Nvidia debuts new graphics processors made by IBM

Nvidia Corp. has rolled out its long-awaited GeForce 6800 line of 130nm graphics processing units for desktop PCs. They were manufactured on a foundry basis by IBM Corp.'s Microelectronics Division.

The GeForce 6 series includes two products, the 6800 and 6800 Ultra. Each chip consists of a new superscalar 16-pipe architecture, a Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 feature set and an on-chip video processing engine for high-definition video and DVD playback.

The GeForce 6800 provide 32-bit shader precision, displacement mapping, geometry instancing and other features. In addition, the GPU has floating point support throughout the entire pipeline. The new rotated-grid antialiasing feature removes jagged edges for incredible image quality and a new 16x anisotropic filtering mode adds clarity to textures.

The first GPUs based on the Nvidia GeForce 6 Series, the GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800 models, are currently shipping to add-in-card partners, OEMs, system builders and game developers. Retail graphics boards based on the GeForce 6800 models are scheduled for release in the next 45 days.

- Silicon Strategies