News - Inno3D freezes GeForce GTS 250 1GB

[HEXUS]

well, you have to do something to make the rebranded GPU interesting, right?

Read more.

[miniyazz]

I wish nVidia would stop faffing around with re-releasing already available graphics cards as sales gimmicks and actually produce a new card when they try to fill out a new series. It's just starting to get silly and it's even putting me off nVidia. If and when I decide to upgrade my 8800 GTX, chances are I'll be going with a company that doesn't try to screw its customers for money in quite the same shameless way nVidia seem to be doing.

[MSIC]

The press are all saying it's a re-branded 9800 GTX+...... let's not forget that the 9800 itself is practically a re-branded 8800 GTX.
Ok, some speed bumps and some (very) welcome power saving features, but swapping an 8800GTX for a 250 GTS would give you... nearly nothing?
And selling it for £150? Come off it nvidia, you must be really strapped for cash.

[scaryjim]

Come off it nvidia, you must be really strapped for cash.

Presumably the issue is more that they're strapped for technology? Which is intriguing - why can't they just sell mildly crippled GTX260s at a lower price?

[cobhc]

I always thought the 9800gtx was a re-release of the 8800gts 512mb, with higher clock speeds, and in some models 1gb memory, and that the 9800gtx+ was the same thing with a 55nm manufacturing process.

That seems likely as my 8800gts 512 at 9800gtx clock speeds gives the same performance and again the same at 9800gtx+ speeds showing that 55nm doesn't make any difference performance wise, only lower heat and lower manufacturing costs, also considering the 8800gtx was 768mb, it doesn't seem like the 9800gtx was a rebranding of that particular card.

[scaryjim]

Picky Picky! But accurate, I think. The 8800GTX was a G80 core, whereas I believe the 8800GT|GTS / 9800GT|GTX|GTX+ / GTS 250 are a G92 core. None of which changes the fact that the technology is around 2 years old.

Does this mean that something is amiss with the new GTX core that means it's unsuitable for adaptation to low and mid-range products... a serious technological faux-pas if it's true, not unlike Intel's odd decision to use several different sockets for its new processor ranges...

[Pob255]

I always thought the 9800gtx was a re-release of the 8800gts 512mb, with higher clock speeds, and in some models 1gb memory, and that the 9800gtx+ was the same thing with a 55nm manufacturing process.

Correct the 9800gtx was a 8800gts 512mb g92 at higher clock speeds and better power regulation.
The 9800gtx+ was die shrunk and had another speed increase.

£150 for a 1gb 9800gtx+ with after market cooler (although the reference cooler is very good) is not a bad price.
But it does seem that nvidia is taking the proverbial with this reissuing cards with a new name.

[DDY]

>>G92 65nm 8800GT(S)
>>G92 65nm 9800GTX
>>G92b 55nm 9800GTX+
>>G92b 55nm GTX 250

Same card

[Pob255]

Actually I've spotted a couple of differences, the card looks slightly shorter and they've got rid of the extra and unneeded power connector.

[transylvanic]

Same card

Yea, but at least there are some incremental improvements. For example, the 250 is making the 9800GTX+ performance available to people with smaller cases and less powerful PSUs. I reckon if you can't improve or innovate, you might as well refine your existing designs.

Make no mistake, I'm the last person to be a fan of the exercise, but as consumers we are being offered a better product. Not much better, but given the choice out of all the aforementioned cards, we'd all pick the 250 now, nay?

[scaryjim]

Actually I've spotted a couple of differences...

Spotted? Or simply read in the GTS 250 review?

Assuming the 512MB model has the same modifications, and will stay at about the same price as a HD4850, then the card will continue to be competitive as it has slightly better performance, a much better temperature profile, and a lower idle power consumption (although higher load consumption). In fact, if all this had happened a month ago and the cards were in the shops now I may well have bought one to put in the build I've just done for a friend. Sure, there's no technological innovation here, but if they can genuinely be churched out in the £100 - £130 price range* then they don't *need* to be innovative: they're already competitive at that price point.

* that's for a 512MB model, obviously, since the 1GB is forecast to sell for ~ £150

[DDY]

Ok, not the same card... I personally don't care if NV are re branding "cores", it's a business after all. If I was in the position where I had to choose between either four of those cards, it'll be the 9800GTX+, it's 40x more than the GTX 250 and it's got a plus. Of course, that's if I was in that position I'd probably be in PC World under the advice of my mates brother who knows about computers.

I really didn't mean to say "same card", when I arranged the cards in order with >> in front, something hit me.