Report: Nvidia GeForce GTX 285
by Damien Triolet
Published on January 15, 2009
6 months after launching the GeForce GTX 280, NVIDIA has decided to update it with a new version of its star GPU of the moment, the GT200. This new revision which uses a finer engraving process, makes the manufacturing process cheaper and gives gains in performance resulting from increases in frequencies. Will this give NIVIDIA’s top end products the shot in the arm they needed?
GeForce GTX 285 and GT200b
The new revision of the GT200 uses the 55 nm TSMC engraving process whereas the first version was engraved at 65 nm. Although the transition between the 2 is not supposed to represent a great challenge, NVIDIA has had many difficulties in implementing it. Why, we’re not quite sure. While the 65 nm GT200 needed two revisions after the appearance of the first prototypes of the chip, NVIDIA needed 3 revisions to give us the 55 nm version. There must have been a real problem in the transition to have delayed NVIDIA for so long.
To that you can add the less than expected sales of the GeForce GTX 280 and 260. NVIDIA needed to try and sell on the existing stock before putting the new revision of the chip on the market with the GeForce GTX 295 and 285.
You’ll note that NVIDIA, this time, has decided to use a different name for its new card instead of calling it the GeForce GTX 280+ as the manufacturer has the bad habit of doing.
