News

Nvidia Corp., the world’s largest supplier of graphics processors, said that it has no immediate plans to release graphics cards that offer higher speed than current top-of-the-range GeForce 8800 Ultra, but said that customers seeking for extreme performance will soon be able to install three graphics cards into one system to get incredible graphics rendering horsepower.

“We decided that the refresh that we would do this time was [GeForce] 8800 GT, and this is just a barn burner refresh. We are really proud of the 8800 GT and we are going to put our focus here. From [two GeForce] 8800 GT [graphics cards], you could obviously do SLI and soon you’ll be able to do three-way SLI, so you are going to be able to put a lot of GPU horsepower into your system, starting with a very affordable 8800 GT, and so – this is our focus for now,” Jen-Hsun Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, said during a question and answer session with financial analysts when asked about a possible “halo” product refresh in 2007.

In previous years Nvidia refreshed its graphics cards lineup two times a year, in spring and in autumn, usually introducing a high-performance graphics product to create so-called halo effect. However, this year the company seemingly has decided not to release a single-chip high-end solution, but to enable proper support for its SLI multi-GPU technology from the drivers to make performance-demanding gamers buy existing GeForce 8800-series graphics cards and create multi-GPU systems with two, three or even four of them. Since three graphics cards that cost $249 will bring Nvidia about $750 in sales, while a typical high-end board costs $599 - $649, it does make sense for Nvidia to push such graphics solutions.

Performance of multi-GPU graphics sub-systems fully depends on driver and software optimizations. Therefore, not all games can benefit from two or three or even four graphics processing units (GPU).

ATI, graphics product group of Advanced Micro Devices, also said earlier this year that it would focus on development of multi-GPU solutions for high-end market instead of creating large graphics chips with roughly a billion of transistors, which are hard to produce and develop.

Discussion

Comments currently: 13
Discussion started: 11/12/07 11:18:12 AM
Latest comment: 11/17/07 06:29:08 PM
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[1-11]

1. 
GAH!
I guess this means we won't be seeing a new high end NV card until next summer =,(

Sigh.... Perhaps I should plan on getting 2 8800 GT's then =\
[Posted by: gamebro  | Date: 11/12/07 11:18:12 AM]

2. 
nVidia should create a GP GPU model that combines unified shaders and video memory from other cards to create one very high performing card. SLI is just a pathetic technology that provides an unreliable and unstable graphical setup. Also multiple GPU just creates headaches for end users because of AMD/ATI Crossfire and nVidia SLI.

Multiple GPU for rendering graphics is not the answer. It just a band-aid to the solution.
[Posted by: linunerd  | Date: 11/12/07 04:16:40 PM]

3. 
Great. Regular SLI isn't worth a damn specially under vista. How is this triple waste of power going to make things better? And AMD's quad-fire crap is even worst, with all their buggy drivers.
[Posted by: Mr. BonBon  | Date: 11/12/07 07:57:01 PM]

4. 
Did ya read the story?
They will spend time on drivers making SLI better, instead of making expensive single card solutions. This makes sense to me. Of course I guess that most enthusiasts do not have as much trouble as many newbies at setting hardware and drivers up.
[Posted by: MTR  | Date: 11/13/07 08:25:53 AM]

5. 
Hey...What's that sound...

Is that the sound of game consoles flying off store shelves because Nvidia (Triple SLI) and DAAMIT (Quad Crossfire) just do not understand the market whatsoever? People will never pay the sky high prices for this crap. Not to mention the drivers/setup headaches.

PC Gaming industry headed way off course in a big way here. Multiple gpu/graphics cards have never worked ever since the 3dfx Voodoo days of the 1990's.

Just as I thought things were getting back on track with the release of Nvidia's 8800GT.
[Posted by: EndPCNoise  | Date: 11/13/07 11:02:19 AM]
+ expand thread (1 answer)

6. 
Translation of the corporate-speak of Mr. Jen-Hsun Huang:
"Mo' money, Mo' money, Mo' money!"
[Posted by: Al K. Hall  | Date: 11/13/07 07:37:21 PM]

7. 
What's really funny is all you complete idiots that actually go out and buy 2 (much less 3) graphic cards for your computer. Get a life kids, go get a job and stop living off your rich parents. Maybe you will find some satisfaction in life.
[Posted by: Complete Idiot  | Date: 11/14/07 01:55:40 AM]

8. 
Very cool. It reminds me of the 3D cards Apple produced years ago. The more of them you put in the computer, the faster the rendering was. The biggest problem Apple had was app support. I doubt Nvidia will have the same problem.
[Posted by: mtngoatjoe  | Date: 11/14/07 02:14:04 PM]

9. 
Since my new favorite game is Homeworld. My next aim for a gpu is a GeForce 8100 or so on a laptop. Dx 10 based integrated graphics with low power consumption and no noise unlike my X800GT, which should still be way more powerful than the integrated...
[Posted by: nuff  | Date: 11/15/07 08:42:01 PM]

10. 
What they need to do is make a mult-core gpu!
Not triple SLI!
And lower the power consumption!

CPUs can do it why can't GPUs?!


I want my PCI and PCIe slots back so I can add a sound card or
some other peripherals!
[Posted by: klsjdf  | Date: 11/16/07 09:52:16 AM]

11. 
Being at nvidia's geforce lan 4 in oakland today they "didn't talk about" the tri SLI nor the 780i.

Both look good enough that Im going to hold off on an X38 board for my yorkfield until I can grab a 780i board and the yorkfield at the same time. The 780i will support the new USB based protocol for chassis/cooling control nvid just talked about.

While UT3 may not be the most demanding game, the demo they "didn't" show off looked smooth as silk. No FPS counter, but perfectly smooth maxed out and 2560x1600. That was on a yorkfield+3 Ultras. Smooth is to be expected. :)

They said they are looking for around a 140% improvement over a single GPU. (If you get `0 fps in crysis with one board you'll get around 24 fps with tri.) It WILL require having 2 SLI bridges per card, so GTX and ultras only for now. Also from what they "didn't" say instead of splitting the screen in half tri will have each GPU render a full frame one third of the time. So A render, B render, C render, A render....
[Posted by: forbidden  | Date: 11/17/07 06:25:44 PM]
+ expand thread (1 answer)

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