NVIDIA Finally Unleashes GeForce FX. About Four Months Before Actual Appearance

by Anton Shilov
11/18/2002 | 06:31 PM

Just as we told you numerous times, NVIDIA Corporation today unleashed its already well-known GeForce FX graphics processor. The new VPU from the most-successful graphics chip developer on the planet is definitely the most feature-rich product today and maybe even the fastest one, however, the company is a little bit too fast with the announcement. According to their own press releases, the AIB partners, including ASUS, BFG Technologies, eVGA.com Corporation, Gainward, Leadtek Research, MSI Computer Corporation and PNY Technologies, will be able to deliver the actual graphics cards powered by the GeForce FX only in February 2003.

Here are some technical specifications of the novelty from NVIDIA:

• 125 million of transistors in the VPU itself. Produced using 0.13 micron technology at TSMC;
• 8 rendering pipelines with one, but very efficient TMU per each;
• Advanced Pixel and Vertex Shaders that are capable to perform rather unbelievable operations never available in personal computer’s hardware before. The features the GeForce FX can provide are beyond the RADEON 9700 and DirectX 9.0 specifications.
• Optimized LMA-II Technology with color data compression;
• New antialiasing patterns, including 6XS (for Direct3D) and 8x AA for both OpenGL and Direct3D;
• New anisotropic filtering patterns, including adaptive anisotropic filtering with low performance drop when activated;
• Core-clock frequency: 500MHz;
• DDR-II memory is clocked at 500MHz (1GHz resulting clock);
• Four independent 32-bit memory controllers;
• 2 400MHz RAMDACs integrated;
• No TV-Out controller and no TMDS transmitter integrated – additional chips will be needed;
• AGP 8x;
• Although manufactured using 0.13 micron, the VPU heats a lot and special outside thermal exhaust cooling system is required.

Currently there is no information about the retail graphics cards and their pricing. See the previews of the new VPU here and here.