NVIDIA announces the Dual-GPU Powered GeForce GTX 690

[garyopa]

Expected pricing is $999...



The upcoming NVIDIA flagship graphics card, has a pair of fully-functional GK104 'Kepler' GPUs and a 915 MHz base clock...

NVIDIA just unveiled their upcoming dual-GPU powered flagship graphics card at the GeForce LAN, taking place in Shanghai. This is probably the big announcement they were planning.

The GeForce GTX 690 performs “almost identical” to two GTX 680′s harnessed in SLI – but quieter, cooler and more energy efficient.

The GeForce GTX 690 will feature a pair of fully-functional GK104 “Kepler” GPUs. If you recall, the GK104 is the chip powering the excellent GeForce GTX 680, which debuted just last month. On the upcoming GeForce GTX 690, each of the GK104 GPUs will also be paired to its own 2GB of memory (4GB total) via a 256-bit interface, resulting in what is essentially GeForce GTX 680 SLI on a single card.

On GeForce GTX 680 cards, the GK104 GPU has a base clock speed of 1006MHz, with a Boost clock of 1058MHz. The GeForce GTX 690 will have a somewhat lower base GPU clock of 915MHz with a boost clock of 1019MHz. The memory clock on the GeForce GTX 690 will reportedly remain unchanged from the GTX 680 and run at an effective 6Gb/s. With those specifications, the GeForce GTX 690 will likely offer about 90% of the performance of a GeForce GTX 680 SLI setup, give or take a couple of percentage points depending on the application.

Here are the card new features and official specs:

* An exterior frame made from trivalent chromium-plated aluminum, providing excellent strength and durability
* A fan housing made from a thixomolded magnesium alloy, which offers excellent heat dissipation and vibration dampening
* High-efficiency power delivery with less resistance, lower power and less heat generated using a 10-phase, heavy-duty power supply with a 10-layer, two-ounce copper printed circuit board
* Efficient cooling using dual vapor chambers, a nickel-plated finstack and center-mounted axial fan with optimized fin pitch and air entry angles
* Low-profile components and ducted baseplate channels for unobstructed airflow, minimizing turbulence and improving acoustic quality

GeForce GTX 690 Specifications:

* CUDA Cores – 3072
* Base Clock – 915 MHz
* Boost Clock – 1019 MHz
* Memory Configuration – 4GB / 512-bit GDDR5
* Memory Speed – 6.0 Gbps
* Power Connectors – 8-pin + 8-pin
* TDP – 300W
* Outputs – 3x DL-DVI, Mini-DisplayPort 1.2
* Bus Interface – PCI Express 3.0

Of course, this one won't be cheap. Expected pricing is $999 and it will be widely available by May 7, 2012.







NEWS SOURCE #1: http://hothardware.com/News/NVIDIA-U...Force-GTX-690/
NEWS SOURCE #2: http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/30/gefo...hz-base-clock/

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news story, which shows that 'next-gen' consoles will have alot of catching up to do now!

[wewii]

Thats pretty cool.

But where's the HDMI port?

If you are going to pay that much there should be more than one HDMI port.... not zero.

[garyopa]

Thats pretty cool.

But where's the HDMI port?

If you are going to pay that much there should be more than one HDMI port.... not zero.

for some reason they choose to use which was originally Apple's design but now a open-spec VESA thingie called 'Mini-DisplayPort 1.2'

Which supports 4K x 2K res. and 3D and bandwidth of up to 17.28 Gbit/s, enough power to drive up to 4 screens at once.

Something that HDMI has not gotten up to yet.

Of course the biggest reason for 'DisplayPort' is that no licensing fees are needed, it is free spec. from VESA

Whereas HDMI licensing runs you alot of money now, and makers are getting upset at the costs, you might see more change in the future.

And then the adapter companys will be happy, selling you something to convert back or forth.

