So - 6800u - Low Volume Review Board...

[Pete]

If nV is indeed delaying for NV45, how easy is it to produce two different versions of that chip (one with the HSI on-package, one without)?

Only 50-100 6800Us doesn't square with more 6800GTs, though. You'd think nV would want more 6800Us out the door for their fatter profit margins, and 350 to 400MHz doesn't seem like a huge leap for the core to make. Maybe this is a hint of a severe 1200MHz GDDR3 shortage?

 

[nelg]

350 to 400MHz doesn't seem like a huge leap for the core to make.

I would think that it is in fact a large leap today.

 

[ANova]

My guess is it's number two along with the first part of number one. I doubt they are in 'total control' of anything.

I agree. It seems to be a bit of both.

Could you imagine how terrible things would really be if they didn't avoid the evil low-k 0.13 micron process?

Well, I was wrong about one thing. They are in complete control of marketting.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Only 50-100 6800Us doesn't square with more 6800GTs, though. You'd think nV would want more 6800Us out the door for their fatter profit margins, and 350 to 400MHz doesn't seem like a huge leap for the core to make. Maybe this is a hint of a severe 1200MHz GDDR3 shortage?

No hint, "PANIC!!!!!" would be a better word for nVidia's attitude towards high-end memory and good cores right now.

The reason you'll see a lot of their low-ends is because it's all they can get out right now and they sort of need to get anything out the door.

 

[mozmo]

Well one of the guys that got a 6800 ultra in australia reported on overclockers.com.au that the ram onboard his card is the 500mhz rated stuff (2ns) not the 1.6 that should be. So possibly the shortage is related to getting higher quality ram if current shipped ultras are comming out with overclocked ram.

Waiting is annoying me though, this cash i have is burning a hole in my pocket if ya know what i mean.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Waiting is annoying me though, this cash i have is burning a hole in my pocket if ya know what i mean.

It was me too, I bought a used FX last week to fill me "new shiny!" needs 'til both come out in a bit more quantity.
(SHUT UP!!! *EMBARRESSEDASHELL* I just want to see it in action for meself, and it was a friend selling it. *oops* )

 

[Tim Murray]

Post 17,000 in Graphics Companies and Industry.

I just want to see a GT.

 

[Fodder]

Well one of the guys that got a 6800 ultra in australia reported on overclockers.com.au that the ram onboard his card is the 500mhz rated stuff (2ns) not the 1.6 that should be.

It seems to run fine overclocked to 600MHz, but it's a definate worry running above spec at default.

 

[mozmo]

Yeah he's had a good overclock with the lower speed ram, but then again they might of been hand picked modules that could run well over spec. Just was hinting that supply or ram could be holding back the release of these high end cards. Most guys that have 6800u can get the chips to the 440-450 mark so the cores aren't having any probs with clocks i think.

 

[digitalwanderer]

I just want to see a GT.

Hey, there are LOTS of pictures of one all over!
(EDITED BITS: Hey, how did gradumatation go? Did you wear a speedo?)

 

[jvd]

If nV is indeed delaying for NV45, how easy is it to produce two different versions of that chip (one with the HSI on-package, one without)?

Only 50-100 6800Us doesn't square with more 6800GTs, though. You'd think nV would want more 6800Us out the door for their fatter profit margins, and 350 to 400MHz doesn't seem like a huge leap for the core to make. Maybe this is a hint of a severe 1200MHz GDDR3 shortage?

nv45 was discovered to just be the nv40 with the bridge chip on package instead of a diffrent chip. If anything that may hurt yields or slow the chip down

 

[lowdog]

Actually this card with the GC20 2ns modules will hit 1.24GHz stable so I am hopeing that they will have some longevity running at 1.10GHz.

Who knows.

I certainly would have been more at easy to have seen the 1.6ns ram on this specific card but it wasn't to be.

 

[MuFu]

If nV is indeed delaying for NV45, how easy is it to produce two different versions of that chip (one with the HSI on-package, one without)?

Only 50-100 6800Us doesn't square with more 6800GTs, though. You'd think nV would want more 6800Us out the door for their fatter profit margins, and 350 to 400MHz doesn't seem like a huge leap for the core to make. Maybe this is a hint of a severe 1200MHz GDDR3 shortage?

nv45 was discovered to just be the nv40 with the bridge chip on package instead of a diffrent chip. If anything that may hurt yields or slow the chip down

Hard to say, assuming they went to different fabs.

