GeForce 8xxx launch

[B.Ob.]

DX10 for the Masses: NVIDIA 8600 and 8500 Series Launch

 

While the performance of the 8800 GTX is still a ways off from making it to the mainstream, we finally have the feature set (and then some) of the GeForce 8 series in a very affordable package. While we only have the fastest of the new parts from NVIDIA today, the announcement today includes these new additions to the lineup:

 

GeForce 8600 GTS

GeForce 8600 GT

GeForce 8500 GT

GeForce 8400 (OEM only)

GeForce 8300 (OEM only)

 

 

GeForce 8600: DirectX 10 For The Masses

 

"The answer to my first question is yes. This new offering delivers upgrades to the previous card. Other than the die shrink to an 80 nm process and the utilization of less silicon, the GeForce 8600 has two primary changes. One was to the 3D engine and a second was a complete overhaul to Nvidia's PureVideo processing engine. The combination of both advances suggests that Nvidia has a specified consumer target in mind for these products. On one hand, there is the introduction of DX10 to more consumers as this brings the price down $70 for the average gaming enthusiast and as much as $150 less for the budget gamer. Additionally the home theater market consumer has a much better card and at an attractive price."

 

 

NVIDIA G84: Architecture and Video Performance

 

"NVIDIA claim 71W max power draw for a GeForce 8600 GTS board at reference clocks, but still outfit it with an external power connector just to be on the safe side. XFX's XXX sports one too of course. Each DVI output on an 8600 GTS is dual-link capable and both links are protected by their own key, feeding an encryption block on the GPU that can handle output over the pair. That means it's the first consumer graphics product that'll let you display protected HD content on a display that requires two links. We'll give that a poke later on."