NVIDIA GF100 Graphics Card Chugs Along at CES

[btarunr]

NVIDIA's next generation graphics card based on the Fermi architecture, whose consumer variant is internally referred to as GF100 got to business at the CES event being held in Las Vegas, USA, performing live demonstration of its capabilities. The demo PC is housing one such accelerator which resembles the card in past sightings. Therefore it is safe to assume this is what the reference NVIDIA design of GF100 would look like. The accelerator draws power from 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors. It has no noticeable back-plate, a black PCB, and a cooler shroud with typical NVIDIA styling. The demo rig was seen running Unigine Heaven in a loop showing off the card's advanced tessellation capabilities in DirectX 11 mode. The most recent report suggests that its market availability can be expected in March, later this year. No performance figures have been made public as yet.



A short video clip after the break.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[3volvedcombat]

This is good very good. Im sitting here staring at my GTX 260's wondering if they should go on the [FS] forum because of the proof Ive just seen.

 

[Imsochobo]

wondering if those at nvidia's marketing team uses 3 years to choose what kind of breakfast they are going to buy.

Because their naming schemes change every year....

So is GF100 entry ? best? lowend.... uhm ?

Gj getting something to show this round Nvidia!

 

[btarunr]

wondering if those at nvidia's marketing team uses 3 years to choose what kind of breakfast they are going to buy.

Because their naming schemes change every year....

GF100 is an internal codename. Terms like G92, GT200, or GF100, aren't meant to be marketing names anyway.

 

[Imsochobo]

GF100 is an internal codename. Terms like G92, GT200, or GF100, aren't meant to be marketing names anyway.

ohh.

well then they had issues finding internal codenames then

 

[Airbrushkid]

Why? you'll still have to wait til March. I have as follows -

TNT-2
Geforce 3
Geforce 5600
Geforce 6600 gt
Geforce 6800 OC
Geforce 8600 gts
Geforce 8800 gts 320
Geforce 9800 gt 1 gig
GTX 260 216
GTX 285 SSC

No plans on selling. When the new card comes out I may buy.

This is good very good. Im sitting here staring at my GTX 260's wondering if they should go on the [FS] forum because of the proof Ive just seen.

 

[BUCK NASTY]

This is good very good. Im sitting here staring at my GTX 260's wondering if they should go on the [FS] forum because of the proof Ive just seen.

They should get bumped to the dedicated folding rig.

 

[btarunr]

ohh.

well then they had issues finding internal codenames then

Codenames aren't meant for consumers anyway. They won't feature on specs sheets or boxes. Hence they can call their stuff whatever they want to, and that would still be a non-issue to the consumer.

 

[cadaveca]

Anyone else notice that it looks like they got 3x pci-e connector wires going to 2x the pci-e plugs?(note the number of yellow 12v wires) Something is fishy here...

 

[btarunr]

Anyone else notice that it looks like they got 3x pci-e connector wires going to 2x the pci-e plugs?(note the number of yellow 12v wires) Something is fishy here...

No, nothing fishy.

The 8-pin connector is an internode (a single line, in the middle of which is a connector).

 

[AlCabone]

Why? you'll still have to wait til March. I have as follows -

TNT-2
Geforce 3
Geforce 5600
Geforce 6600 gt
Geforce 6800 OC
Geforce 8600 gts
Geforce 8800 gts 320
Geforce 9800 gt 1 gig
GTX 260 216
GTX 285 SSC

No plans on selling. When the new card comes out I may buy.

Do you actually use all of those?

 

[cadaveca]

No, nothing fishy.

http://img.techpowerup.org/100107/btalkjhas37.jpg

The 8-pin connector is an internode (a single line, in the middle of which is a connector).

If you say so. Just seems ot me this is one of the early samples, and has high power draw. 8-pin power only requires 3x 12v wires, not 6, as is shown.

No big deal..jsut means maybe production cards will be better/faster.

but yeah, I hear what you are saying...from 8-pin, a 6-pin hangs. But then why didn't they use just the single cable?

Good idea of length here too...that's a Raven RV01 case.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Is that 3 sets of bundles power cords I see

 

[btarunr]

If you say so. Just seems ot me this is one of the early samples, and has high power draw. 8-pin power only requires 3x 12v wires, not 6, as is shown.

No big deal..jsut means maybe production cards will be better/faster.

but yeah, I hear what you are saying...from 8-pin, a 6-pin hangs. But then why didn't they use just the single cable?

