NVIDIA will be releasing 55nm versions of the G200 graphics processor, which provides better thermal and power characteristics. What's more, NVIDIA could allow its partners to come up with their own designs or colour themes right away, at least from what can be seen with the Zotac GeForce GTX 260². The card uses a blue PCB, without a cooler shroud at the back of it. In the current iteration of the GeForce 200 series, memory chips are also located at the back of the card, requiring a heatspreader. In the newest iteration of the PCB, several changes are brought about:

• Toned-down power circuitry overall, with 4 phase vGPU and 2 phase vMem
• Aluminum support-brace surrounding the GPU
• Memory chips located only on one side of the PCB, leaving nothing at the back-side of the PCB that requires cooling, hence no heatspreader

The GPU is marked G200-103-B2 indicating it has been manufactured under the 55nm node. The card's cooler has been reportedly designed by Cooler Master, it is a monolithic surface with copper contacts over crucial components, with thermal pads. The GPU uses a fluid thermal compound to make contact with the cooler. Below are pictures showing the differences between the current GeForce GTX 200 PCB and the one that the new GTX 260 will sport, among other details. The card is expected to hit retail channels by January.