Specifications

NVIDIA Unified Architecture with GigaThread technology
Fully unified shading core dynamically allocates shading processing power to deliver incredibly true-to-life 3D characters and environments. NVIDIA’s ground-breaking GigaThread™ technology implemented in GeForce 8 Series GPUs supports thousands of independent, simultaneously executing threads, maximizing GPU utilization.

Stream processing
Stream processing is a relatively new computing paradigm that enables parallel processing of a defined series of operations on multiple data streams with extreme levels of efficiency and performance. The shader core of the GeForce 8800 GPUs is comprised of 128 1.35GHz stream processors all working in parallel to deliver unmatched gaming performance. Streaming is the most efficient architecture for graphics. Streaming has evolved with graphics and the GeForce 8 Series is the next generation of a streaming architecture. The GeForce 8800 is a unified architecture where geometry, vertex, and pixel programs share common stream processing resources.

Full Microsoft DirectX 10 Shader Model 4.0 Support
World’s first DirectX 10 GPU with full Shader Model 4.0 support delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects

OpenGL 2.0 Optimizations and support
NVIDIA Quantum Effects physics processing technology
Advanced shader processors architected for physics computation enable a new level of physics effects to be simulated and rendered on the GPU -- all while freeing the CPU to run the game engine an AI


NVIDIA Lumenex Engine
Delivers stunning image quality and floating point accuracy at ultra-fast frame rates:

16x Anti-aliasing: Lightning fast, high quality anti-aliasing at up to 16x sample rates obliterates jagged edges

True 128-bit floating-point high dynamic range lighting: Realistic HDR lighting effects with anti-aliasing provides twice the precision of previous generations - now with support for anti-aliasing

NVIDIA nView Multi-Display technology
Advanced technology provides the ultimate in viewing flexibility and control for multiple monitors

NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology
PureVideo HD can deliver 720p, 1080i, and 1080p high definition output and support for both 3:2 and 2:2 pulldown (inverse telecine) of HD interlaced content. PureVideo HD on GeForce 8800 GPUs now provides HD noise reduction and HD edge enhancement.

NVIDIA ForceWare Unified Driver Architecture
Two dual-link DVI outputs support two 2560x1600 resolution displays


Built for Windows Vista
NVIDIA SLI Technology
320-bit and 384-bit memory interfaces with GDDR3 memory
HDCP capable
90-nm manufacturing process @TSMC
681 million transistors

Notes

While some were expecting G80 to be built at 80-nm, NVIDIA's new G80 GPU powering the GeForce 8800 is built on TSMC's 90-nm manufacturing process, just like G71 was. The GPU packs in over 680 million transistors, that's over twice the number of transistors in G70 which weighed in at 302 million. Why so many transistors? Among other things, the new GPU packs in 128 shading units, each with their own distinctive L1 and L2 caches, as well as new control logic to handle the GPU's unified shader architecture. You'll also note the new 384-bit memory interface for GeForce 8800 GTX. In their G80 FAQ NVIDIA discusses this:

Q: Why did NVIDIA choose to implement a 384-bit memory interface on GeForce 8800 GPUs? Why not 512-bit or 256-bit?
A: With GeForce 8800 GPUs, our goal was to create the highest performing GPU within a given set of design constraints including power, size, cost, design technology, and board-level requirements. Developing the highest performing GPU requires implementing an architecture that is balanced between shader, texture, ROP, and frame buffer width. Through our performance analysis across hundreds of applications and shaders, we determined that a 384-bit memory interface when combined with 128 stream processors and 64 pixels per clock of texture filtering provided the fastest, most balanced processor while meeting all the various design constraints.

With so many transistors onboard, peak power consumption for G80 is about 177W, in comparison, the G70 inside 7800 GTX topped out at 110W. We'll be going over the changes in the new architecture on the following pages...