The Santa Rosa platform is likely to be launched in late Q1 or early Q2 2007, and features an 800MHz FSB and a next generation single chip Wi–Fi/WiMAX radio. This also includes a new chipset which will replace the current 945GM mobile chipsets and features DirectX 10 support.

"We are ramping production on our GeForce 8 family of notebook GPUs, the industryÙs first DX10 and high-definition video GPU for notebooks. GeForce 8 will be the only DX10 GPU shipping in the upcoming Santa Rosa notebook launch," Mr. Haung said in a conference with financial analysts.

nVIDIA released its WHQL certified ForceWare v100.65 drivers for Windows Vista. The new ForceWare version 100.65 is the first WHQL certified driver compatible with G80 based graphics cards.

The new drivers support MicrosoftÙs DirectX 10 API on single-GeForce 8800-series configurations only. Users with a pair of GeForce 8800-series graphics cards in SLI will have to wait for SLI DirectX 10 support. Nevertheless, DirectX 9 and OpenGL applications will be able to take advantage of SLI technology on GeForce 8800 GPUs.

GeForce 6 and 7-series SLI users are once again, left out in the dark with only Single GPU support. NVIDIA promises DirectX 9 and OpenGL SLI support for GeForce 6 and 7-series GPUs in a future ForceWare releases though.

In addition, HDMI support is limited terms of unspecified "image quality issues," "Noise and pixel corruption occur under Clone or Dualview modes," and a lack of 5.1 surround sound, according to the driver's release notes. Overscan/Underscan support is also limited, so desktops displayed on a TV will be masked instead, according to the document. 

 DOWNLOAD URL: http://www.nvidia.com

OCW recently revealed details of the latest G80 based cards which include the 8900GTX and a dual-GPU solution too in the form of the 8950GX2.

The Geforce 8950GX2 is a dual-chip card just like the 7950 GX2 and is based on a new G80 chip build on the 80nm architecture. Both GX2 GPUs are clocked at 550MHz and the feature GDDR4 memory. The card comes with a total of 1GB of 256-bit GDDR4 memory clocked at 2000MHz. The $600 card has 96 shaders, per chip.

The 8900GTX will be an upgrade for the current top end card, the 8800GTX. It will sell for  $550 USD and has 128 shaders. It will also have GDDR4 memory at a clock rate of 2200MHz.

Apart from these top-end cards, nVidia is also readying cheap DirectX 10 capable cards like the 8300LE and the 8100GS which will cost $59 and $49 respectively. But they feature only GDDR2 memory and just 32 Shaders. All the new G80 based will be build on the 80nm architecture.

(Pictured above is the 8800GTX from OCZ)

 

AMD/ATI finally announced the final specs of their much talked about DirectX 10 capable graphics chipset - the R600. The new chipset has 700 million transistors (the earlier R580 has 384 million of them). The GPU features a 512-bit memory interface with support for GDDR3 and GDDR4.

The first of the next-gen cards will be out on 30 March in two versions and will be called the X2900XTX. The OEM version will be 12" long and will have a quiet fan cooler where as the retail version will be 9.5" long and will come with vapor chamber cooling, as seen on some earlier high-end cards. The Catalyst drivers will also be available by the same time.

The X2900XTX features 1GB of GDDR4 memory supplied by Samsung. Approximately one month later, the company will launch the GDDR3 version of the card.  This card, named the Radeon X2900 XT, features 512MB memory and lower clock frequencies than the X2900 XTX.

Native HDMI will be available on all three versions of the card and one 6-pin and one 8-pin (2x4) VGA power connectors are featured on Radeon X2900, but both connectors are also backwards compatible with 6-pin power supply cables.

 

Foxconn Offers a New Forte on the GeForce® 8800GTS Graphics Cards - Introducing the Vista Ready Foxconn GeForce® 8800GTS 320MB Series.
Designed for the enthusiast gaming segment, demanding enthusiasts can finally enjoy the true graphics performance and realism at an unprecedented levels, without emptying their wallet.

Powered by NVIDIA® SLI™-Ready flagship GeForce® 8800 GTS GPU, FOXCONN 8800GTS 320MB and 320MB (overclocked) are ready to rock and roll! With the standard Foxconn 8800GTS 320MB, you can already hear the card begging you for more. With the “extra speed boost” on the 320MB overclocked version, you will be sure to wipe your serious gaming competitors off the picture.
With hundreds of dedicated hours from the Foxconn R&D team, the Foxconn 8800GTS 320MB (overclocked) is custom-tuned to deliver a significantly better performance*, even with the stock cooling system.

