sound - it's called the magic of integration.
Which spec? Would you care to give references? While the heatpipe/blower is indeed massive, I see nothing to indicate that it does not comply to the ATX 2.03 spec.
since when I need to free up two slots to add a graphics card?
Well, with the Voodoo2 I had to clear up 3 - the main video card and 2 more for the dual V2 setup.
And who uses all their slots anyway? Excepting micro ATX systems like Shuttle how many people actually have an AGP card and 4-5 PCI cards? Oh, sure, there will be some here since this is
Another poster made some good comments about why you should leave the PCI slot next to your video empty anyway.
Oh, and would you like to take a guess at how many current cards prevent use of the adjoining PCI slot because of the normal fan/heatsinks? Most of the high-end Ti4600 designs fall into this category.
Obviously inserting it wont be easy and expect many breakage and damage returns
Doubt it. About the only problem with inserting it will be the mass - it's going to be rather ungainly compared to a normal card. The distance between slots is spec'd, so actually lining it up is a non-issue. And it's not actually plugging into the PCI slot either, so alignment isn't a problem there either.
Of course, if this whole thing scares you, or makes too much noise (which it probably will - sigh), then don't buy it. There will be a slower version available that has a more normal profile. I still wouldn't recommend utilizing the PCI slot next to it though.
Why didn't they name it the GeForce5? That sounds soo much cooler than FX. FX doesn't sound powerful at all, especially when their low end chip is called the "MX." Pronouncing the two isn't that different, too. Which sounds faster: Radeon 9700 Pro or GeForce FX? Sheesh.