Beyond Maxwell - Nvidia Volta GPU

[FlawlessSoul]

So with Maxwell coming over the horizon, Nvidia have announced the step after it to be codenamed Volta.

Seems like this will be a much bigger step than Unified Virtual Memory on the upcoming Maxwell GPUs, since while UVM will open up both CPU and GPU memory, Volta's memory bandwidth will be a huge leap ahead. I paraphrase Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang's comments about memory limitations at the moment: Need more bandwidth.



Source:Engadget

Roadmap:



Source:The Register

[DeltrusDisc]

Oh God.

It's so far away though...

Just 2 years ago, my 560 Ti was the new hot thing.

Now I feel like I'm subpar as can be, not only in having a mid-tier GPU but also having SUCH AN OLD CARD! >_<

[Deleted]

This is perfect. I usually upgrade every 2 years so next up will be in 2014 and I get to enjoy Maxwell cards and then in 2016 I'll get a Volta card. Awesome!

My 660 will suffice for now!

Edit:So the Maxwell cards will be the 800 series and Volta, 900? Or are they intending to change architecture for the higher 700 cards as well?

[DeltrusDisc]

This is perfect. I usually upgrade every 2 years so next up will be in 2014 and I get to enjoy Maxwell cards and then in 2016 I'll get a Volta card. Awesome!

My 660 will suffice for now!

Edit:So the Maxwell cards will be the 800 series and Volta, 900? Or are they intending to change architecture for the higher 700 cards as well?

Typically each of these code-named series lasts for two numbered series, like Fermi was 400s and 500s, Kepler is 600s and 700s, Maxwell should be 800s and 900s and Volta... whatever numbering scheme they decide to go to at that point. Maybe 1000s? Not sure.

[Deleted]

Typically each of these code-named series lasts for two numbered series, like Fermi was 400s and 500s, Kepler is 600s and 700s, Maxwell should be 800s and 900s and Volta... whatever numbering scheme they decide to go to at that point. Maybe 1000s? Not sure.

I guess that makes sense. They probably gonna save Volta for the "1k"cards. Would be ridiculous to introduce a new generation of series with old tech.

[DeltrusDisc]

Frankly I hope they come up with some new kind of numbering/naming scheme, same with AMD, because frankly, if they go into 1000s, and don't do something like 1100 series with the 1180 (like the 580) and the 1160 Ti (like the 560 Ti) then it could be an issue.

Imagine having in about 10 series the 9800s all over again... boy that could be confusing for some/downright annoying.

9800 GT 1GB DDR3 vs GTX 9800 32GB GDDR9.......... >_>

[Deleted]

Frankly I hope they come up with some new kind of numbering/naming scheme, same with AMD, because frankly, if they go into 1000s, and don't do something like 1100 series with the 1180 (like the 580) and the 1160 Ti (like the 560 Ti) then it could be an issue.

Imagine having in about 10 series the 9800s all over again... boy that could be confusing for some/downright annoying.

9800 GT 1GB DDR3 vs GTX 9800 32GB GDDR9.......... >_>

Haha, that would be great for tech dealers though. Here buy this *new* 9800 card xD

I personally believe they gonna add an X or V to GTX and start over from 100/1000. More letters= more awesome stuff, right? Right guys? xD

[DeltrusDisc]

Well, GT... GTX... that all goes along with cars that have that naming. If you ask me, saying I have the "GTX Eleven Eighty" in person just sounds boss... GTX 1180 12GB GDDR# VRAM... glorious.

Gotta power my 4k monitors somehow duhhhh!

[FlawlessSoul]

Frankly I hope they come up with some new kind of numbering/naming scheme, same with AMD, because frankly, if they go into 1000s, and don't do something like 1100 series with the 1180 (like the 580) and the 1160 Ti (like the 560 Ti) then it could be an issue.

Imagine having in about 10 series the 9800s all over again... boy that could be confusing for some/downright annoying.

9800 GT 1GB DDR3 vs GTX 9800 32GB GDDR9.......... >_>

Think about it, though. At most we'll have one new series a year (numbered, not GPU codename), so 9800 would be about a century away if they use the first three digits for card numbering (1060/1070/1080, 1160/1170/1180...9860/9870/9880), or a decade if they use the first two digits (1600/1700/1800, 2600/2700/2800...9600,9700,9800). Either way, who would remember the 9800 GT then?

I think they'll go with proper names, possibly even GPU names, like Titan but with model numbers. So you'd have an Nvidia Kepler GTX60/GTX70/GTX80, then the Nvidia Maxwell GTX60/GTX70/GTX80. But honestly, there's no telling what they'll do.

[DeltrusDisc]

Titan is a standalone because of being based on the same GPU that is in the "Titan" super-computer, it has nothing to do with the code-names. Titan is also Kepler, just like the 600 series are and the 700 series will be.

What I was saying would be an issue with the 9800 for instance, is if they *didn't* go for the 3 digits for card numbering, if they basically just went with how they used to do the 4 digit numbering: 9600, 9700, 9800, etc.

Frankly I hope they do something like 1160 Ti, 1170, 1180... OR, I just thought an intriguing new naming scheme, they could use the code-names AND numbers, but instead of having the hundreds digit be going up every series, have it go between 1 and 2 as each architecture only seems to last for 2 cycles, like so:

GTX Fermi 160, 170, 180 (technically the real - 460, 470, and 480)
GTX Fermi 260, 270, 280 (560, 570, 580)
GTX Kepler 160, 170, 180 (660, 670, 680)
GTX Kepler 260, 270, 280 (760, 770, 780)
GTX Maxwell 160, 170, 180 (860 etc etc...)

Would be far easier to follow when you looked up what was the current code-name series.

Also longer names... sounds more badass.

I have the GeForce GTX Fermi 260 Ti. Oh yeah.

Cyanotical has SLI GeForce GTX Kepler 190s. Boom.

MAKE IT HAPPEN NVIDIA!!!

[Xuvial]

They need to keep their 3-digit numbering system, I've grown rather attached to it. It also rolls of the tongue far easier than having to say HD7770 out loud. Seventy-Seven Seventy or Seventy-Nine Seventy is just a clusterfuck of syllables, no-go! Six-Sixty, Six-Ninety, now there's something you can roll with.

AFAIK GTX1000 is already taken by this thing:



Dunno what nVidia are going to do about that.

[Deleted]

AFAIK GTX1000 is already taken by this thing:

Dunno what nVidia are going to do about that.

Nothing, I can't remember the last time they used a rounded number like that. They can call them the GTX 1000 series cards, but the actual cards will be called GTX 1080 etc.

That said, it's hard to get excited about something that looks to be 2016+, and then we would have had the next gen consoles for a few years, and back to the technical limitations of the consoles, dragging PC graphic's down anyway. Unless the shift from console to PC market is made in the masses. Of course, people will buy anything that comes out, but for the average consumer, it doesn't seem like a huge leap too me, just another graphics card with the sole purpose of doing benchmarks.

Not saying innervation isn't good, it's what drives the market, it's just hard to get excited when you see how the PC market is going.