MSI Holding Off on GTX 980 Lightning, in Anticipation of Bigger Chip

[btarunr]

MSI is reportedly holding off on launching an overclocking-grade GeForce GTX 980 graphics card that you can ride into record-setting competitions, based on its coveted OC Series Lightning brand. The company probably wants to avoid a repeat of last year, when launch of its GeForce GTX 780 Lightning graphics card was closely trailed by NVIDIA's launch of the inherently faster GeForce GTX 780 Ti, and resulting price-cuts for the GTX 780, throwing MSI's inventories in jeopardy. The year before that, MSI launched the Radeon HD 7970 Lightning just weeks before AMD launched the faster HD 7970 GHz Edition.

MSI could stick to selling its Gaming Series GTX 980, equipped with the new Twin Frozr V cooling solution, even offering factory-overclocked variants of the card. This also leads one to wonder if NVIDIA has a third, high-end graphics card based on the GM204 silicon, on the 'cards,' one with higher clock speeds, or a higher temperature-based clock speed throttle, which is currently at a hair-trigger 80°C on the GTX 980.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[erixx]

This ... is.... madness!!!!!!!!!!!
But reserving the "TI" branding for the cherry picked or Turbocharged editions makes sense.

 

[btarunr]

Before NVIDIA clarified Ti to mean "Titanium," I always used to think that it stood for turbo-intercooler (seeing how NVIDIA uses automotive/motorsport brand extensions).

 

[HumanSmoke]

This also leads one to wonder if NVIDIA has a third, high-end graphics card based on the GM204 silicon, on the 'cards,' one with higher clock speeds, or a higher temperature-based clock speed throttle, which is currently at a hair-trigger 80°C on the GTX 980.

Might also be an indicator that GM 200 is inbound? GM 204 was taped out some five months ago - the GM 200 followed around three months ago. We already know that GM 200's are doing the circuit for debug/test/validation. Might it not be possible that the full chip gets Titan II (?) branding and a salvage part (either cores, memory bus, compute functionality - or a combination) becomes the GTX 980 Ti. There is certainly enough precedent for the overlap ( GF110 based GTX 560 Ti 448-core and GF114 GTX 560 Ti for example)

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

this has always been an issue. they come out very late with the fancy stuff people want, even if its just double memory cards, and then the next gen product is on the doorstep. if they could just move a little faster it wouldn't be such a problem

 

[HammerON]

Might also be an indicator that GM 200 is inbound? GM 204 was taped out some five months ago - the GM 200 followed around three months ago. We already know that GM 200's are doing the circuit for debug/test/validation. Might it not be possible that the full chip gets Titan II (?) branding and a salvage part (either cores, memory bus, compute functionality - or a combination) becomes the GTX 980 Ti. There is certainly enough precedent for the overlap ( GF110 based GTX 560 Ti 448-core and GF114 GTX 560 Ti for example)

This is what I was thinking as well...
They know something we don't.

 

[W1zzard]

Before NVIDIA clarified Ti to mean "Titanium," I always used to think that it stood for turbo-intercooler (seeing how NVIDIA uses automotive/motorsport brand extensions).

Any link to official wording?

 

[RCoon]

Before NVIDIA clarified Ti to mean "Titanium," I always used to think that it stood for turbo-intercooler (seeing how NVIDIA uses automotive/motorsport brand extensions).

I always thought Ti meant Turbo-injection/injector

 

[HumanSmoke]

Any link to official wording?

Before NVIDIA clarified Ti to mean "Titanium," I always used to think that it stood for turbo-intercooler (seeing how NVIDIA uses automotive/motorsport brand extensions).

Well, if the Ti was originally an acronym it had certainly passed out of favour by the time the first Ti boards arrived.

 

[Animalpak]

this just confirm a 980 Ti is sure to be released ...

Big LOL to all of you raging to buy a 980 today...

 

[BorisDG]

It's not needed nVidia to say again what Ti is ... we had lot of series in the past like 4200 for example. Veterans in the branch knows exactly what Ti means.

 

[RCoon]

this just confirm a 980 Ti is sure to be released ...

Big LOL to all of you raging to buy a 980 today...

Luckily nobody will feel the need to buy anything after a 970/980 because nothing besides 4K can bring either of those cards to their knees. If NVidia did bring out a 980ti or more new higher power cards, I wouldn't feel disappointed. As a matter of fact, I fully expected it. So far the new cards perform extremely well on 1440p and even better on the generic 1080p monitors.

The only people in true need of a more powerful card than the 980 are those with crazy triple monitor rez and 4K. As for the rest, its epeen requirements only.

 

[BorisDG]

Just some extra pics of my baby for "Ti" human race.

May be the best Ti4200 so far. V8420S - Superfast edition 3.3ns memory!

 

[erixx]

this just confirm a 980 Ti is sure to be released ...
Big LOL to all of you raging to buy a 980 today...

I would never have spend more, in first place, and second place, you didn't know that there will always be a newer, better part in the future, always always always? Such a noob!


