Originally posted by TheBlueRaja
Yeah, but guys your missing my point - why only 2 weeks from release isnt there a single benchmark here.
Everyone is saying the FX will blow the Ati's out the water - and they probably will, but where the proof? Its all just hype at the moment - like the PS2's (spit!) "Emotion" chip, everybody bought that hook line and sinker and look at it - its S**t. (Grapically - even at release).
2 Weeks from launch and no benchmarks, no manufaturer coming forward and offering boards for tests and lots of unanswered questions.
This reeks of something bad...
Still, i bet the drivers will be better at launch than ATI's.
basically the retaillers will be bound by nda's per nvidia specs... and therefore will not be able to release actual bench figures...
if you recall when the 9700pro was launched it too did not have actual bench figures published... only percentages...
now I will try and present an outlook on the gf FX and its gamer market... :::
it is a high end product and with the tech and what not that has gone into it.. the gf FX WILL debut @ the top of the pile when it comes out... it HAS to... and considering the tech in it... there is no reason why @ base resolutions the card is not faster than the r300 based 9700pro...
the problem that most people (incl. myself) have with the gf FX is its smaller 128bit bus and ddr II memory... this leads a few different scenarios... a smaller bandwidth... higher clock speeds due to higher latencies of the memory (clock for clock it is slower than ddr)... higher temperatures... more signal 'noise' generated...
basically these things are factors that nvidia has had to work around and overcome... if you read my posts on the nv30... you will see that I had stated that the product would use a 10layer pcb... now per sources on beyond3d (possibly one of the best places online to have a discussion about gpu's) and other sources online... that number is up to 12 layers of pcb.... that is EXPENSIVE to produce in quantity... but gives an inidication of just how much noise in being generated @ those clocks and with that architecture....
coming to raw performance... the card itself is likely to beat the R9700pro in raw benches with no AA and FSAA turned on... but when AA and FSAA are turned on (and believe me when I tell you a LARGE number of owners of the r9700pro play @ 1024x768 or 1280x1024 with reasonable levels of AA and FSAA turned on)... there is likely to be a different scenario...
there is likely to be a far less performance delta between the r9700pro and the gf FX...
of course this post may be moot depending on how efficientl the gf FX's compression techniques really are...
I would like to point out one other thing... whenever there is a new architecture... drivers have to be built froms scratch to compensate for its architecture...
sure the dets are bundled but the drivers for the gf FX have to be written from scratch because they are a newer architecture...
what a lot of people fail to realise when it comes to nvidia drivers is that a lot of the gpu's are a natural progression of the architecture from one gf model to the next with a few advancements placed here and there... they ahve a different outlook than ATi which rotuniely goes with a completely new architecture... brand new architecture will yield more problems on the whole though I have been extremely satisfied with my drivers for my card..
this basically means that nvidia does not have to redo its drivers all the time... also they work closely with design teams for games and this also yields better performance..
however ati has changed its business structure and they do have VERY good drivers out there right now...
claiming that the gf FX will not have any driver related issues is a very bold statement for a gen of card coming from a company that has not designed something completely new in quite a while...
.: disclaimer thinger :.
I try and take informed educated guesses @ products...
I dont think ati are perfect and neither do I think nvidia are perfect... if someone attacks a product w/o reason there are problems then
and I will post in regards to that...
I have not said anything negative about the gf4ti series because they set a new standard... but @ the same time before you start saying the nv30 or the r300/350 will do such and such and what not.. have a read as to the basics on the architecture... and understand the design and the way it works as well as the way ddr/ ddrII works /latencies /speeds /limitations and so on and so forth