NVIDIA Announces its First 40 nm, DirectX 10.1 Compliant GPUs

[btarunr]

NVIDIA today announced its latest line of mobile graphics processors (mGPUs) based on the new 40 nm manufacturing technology. The GPUs also come as a surprise, as they embrace two technologies very few expected them to, this early/late. The GPUs support the DirectX 10.1 API, and some feature the new GDDR5 memory interface that doubles effective bandwidth. Enter GeForce GTS 260M, GTS 250M, GT 240M, GT 230M, and G 210M.

The G 210M succeeds the GeForce 9400, at least as far as the manufacturing technology and clock speeds go. It holds 16 shader processors, a 64-bit GDDR3 memory interface, and 512 MB of memory. The GT 230/240M hold 48 shaders, 1 GB of 128-bit GDDR3 memory, and clock-speeds that make up each variant. The GTS 260/250M are especially new, as they feature a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface. 96 shaders and 1 GB of memory make the rest of their specs., while their clock speeds make for the variants. The table below spreads out the specifications.



The peculiar thing about these GPUs is their timing of entry into the market. This is the fag-end of the DirectX 10(.1) generation of GPUs, with no more high-end GPUs in sight. The company is facing stiff competition from AMD, and needs to cut manufacturing costs, while also decorating specs sheets. The use of GDDR5 allows manufacturers to narrow memory bus width, and reduce the number of memory chips, in turn board footprint, while maintaining the same levels of performance as GDDR3 with higher bus width. The use of 40 nm manufacturing process is certainly a step in the right direction, although we wonder how the company is able to get large yields of these chips, considering AMD isn't able to keep up with demand for its 40 nm GPUs, and is developing alternative SKUs at the same price points.

<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th></th>
<td>GeForce<br />
G 210M</td>
<td>GeForce<br />
GT 230M</td>
<td>GeForce <br />
GT 240M</td>
<td>GeForce<br>
GTS 250M</td>
<td>GeForce <br />
GTS 260M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Shader Units</th>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">48</td>
<td align="center">48</td>
<td align="center">96</td>
<td align="center">96</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Memory Size</th>
<td align="center">512 MB</td>
<td align="center">1024 MB</td>
<td align="center">1024 MB</td>
<td align="center">1024 MB</td>
<td align="center">1024 MB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Memory Bus Width/Type </th>
<td align="center">64 bit GDDR3 </td>
<td align="center">128 bit GDDR3</td>
<td align="center">128 bit GDDR3</td>
<td align="center">128 bit GDDR5</td>
<td align="center">128 bit GDDR5</td>
<tr>
<th>Core/Shader/Memory Clock</th>
<td align="right">625/1500/800 MHz </td>
<td align="right">500/1100/800 MHz </td>
<td align="right">550/1210/800 MHz </td>
<td align="right">500/1250/800 (3.2 GT/s) MHz </td>
<td align="right">550/1375/900 (3.6 GT/s) MHz </td>
</table>

These GPUs will only be available to the mobile GPU board segment to begin with. There is no indication as to when the company makes desktop graphics cards based on these. AMD launched the RV740 in a similar fashion, with a mGPU board being released weeks ahead of the desktop board (Radeon HD 4770).

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Hmm, Charlie was right.

 

[afw]

I think they've gone ahead with this considering the cost to manufacture chips and
the power consumption ... since powerful 55nm mobile GPUs draw lot of power and
the DDR5 too will contribute by using less power ..... like to see some benches .....

Hmmmm ....I'm eager too know wat kind of performance the GTS 260 offers ....

 

[lemonadesoda]

Do i understand this right?. A GTS 260M is approximately "half the performance" of a regular GTX260, looking at clocks and memory technology and bus widths.

 

[Noggrin]

Hmm, Charlie was right.

You mean Charlie aka the douchebag was right? Yeah.. right..

 

[btarunr]

Do i understand this right?. A GTS 260M is approximately "half the performance" of a regular GTX260, looking at clocks and memory technology and bus widths.

Bingo.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

You mean Charlie aka the douchebag was right? Yeah.. right..

Source. Check the date on that. He even included the TDP
He's basically saying that there are really 3 gpus using 5 skus (look at the Processor Cores AKA Shader Units).

 

[newtekie1]

Do i understand this right?. A GTS 260M is approximately "half the performance" of a regular GTX260, looking at clocks and memory technology and bus widths.

Seems like the GTS260m doesn't even match the GTS250...

I hate how nVidia does their mobile GPUs.