Boris beats me but still an opportunity to post a pic of my wall museum. I also had the Geforce 256 and GF 2 Ti but must have given them to someone. Ti was always Titanium for me, must come from somewhere : )

 

[Animalpak]

I would never have spend more, in first place, and second place, you didn't know that there will always be a newer, better part in the future, always always always? Such a noob!


Boris beats me but still an opportunity to post a pic of my wall museum. I also had the Geforce 256 and GF 2 Ti but must have given them to someone. Ti was always Titanium for me, must come from somewhere : )

View attachment 59331

I know that there will Always a better hardware than your bought today.

But generally speaking who buy a new hardware at day one most often is who search the best peformance ever and im sure will buy the 980 Ti at day one too.

I like to change hardware only when he is really obsolete or is there a reason that compromises my experience in the videogames as the incompatibility of directx or important new Technologies.

So I will be able to make the most from the money i spend for PC hardware.

I also know very well that everybody can do what they want of their money.

So no problems

 

[jabbadap]

Any link to official wording?

http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_20011001_367.html

SANTA CLARA, CA — OCTOBER 1, 2001 — NVIDIA® Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) today announced its new GeForce Titanium series of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The GeForce3 Ti and GeForce2 Ti series of GPUs deliver breakthrough graphics technologies, each providing unprecedented levels of performance and visual quality. These new products also utilize NVIDIA’s high-performance Detonator XP driver, incorporating special software optimizations that immediately take full advantage of the newest features of the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system.

Damn the time goes by fast. It was like yesterday when I send riva tnt2 back and bought voodoo3 instead...

 

[Selene]

I am sure this is more aimed at the GM210 part, not this mid range GM204 chip thats just named a high-end part. We know it beats the 780ti, but the 980 is a 680/770 replacement, the Titan II consumer grade card will be the 780/780ti replacements and should be out Fed 2015.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Just some extra pics of my baby for "Ti" human race.

May be the best Ti4200 so far. V8420S - Superfast edition 3.3ns memory!

I remember that being one sweet card! It ran like a beast! One of my favorites of all time. Thanks!

 

[Mindweaver]

Just some extra pics of my baby for "Ti" human race.

May be the best Ti4200 so far. V8420S - Superfast edition 3.3ns memory!

I picked up a G4 TI4200 in the clearance section in Walmart for $100 only months after the G4 TI's came out.. It had a marked down sticker price of $160 from $229.. I went up to hand the guy at the register the money and then he says, "no sir it was marked down again to $100."! I ran out of the store before some said that's a mistake.. lol At the time I had a Athlon 1600 @ 1.9ghz with 4gb DDR400 and a Gforce 400MX.. and it wasn't cutting it playing battlefield 1942, but the G4 TI4200 played it smooth as silk!

I always thought it stood for "Turbo intercooler" as well.

Oh and here are shots of a G4 TI4600.

 

[Anusha]

I read somewhere that the GTX 980 is the full GM204 chip. So there probably won't be a GTX 980Ti. They probably are waiting for the based chips GM210 because it's pointless to couple these cards with such a capable cooler. Is that a hint as to bbig chips coming out sooner than expected?

 

[GhostRyder]

Have not really had time to read up completely but as far as I understood there are 16 SMM units on this card and all are enabled on the GTX 980 which means that the GTX 980 is the full powered GM 204 so the likelihood of a GTX 980ti is probably very low. Unless they do something weird like a boost variant of the card (Something like the GTX 650ti boost I mean) but I still find that to be something not likely (Plus that would be a 980 Boost not 980ti lol).

Sad that there is not going to be a lightning variant of this card...I guess we will have to wait for a hopeful HOF from galaxy, Classified/kingpin edition from EVGA, or a matrix variant from Asus.

 

[Razorfang]

I assumed it stood for Titanium because the "i" in Ti was lowercase. Had it been an acronym of two words, both letters in "Ti" would have been uppercase. I do like the theory that nVidia engineers are a bunch of car nuts!

 

[rtwjunkie]

Have not really had time to read up completely but as far as I understood there are 16 SMM units on this card and all are enabled on the GTX 980 which means that the GTX 980 is the full powered GM 204 so the likelihood of a GTX 980ti is probably very low. Unless they do something weird like a boost variant of the card (Something like the GTX 650ti boost I mean) but I still find that to be something not likely (Plus that would be a 980 Boost not 980ti lol).

Sad that there is not going to be a lightning variant of this card...I guess we will have to wait for a hopeful HOF from galaxy, Classified/kingpin edition from EVGA, or a matrix variant from Asus.

So now we just wait for whatever card gets the GM200 chip!

 

[xorbe]

Before NVIDIA clarified Ti to mean "Titanium," I always used to think that it stood for turbo-intercooler (seeing how NVIDIA uses automotive/motorsport brand extensions).

The correct acronym is FMIC - front mounted intercooler

 

[Hilux SSRG]

Msi should only keep the "Lighting" moniker for the high end gfx line and not the mid range.