Comparison with HDMI

Although DisplayPort supports much of the same functionality as HDMI, it is expected to complement the interface, not replace it.[3][4] DisplayPort can emit an HDMI signal through the use of a passive adapter connected to a port that supports dual-mode.

The DisplayPort specification defines the standard as royalty-free, while HDMI charges US$0.04 per device with an annual fee of $10,000 for high volume manufacturers.[29] HDMI Licensing counters the "royalty-free" claim by pointing out that the DisplayPort specification leaves open the possibility of charging for implementation.[30] DisplayPort has more than twice the bandwidth at 21.6 Gbit/s[31] (17.28 Gbit/s with overhead removed) as opposed to HDMI's 10.2 Gbit/s[32] (8.16 Gbit/s with overhead removed). It also has the ability to share this bandwidth with multiple streams of audio and video to separate devices.[33]

DisplayPort in native mode lacks some HDMI features such as support for the xvYCC color space (added in DisplayPort version 1.2) and Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) commands, which allow the control of multiple devices through a single remote;[34][35] VESA asserts that CEC commands can be transmitted over the AUX channel if needed.[33] HDMI uses unique Vendor Specific Block structure which allows for features such as additional color spaces. However, these features can be defined by CEA EDID extensions.

For More Techie Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort

[Xenogears V]

Wow man, what the f*ck we'll arrive?!?!?!...

[wewii]

The DisplayPort better stay on PC and not cross over into the HDTV/console world on the next gen consoles.

I really hate it when new tech starts to screw up TV industry standards. It really turns off mid-late adopters because they don't see the point in buying something thats going to be replaced relatively soon. Really pisses them off because they had the patience to wait for prices to drop with current tech... and now they have to wait even longer for prices to drop in the upcoming new tech gadgets.

There should be a minimum 10-15 year life cycle for any popular TV related standard.

DisplayPort + Retina should only be implemented after the next gen consoles.

1080p + HDMI should be given at least 5 more years minimum.

[billysastard]

The DisplayPort better stay on PC and not cross over into the HDTV/console world on the next gen consoles.

I really hate it when new tech starts to screw up TV industry standards. It really turns off mid-late adopters because they don't see the point in buying something thats going to be replaced relatively soon. Really pisses them off because they had the patience to wait for prices to drop with current tech... and now they have to wait even longer for prices to drop in the upcoming new tech gadgets.

There should be a minimum 10-15 year life cycle for any popular TV related standard.

DisplayPort + Retina should only be implemented after the next gen consoles.

1080p + HDMI should be given at least 5 more years minimum.

my main tv already has displayport and given that its cheaper and offers greater throughput its going to become more popular, the fact that its darned ugly and not very discrete isnt going to stop it, the only thing that may hold it back is the maffia cartels since they would need to rethink their precious (and utterly useless) drm.

[garyopa]

my main tv already has displayport and given that its cheaper and offers greater throughput its going to become more popular, the fact that its darned ugly and not very discrete isnt going to stop it, the only thing that may hold it back is the maffia cartels since they would need to rethink their precious (and utterly useless) drm.

Not to fear, if the hardware maker is willing to license the HDCP it works on v1.3, see this note regarding the DRM on 'DisplayPort'

DRM

DisplayPort 1.0 includes optional DPCP (DisplayPort Content Protection) from Philips, which uses 128-bit AES encryption. It also features full authentication and session key establishment (each encryption session is independent). There is an independent revocation system. This portion of the standard is licensed separately. It also adds support for verifying the proximity of the receiver and transmitter, a technique intended to ensure users are not bypassing the content protection system to send data out to distant, unauthorized users.

DisplayPort 1.1 added optional support for industry-standard 56-bit HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) revision 1.3, which requires separate licensing from the Digital Content Protection LLC.

[wewii]

I have no problem with a DisplayPort on TVs as long as it doesn't mean that HDMI/1080p will be phased out within the next 5 years.

My greatest concern is with next gen consoles. Retina support making your 1080p HDTV feel inferior.