 

[h3llb3nd4]

Heh, finally...

 

[DrPepper]

Seems like the GTS260m doesn't even match the GTS250...

I hate how nVidia does their mobile GPUs.

Ati's is the same story on the mobile side.

I think the 4870 moblility is a 4830, that is slower than desktop.

 

[btarunr]

Ati's is the same story on the mobile side.

I think the 4870 moblility is a 4830, that is slower than desktop.

No, Mobility 4870 has the same specs as its desktop part (800 shaders, 256-bit GDDR5, etc). I think the clock speeds are slightly lower.

 

[Duncan1]

At last, nVidia gone officially on 40nm...Lets see some competition

 

[Easo]

Hmm, so Nvidia has done it at last, dx 10.1

 

[Weer]

No, Mobility 4870 has the same specs as its desktop part (800 shaders, 256-bit GDDR5, etc). I think the clock speeds are slightly lower.

This is true.

So, why is nVidia still giving us 96 shaders? That is ridiculous for 40nm.

These must simply be the starter set, the midrange chips. I'm certain we'll see GTX 280M with 192 SP's soon enough, alongside mobile Quad cores.

 

[wiak]

No, Mobility 4870 has the same specs as its desktop part (800 shaders, 256-bit GDDR5, etc). I think the clock speeds are slightly lower.

jep, moblity 4870 is a RV770 based chip with GDDR5, just clocked a little lower for less power usage
nvidia's mobility chips are just rebranded & shrinked 8800 chips

 

[ShogoXT]

I am very interested in this. Will be looking for it in a laptop.

 

[wiak]

I am very interested in this. Will be looking for it in a laptop.

there are all ready laptops with ATI Mobility Radeon 4870 in them ;P

 

[ShogoXT]

there are all ready laptops with ATI Mobility Radeon 4870 in them ;P

Not 40nm.

 

[ShadowFold]

Not 40nm.

And no where near as fast These are pretty much just 8800GT's, any HD 4800 can beat that.

 

[DrPepper]

And no where near as fast These are pretty much just 8800GT's, any HD 4800 can beat that.

No they can't. 8800GT competes with 4830 and 4770 and sometimes 4850.

No, Mobility 4870 has the same specs as its desktop part (800 shaders, 256-bit GDDR5, etc). I think the clock speeds are slightly lower.

My bad I heard from someone on here they were the same thing.

 

[iDont]

This is true.

So, why is nVidia still giving us 96 shaders? That is ridiculous for 40nm.

These must simply be the starter set, the midrange chips. I'm certain we'll see GTX 280M with 192 SP's soon enough, alongside mobile Quad cores.

AFAIK the GTX280m uses a g92b core, so it contains 128 shaders on a 55nm production process. The GTX260m has 112 shaders on a 55nm process.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-280M.14558.0.html

 

[DrPepper]

AFAIK the GTX280m uses a g92b core, so it contains 128 shaders on a 55nm production process. The GTX260m has 112 shaders on a 55nm process.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-280M.14558.0.html

Indeed nvidia won't give us a 240 shader mobile core . Seems quite crap, wish I could get 4870's in my lappy than a 9800GTX+.

 

[PP Mguire]

This is true.

So, why is nVidia still giving us 96 shaders? That is ridiculous for 40nm.

These must simply be the starter set, the midrange chips. I'm certain we'll see GTX 280M with 192 SP's soon enough, alongside mobile Quad cores.

There are already mobile Intel quads. The higher up Gateway from mine utilizes one.

I think i wanna see an ATI/Intel Quad based laptop show up Id prolly buy that.

 

[ShogoXT]

Personally im not looking for a super chip. Im looking for something that can fit into a fairly slim laptop! Make fun of those mac users ya know?

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Apples and Oranges

This is true.

So, why is nVidia still giving us 96 shaders? That is ridiculous for 40nm.

These must simply be the starter set, the midrange chips. I'm certain we'll see GTX 280M with 192 SP's soon enough, alongside mobile Quad cores.

lets clear this up. The ATI system is completely different in architecture and implementation than the Nvidia system. This is comparing apples and oranges again. ATI has always had an unusually large number of processor cores compared to Nvidia. In this case more does not equal more power. There is a lot of other stuff going on the chip level than processor core count.

Good example is a ATI GPU core does physics better than the Nvidia core of the same class; BUT the Nvidia card will have an Aegis physics chip that it offloads the physics to which gives it a huge boost in physics. It definitely has a huge number of PPU's that don't get counted when shader specs are listed.