Nv40

The High Tech Low Down

By: Chris Angelini

It isn't a comfortable position, the one that NVIDIA is currently in. With a vile memory of the GeForce FX 5800 several months ago and accusations of benchmark cheating even more recently, the graphics giant needs something especially compelling to pull it back into the game it once definitively dominated. That product, code-named NV40, should do just that according to several sources.

At this point, the most reliable figures are the core and memory frequencies targeted by NVIDIA. By the time NV40 rolls around (late in 2003 or early 2004), the graphics processor should be running at least 550MHz, potentially on IBM's 130nm manufacturing process. Memory technology will have evolved a bit as well, and it looks like NVIDIA is expecting GDDR2 (or maybe GDDR3?) to be a viable option, even at speeds up to 700MHz. At that speed, we're looking at 44.8GB per second of bandwidth, assuming a 256-bit memory bus! NVIDIA can also be expected to incorporate support for the Vertex and Pixel Shader 3.0 specification.

Of course, early specifications are tricky to tackle. They're subject to change as unforeseen obstacles appear - NV30 was a perfect example of that. But as the year progresses and DX9 games become available, you can expect more detailed specifications of the cards that were designed to power Doom III.