 Foxconn GeForce 8800GTS 3D Mark 06 Benchmark test result performed at Foxconn R&D Lab, with NVIDIA GPU driver version 97.92 for G80 series. *Independent performance gain may vary due to variable system configurations.

 

CompUSA has pre-released info about the first mid-range card based on the GeForce 8800 chipset. The BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC has all the features of the GTS released in November but halves the memory to 320MB, significantly dropping the price. Card maker BFG's implementation compensates for the loss in performance, according to the slip on the retailer's page: the core speed jumps to 550MHz through a factory overclock, far higher than the 500MHz stock speed of the normal 640MB model.

BFG's card is currently scheduled to launch on February 17th at a price of $349. It remains unclear as to whether or not cards from BFG and other companies released using stock speeds will cost less.

The details of the low end DirectX 10 graphics card - the GeForce 8600 are making rounds on the Internet. We are not sure if this is true (but it looks like it is!), but the specs are so much for a low end card and the price makes it even more desirable for users without deep pockets.

The GeForce 8600 GT features 48 Stream Processors, 256MB of memory and runs at 350MHz (memory clocked at 1200MHz) and costs around US$150 when it hits the shelves. A costlier solution in the 8600 series is the 8600 Ultra consisting of 64 SPs and running faster than the GT version. The Ultra offers 512MB of memory and costs $180.

These cards are very strategically priced and are supposed to be out at about the same time the ATI R600 debuts (sometime in March, mostly at CeBIT). With the introduction of these cards the DX9 cards will go through a significant price cut.

Also making news are the 8300 series of cards, considered as replacement to the 7300 series of DX9 cards Nvidia are currently manufacturing. The 8300 is available in GT and GS versions and they feature 32 and 24 Stream Processors respectively. Both these cards come with 256MB memory, and cost under 100$.

Here is a summary of all the four cards...

8600 Ultra: 64 SPs - 512MB - 1400MHz memory - 500 MHz core - 256-bit - $179

8600 GT: 48 SPs - 256MB - 1200MHz memory - 350 MHz core - 128-bit - $149

8300 GT: 32 SPs - 256MB - 1200MHz memory - 500 MHz core - 128-bit - $99

8300 GS: 24 SPs - 256MB - 1000MHz memory - 500 MHz core - 128-bit - $79

XFX announced the launch of XFX GeForce 7600GT Fatal1ty, which is being publicized as the fastest 7600GT graphic card in the world. Unlike other cards available in the market the 7600 GT utilizes XFX's proprietary stealth heat pipe cooling technology, dubbed Silent But Deadly.

It runs without a standard fan but cools with more efficiency due to the passive distribution of heat from the GPU to the aluminum fins that are behind the video card. This spreads the heat into a wider surface area where it is air cooled and because air and dust are not forced through the heatsink, there are also reduced concerns of clogged heatsinks that may cause overheating in time.

Sporting the signature Fatal1ty brand, the 7600 GT Fatal1ty Professional Series Video Card by XFX also features high-definition video playback, is Microsoft Windows Vista ready and True High Dynamic-Range (HDR) Rendering supports incredibly life-like PCI-Express graphics for best visual sharpness and clarity by improving lighting effects, shading, filtering, texturing, and blending.

The XFX Geforce 7600GT Fatal1ty is available at around £110 (inc VAT).

The dual 1950 pro from Sapphire is a single card solution that has two AMD ATI X1950 pro chips working in Crossfire through an internal GPU connect. The card still retains the Crossfire bridge connector for a quad Crossfire set-up.

The Sapphire X1950 Pro Dual has the same clock and memory specs as its single-core counterpart. The core is clocked at 580 MHz and the memory at 1400 MHz. Though the two X1950 Pro GPUs are connected internally, each GPU still requires its own video memory. Each X1950 pro chip is equipped with 512MB of GDDR3 memory, for a total of 1 GB on-board.

Other features include dual dual-link DVI outputs with HDCP compliance and a TV output. The driver allows the GPUs to switch between Crossfire mode and stand-alone operation, but in Crossfire mode only a single DVI interface is active. And if two X1950 Pro Duals are put in Crossfire, only a single DVI interface out of the four will display the signal.

The card is expected to ship in February at a projected price point of $350 to $400.

SOURCE URL: tech2.0

Asus has just revealed the world’s first external video card for laptop computers at CES in Las Vegas. The XG Station is connected via Express Card also featuring USB 2.0 and Dolby digital headphone jack support.

On the XG Station itself it displays system master volume, GPU clock speed, current GPU temperature, FPS (frames per second), and a GPU fan indicator. Asus is expecting to release the XG Station with a EN7900GS graphics card in the Q2 of 2007, no word on the final price yet… but stay with us as we try to update you with more info as its available.

SOURCE URL: PCEXPOSURE