NVIDIA Corporation officially announced its new graphics processors for mainstream and performance market segments today. Both GPUs derive from the GeForce FX architecture and promise to be as advanced, as the parental chip is. According to the latest fashion from Santa Clara and Markham, today’s announcement is nothing more, but another paper-launch of a product we will be able to buy sometime in future, reportedly in April.

The new additions to the GeForce FX family of GPUs include:

• The GeForce FX 5600 Ultra GPU (aka NV31) that incorporates the full GeForce FX feature set, including DirectX 9.0 and beyond pixel and vertex shaders, memory bandwidth saving technologies, Intellisample 2.0 antialiasing and so on. The chip itself is made using 0.13 micron technology, features 4 rendering pipelines, supports up to 256MB of 128-bit DDR SDRAM memory, integrates dual 400MHz RAMDACs, TMDS transmitter and, apparently TV-Out controller (despite of the fact that even on a reference graphics card an external chip is used, as we reveal here and here). The creator claims that the GeForce FX 5600 GPUs deliver 30% more performance at half the price of the GeForce4 Ti 4600 ($199, I guess).
• The GeForce FX 5200 GPU (aka NV34) is going to be the first DirectX 9.0 class graphics card to cost $79. In addition to cheap version, the GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with higher speed will be available. The GeForce FX 5200 series of GPUs (I wonder why NVIDIA does not call them as VPUs, like ATI and 3Dlabs do?) are manufactured using 0.15 micron process and cannot boast with the same set of features compared to more advanced brothers, for instance, GeForce FX 5200-series lacks Intellisample 2.0 FSAA. The GeForce FX 5200 implements 4 rendering pipelines, supports up to 128MB of 128-bit DDR SDRAM memory, integrates dual 350MHz RAMDACs, TMDS transmitter and TV-Out controller. The Ultra version will run at 325/325MHz for core and memory, while speeds for non-Ultra version are to be decided by NVIDIA.

Graphics cards powered by the GeForce FX 5600 and 5200 GPU will be available from a lot of NVIDIA’s add-in-card partners, including Abit Computer, AOpen, ASUSTeK, BFG Technologies, Chaintech, Creative, eVGA.com, Gainward, Leadtek Research, MSI, Palit Microsystems, Pine XFX and PNY Technologies.

For more information about the newcomers, please read the following stories:

- The First NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 (NV31) Pictures! Right Here, Right Now
- NVIDIA’s NV31 Examined. NVIDIA Powered Green Babe is Almost Here
- NV31, NV34, NV35 and NV40 Details Unveiled! Remember About NV33 and NV36!
- GeForce FX Derivatives NV31 and NV34 Will Not Support All DirectX 9.0 Features?
- GeForce FX, NV31 and NV34: More Details on NVIDIA’s Graphics Business This Year
- First NV31 and NV34 Benchmark Scores Appeared. NVIDIA Vigorously Fights the 3DMark03?
- NVIDIA to Announce NV31 and NV34 on the 6th of March