New driver will make 9800GTX Faster => 9800GTX+

[SiM]

How can they do this? Sounds unlikely situation to me...

Significantly improved


Nvidia plans to launch a new Geforce 9800GTX driver and we’ve learned that you should expect a severe performance increase compared to current drives.

We know that this performance jump will affect 9800GTX but as its G92 based card the new driver might speed up some other G92 based products.

Nvidia is doing this simply as with current drivers Radeon 4850 and 4870 are getting too close to 9800GTX performance and Nvidia wants to make some stand.

The performance might be so good that internally Nvidia calls it 9800GTX+. If we see some big improvements that will clearly mean that Nvidia was holding some performance potential back and that it was waiting for the new ATI card.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

Source

[moogle]

Ooooo I can't wait. I shouldn't really be pleased as I should have had top performance when I got the card though shouldn't I?

[sleepyhead]

So..does that mean the 9800GTX(+) will now usurp the 8800 Ultra (ie if it works, I just bought a paper weight?)?

...and what will this do to the GX2 and the GTX260/280? Close the performance gap?

[moogle]

well I don't think it will surpass the ultra, would be nice though :mgreen:
But that wont render the ultra a paperweight. It's make it an inefficient paperweight though that becomes quite so costly over time
But I'm pessimistic for now.

[Hicks12]

well since 9800GTX is g92 based(almost identicle to the 8800GTS except for slightly better ram) then i should see a performance boost from my 8800GTS (in theory), i hope this is the case just for my card as i really would like a few more fps on crysis xD, wouldnt like it for amd/ati though .

[kalniel]

Well we'll have to mul this one over until it comes out, but I think there will certainly still be some situations where the brute force of the ultra will win over the 9800gtx.

[SiM]

512mb is not enough for high AA/AF at high resolutions so 8800ultra will still be better for that...

[sleepyhead]

512mb is not enough for high AA/AF at high resolutions so 8800ultra will still be better for that...

..ish for eye candy goodness

But I gotta wait till I know WHAT 24-26inch monitor I want as at the moment I am stuck with 1280x1024. lol.

Even at that resolution the eye candy difference is minimal between 8600GT I have and the 8800 Ultra.

[llololloy]

Might make the 9800gtx a more attractive option, especially with the current high prices of the new cards.
Doesn't say anywhere when this will happen though.
And as already stated, they should have done this already, just make good drivers in the first place, isn't that what testing is for?

[Agent]

Fudzilla

[SiM]

Fudzilla

Yeh, I'll believe it once the drivers are available...

[TAKTAK]

if it is true then all it basically would be is a O/C.....

[Agent]

Its not unheard of for big driver increases, certainly not from nVidia. I remember gaining about 10% when the new drivers for the GeForce 4 came out.

I would be more shocked if Fudzilla got it correct over the increases appearing

[SiM]

Look here!
Some guy is getting +15% in DMC4 with the new drivers (I think he had to modify an inf or something to use the new drivers)

[kalniel]

I would be more shocked if Fudzilla got it correct over the increases appearing

Hehe true. Yesturday was funny:

10:01 "GTX 260 nowhere to be seen - Limited availability in June"

10:40 "Geforce GTX 260 ships in volume next week - Many cards after the 26th"

[SiM]

Turns out its not a new driver, it is a new overclocked SKU...