Specs/Future models

Specifications

NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS GPU
256-bit graphics engine
200MHz core/166MHz memory clock
25 million triangles/sec
800 Mpixels/s fill rate
1.6GTexels/sec fill rate
5.3GB/sec Memory bandwidth
Hardware anti-aliasing
32-bit colors, Z/stencil buffer
350MHz RAMDAC
Max Resolution 2048x1536
32MB or 64MB DDR RAM
AGP 2X/4X including fast writes and execute mode
DirectX texture compression
S3TC support
Windows 9x/NT/2000 compatible
6 year warranty

To get the full briefing on the GeForce 2 GTS and all its new features, refer back to our original GeForce 2 GTS preview. We'd like to discuss the GLADIAC line and what lies in the future on this page.

DDR, it's not just a game anymore

While the GeForce 2 GTS supports both single data rate and double data rate SDRAM, Elsa (and from what we've gathered, most other GeForce 2 manufacturers) will be focusing exclusively on double data rate memory. We already know the performance increase double data rate memory adds to the table, it's good to see that memory prices are now affordable enough for card manufacturers to make this faster memory type more mainstream for consumers.

A quick glance at the specs above also reveals a 64MB DDR card is in the works. (Elsa expects to have this card available in June.) We're a bit unsure how much of an improvement the added 32MB of memory will bring with today's games, but we'll reserve final judgement until we have a 64MB board in our sweaty little hands.

The PCI Bus

One thing NVIDIA and the rest of the graphics industry learned last year is the continued importance of PCI video cards. In this time of gigahertz processors and gigatexel graphics cards it's easy to forget an old technology like the PCI bus. 3dfx didn't however, and as a result, their Voodoo3 2000 PCI was among the top selling graphics cards at retail last year.

As a result, Elsa began work on a PCI GeForce board, but by the time it was ready for production, GeForce 2 was right around the corner! Elsa hopes to capitalize on the PCI market with their PCI 32MB DDR GLADIAC when it ships this July.

We also expect Elsa to be the sole supplier of Quadro GeForce 2 GTS boards. We don't know the exact name of this board, but based on our talks with Elsa, we're pretty sure it's going to happen.

You should be able to find the GLADIAC at your local Fry's, EBWorld, or Best Buy. (among other places) Online retailers buy.com, egghead.com, and outpost.com should also have GLADIAC cards available for purchase.