NVIDIA is expected to brand-name its next GeForce GTX desktop discrete GPU lineup under the GTX 900 series, and not the previously thought about GTX 800. In what is a similar brand-name pole-vault to the GTX 300 series ahead of "Fermi," NVIDIA's next high-end discrete GPUs will be named GeForce GTX 970 and GTX 980. The brand name could be devised to not just look better on paper, but give users of current-generation GTX 770 and GTX 780 an upgrade-itch, something which could have been difficult if NVIDIA named it under the GTX 800 series, unless its new parts were phenomenally faster.

The GeForce GTX 970 and GTX 980 will be based on NVIDIA's new "GM204" silicon, derived from its new "Maxwell" GPU architecture, which debuted with the mid-range GeForce GTX 750 Ti. NVIDIA is expected to outline the two cards on the 9th or 10th of September, 2014, at various media events held around the world. The company is expected to formally launch the two on 19th September. The GeForce GTX 800 series could continue to include OEM and mobile-GPU parts based on either "Maxwell" or "Kepler" GPUs.