An Asian web-site presumably revealed roadmap of NVIDIA Corporation for the second half of 2004 and the first half of 2005. While the source of information is unofficial, it corresponds to NVIDIA’s vision of the market and technology revealed earlier this year.

According to the slides published at MyHard.com web-site, NVIDIA is expected to release NV48, NV48e, NV43 and NV44 graphics processors in the second half of the year. All the new chips are projected to be derivatives of the recently launched GeForce 6800-series graphics processors and have generally the same capabilities, including support for the superset of DirectX 9.0 – Shader Model 3.0.

The code-named NV48 graphics chips will succeed the NV45 and NV40 graphics processors known as the GeForce 6800-series in the high-end market. The NV48 will be designed to work with AGP 8x bus, while the NV48e will be intended for PCI Express x16 lane. The code-named NV43 and NV44 GPUs will exist in AGP 8x and PCI Express x16 iterations and will serve mainstream and entry-level markets of graphics cards.

Precise specifications of the new parts are not reported. Typically lower end offerings feature less pixel and vertex pipelines and have generally cut-down architecture compared to the more expensive parts. Today’s high-performance graphics processing units feature 16 and 12 pixel as well as 6 vertex pipelines. Less powerful options may have 8 or 4 pixel pipelines along with 6 or fewer vertex pipes.

All the new chips are to be introduced this year. According to the report, they will gradually outspace the GeForce FX and GeForce PCX series from the market and will serve the market in the first half of 2005.

Representatives for NVIDIA declined to comment on the news-story.