 

[WaltC]

nv45 was discovered to just be the nv40 with the bridge chip on package instead of a diffrent chip. If anything that may hurt yields or slow the chip down

What I think is more likely is that the native PCIe version of nV40 doesn't need a bridge chip because its pcb support is exclusively PCIe, like ATi's bridge-chipless PCIe product announcements. Later, I would expect to see both companies marketing a hybrid native PCIe pcb with a PCIe x16 to AGP x8 bridge chip onboard so that they could sell the same product into both markets. It's cheaper of course to sell native versions for each standard right now (as they already have the AGP tech in place), and as of now there's about ZERO demand for PCIe products aside from system OEM demand--which can be served by native PCIe pcbs. I can't imagine nVidia taking the nV40, putting it on a PCIe pcb, and calling it "nV45"--unless, of course, they are somehow desperate for new product PR. There'd be no difference between nV40 and nV45 in that case, except for the pcb host-bus interface circuitry the nV40 would be sitting on.

Interesting rumor I read the other day, though, suggests that ATi's upcoming AMD core-logic support will support the PCIe bus. If that's true, ATi might be about leap-frog nVidia's current AMD core-logic support--which would certainly be an interesting, and unexpected, turn of events--as I haven't heard anything from nVidia concerning PCIe support in its AMD chipsets. The ATi rumor I read concerned an IGP from ATi, though, and gave no indication as whether the ATi AMD chipset support extended the PCIe bus support further than the IGP.

I would think this would be an excellent time for a company like nVidia or ATi to come in with AMD A64/full PCIe-supporting core logic in an ATX-enhanced/friendly form factor. I don't much care for BTX, but I do think PCIe is worth integrating over the long haul.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Interesting rumor I read the other day, though, suggests that ATi's upcoming AMD core-logic support will support the PCIe bus.

Where did you hear that? (I'm not implying it's wrong/incorrect, I just wanna go sniff around there and see if there's anymore info! )

 

[Hanners]

Interesting rumor I read the other day, though, suggests that ATi's upcoming AMD core-logic support will support the PCIe bus.

Where did you hear that? (I'm not implying it's wrong/incorrect, I just wanna go sniff around there and see if there's anymore info! )

Linkage

As far as I know, both ATI and NVIDIA are set-up nicely for a move to PCI Express as far as motherboards go, so I don't see either party having an advantage over the other in that realm.

 

[WaltC]

Interesting rumor I read the other day, though, suggests that ATi's upcoming AMD core-logic support will support the PCIe bus.

Where did you hear that? (I'm not implying it's wrong/incorrect, I just wanna go sniff around there and see if there's anymore info! )

It's dated a few weeks back:

http://anandtech.com/chipsets/showdoc.html?i=2028

According to the tables, it appears the ATi chipset, RS480, will support an external PCIe x16 graphics bus. Just a rumor as of now, apparently.

Edit: I see Hanners beat me to it--'s what happens when you get old--everything creaks...

 

[digitalwanderer]

I see Hanners beat me to it--'s what happens when you get old--everything creaks...

Ain't that the truth! Although in fairness it isn't just us getting old and slow, Hanners really is good and in the quickness department I think he's unmatched. (I can beat him occasionally; but I usually have to cheat....age and sneakiness will still take youth and speed, but only occasionally. )

Thanks for the linkage both.

As far as I know, both ATI and NVIDIA are set-up nicely for a move to PCI Express as far as motherboards go, so I don't see either party having an advantage over the other in that realm.

Yeah, but I'm really starting to think they're the only ones and I think both of them are starting to realize that not many people are going to jump on the PCI-e bandwagon right away, I expect MUCH slower adoption than availability.

 

[Fodder]

As far as I know, both ATI and NVIDIA are set-up nicely for a move to PCI Express as far as motherboards go, so I don't see either party having an advantage over the other in that realm.

Yeah, but I'm really starting to think they're the only ones

Intel, VIA and SIS have PCIE chipsets too ... or were you referring to something completely different?

 

[digitalwanderer]

Intel, VIA and SIS have PCIE chipsets too ... or were you referring to something completely different?

Something completely different, I don't think many consumers are ready to jump to adopt PCI-e yet.