New products based on G104?

Hello,

I have been very impressed with the improvements in terms of power efficiency and GPU temperatures with the new GTX 460 card. However, the level of performance is a little low for what I need (I would need a card with the performance of something like the 470).

As I would rather stick to NV for certain reasons, I am wondering if there will be any more higher performance products based on this new deriviative of the Fermi GPU? Or is it only "smaller and cheaper" from now on?

As I understand it, one of the core clusters on the current 460 product is disabled, and that therefore a better product could materialise with this cluster activated. Does this rule out the possibilty of a completely new product based on the same improved GPU?

They probably won't allow for the full shader product since it would have lower yields - maybe if they improve enough, something with all the shaders and high clocks would be possible.

That said, the overclocked 460 1GB crouches near 470.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AD-15

As I understand it, one of the core clusters on the current 460 product is disabled, and that therefore a better product could materialise with this cluster activated.

---

Yep.

Quote:

---

Does this rule out the possibilty of a completely new product based on the same improved GPU?

---

What do you mean by completely new yet also based on the same?

If you mean series/model name then sure - nVidia are quite happy to label two different cards with the same name, so I wouldn't put it past them to also give different names to ones based on the same GPU (which they've also done before, thinking of it).

*holds breath*

They may re-activate a core cluster as said but the naming is going to be a mess. can't really go from a 460 to a 465 and 470 is already taken. why they can't go back to the GSO, GT, GTS, GTX labelling I can't understand. They should have used this on the two 460s already.

Dual GPU card is probably going to be the top performance card imo.

nvidia alledgedly still use the G/GT/GTS/GTX naming, but it's not really had much of a run out since the 8-series (I suppose there was the 9600GSO...), and so far it's been applied when they've used a different core for 2 cards with the same number (was it the GT240 and GTS240?).

There's no technical reason (unless yields are particularly bad) they couldn't release a full-fat GF104, but I suspect it might be as part of a rebranding exercise to a 5-series when they get GF100 running all 512 cores at a higher clock speed. A full fat GF104 would be too close to the current GTX470 for comfort, I think...

Yeah I think you're right - good excuse for a new 500 series line up headed by the dual gf104 card, with an 8/8 gf104 chip as the performance market. 7/8 chips rebranded for the new series.

Afterall, AMD haven't been sitting idle...

Things could be getting exciting; any bets on the next move? One thing I was wondering is
whether the GF104 cheaper to make than the RV870? ATI to drop prices on the 5850 when the 460 is readily available would be the first response; i can't imagine them flogging more out of the 5830.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Domestic_Ginger

Things could be getting exciting; any bets on the next move? One thing I was wondering is
whether the GF104 cheaper to make than the RV870? ATI to drop prices on the 5850 when the 460 is readily available would be the first response; i can't imagine them flogging more out of the 5830.

---

GF104 is still more expense to make (in terms of die size) than the RV870, but only by a small margin. However top end cypress is still much faster, so AMD do have more room to drop prices.

Rumour mill says dual GPU card is on the way "later this year" whatever that means.

http://www.fudzilla.com/graphics/gra...wo-gf104-chips

I am sure they will introduce new variants over time, but right now they are probably selling all they can make just with the basic 460 card.

I think it was always obvious the dual GPU of GF104 would be coming at some point, I'm keen to see whether they (Nvidia) do a full top to bottom range based on Fermi like ATi did with Evergreen.

Any rumours about on the Southern Islands GPUs from ATI? Charlie thought they'd taped out in April (source), but I've heard nothing since.


EDIT: Q4 for announcement of the new ATI cards with launch early 2011 apparently: http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/d..._Up_in_Q4.html