Capiche?

It's just the way the PSU's cables were designed. The "second" connector in the diagram above is what went into the card in the picture above. There's nothing more to it than this.

 

[cadaveca]

Capisco!!

Again, then why didn't they use just the single cable?

 

[btarunr]

Capisco!!

Again, then why didn't they use just the single cable?

It does not make a difference.

 

[cadaveca]

To me, it does, dependant on the PSU used.


Meh...just something to talk about......clearly this is not a full production card, as there are a few months left, almost, until release.

 

[btarunr]

To me, it does, dependant on the PSU used.

I'll say it again, it does not make a difference. Besides they are not doing a performance evaluation there, so there's no scope to even speculate on something this trivial.

 

[yogurt_21]

interesting being that there were some rumors regarding the tessalation capabilities.

@ the naming scheme I think this is supposed to be the 10th rendition of the geforce series hence the gf on the tag, which means they are more than likely countign the gt200 as the geforce 9 onmiting the 9800's as the g92 first bore an 8800 designation.

it likly means nvidia is returnign to a normal card progression internal naming scheme.

speculation truly especially by cores without revision series were only up to 6 on the gt200 which would make the gf100 the 7th.

 

[Benetanegia]

Capisco!!

Again, then why didn't they use just the single cable?

Probably just for better cable mangement. I've done that with some of my cables.

Tom's Hardware on Fermi - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ces-2010-fermi,2527-4.html

Fermi Graphics: Really? Really!

I was just about to leave the event when Ken Brown, Nvidia PR guy (not to mention former executive editor of Computer Gaming World back in the day), tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I wanted to see a Fermi-based GPU.

Fermi is Nvidia’s massive re-imagining of its architecture with a strong emphasis on GPU computing capabilities. It’s still very much a graphics design, but the gestation period for the first Fermi chips has been a long and painful one. Nick Stam at Nvidia showed off the new GPU running inside an X58-based Core i7 system.

The card overhung an ATX motherboard slightly, but Stam noted that the cooler wasn’t final hardware, and clocks and other specs weren't ready to be announced yet. The system was running the Uniengine DirectX 11 benchmark, and Nick insisted that the results were already better than AMD’s fastest GPU. Nick was also noncommittal about power consumption, but the card looked to be using both 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Since it wasn’t final hardware, though, it’s uncertain as to what will show up when retail cards emerge.

Nick also insisted that GF100 (that’s the code name, not the product name) would be a "Q1 product." So we’ll just have to wait and see. But after all the delays and silence from Nvidia, Fermi-based graphics is starting to look real.

He's claiming Fermi to be faster than HD5970 and that's from a Nvidia guy this time. Real or not, it's one step closer to being an official statement, not rumors or fakes (now, they really were fakes?). I'll chose to believe him, because some months ago I made my own calculations based on the specs and reached that conclusion, as some of you may remember. We'll see, but I'm optimistic.

 

[Imsochobo]

Codenames aren't meant for consumers anyway. They won't feature on specs sheets or boxes. Hence they can call their stuff whatever they want to, and that would still be a non-issue to the consumer.

i was joking around

As my head gets dizzy by knowing whats what.

And now it seems ati is doing the same, still not as hard as nvidia's naming have been lately, but they have started so they might follow footsteps

 

[Animalpak]

whoooo nice, things comes real this time

 

[HalfAHertz]

Finally! May the price wars commence!

 

[phanbuey]

price wars... mmm price wars. Can't wait.

 

[20mmrain]

I too thought it looked like 3 wires at first until I looked again. It is only two 1 6pin + 1 8 pin. Just must be the way they had the wires situated.

Also did anyone notice that the guy running the demo happened to keep switching the modes during the really intense tessellation parts? It was either him doing it or that is the way they had it set up to run.
I the parts that it did run with full Tessellation it did look a little choppy at times. I do think that it looked a little smoother than my single 5870..... but not too much. Not enough to make me really impressed.

So let's say for a second that this thing really does beat a 5870 by 36%. Well I wouldn't be surprised it only is coming out half a year later. If you ask me that number wouldn't be that impressive for 6 months later.

But I still like the idea of the technology that they are using. I also think it will be a great addition to the world of GPU's. It will keep things moving forward that is for sure!

But If I was that confident with it's performance and I were Nvidia. I would have left the FPS counter on the bottom and the top..... still left out there for all to see. But they didn't makes me wonder.