With the launch of GeForce GTX 400 series enthusiast-grade graphics cards based on the GF100 GPU being a stone's throw away, it is learned that work could be underway at NVIDIA to develop a new performance GPU as a successor to G92 and its various derivatives, according to 3DCenter.org, a German tech portal. Codenamed GF104, the new GPU targets performance/price sweet-spots the way G92 did back in its day with the GeForce 8800 GT and 8800 GTS-512, which delivered high-end sort of performance at "unbelievable" price points. The GF104 is a derivative of the Fermi architecture, and uses a physically down-scaled design of the GF100. It is said to pack 256 CUDA cores, 32 ROPs, 32 TMUs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. The more compact die as a result could achieve high clock speeds, like G92 did compared to the G80.

GF104 is believed to form three SKUs to fill performance-thru-mainstream market segments, starting with the fastest GeForce GTS 450, GeForce GTS 440, and GeForce GTS 430 (likely name). Among these, the GTS 450 enables all of GF104's features and specifications, with well over 700 MHz core speed, 1500 MHz shader, and 1800 MHz memory. This part could be priced at around the 240 EUR mark, and target performance levels of the ATI Radeon HD 5830. A notch lower, the GTS 440 has all the hardware inside the GF104 enabled, but has around 20% lower clock speeds, priced over 160 EUR, under 180 EUR. At the bottom is the so-called GTS 430, which could disable a few of the GPU's components, with 192 CUDA cores, and 192-bit GDDR5 memory interface, priced under $150. The lower two SKUs intend to compete with the Radeon HD 5700 series. The source says that the new SKUs could be out this summer.



Source: 3DCenter.org