8800GTS 512 != 9800GTX

[taltamir]

people keep going on and on about the 9800GTX being the same chip, that is a lie I am sick of hearing.
It is only the "same chip" in the regard that the G92 based 9600GT and 8800GT are also the same chip, that is, it is based on the same architecture...

The 9800GTX has a higher quality board and power circuitry allowing it to be clocked higher, but it also has some changes in the chip itself.
It has several new features in regard to HD processing.
And it also has hybrid power capability.
The point is, the gaming capabilities of the chips are identical (if clocked the same), the 9800 just has some more features and is clocked higher.
Features are good.

Chip difference (actual physical differences on the chip):
1. new HD decode features
2. Hybrid power feature
Card difference (not related to the chip):
1. tri SLI
2. better power circuitry allowing higher clock speeds.

Bottom line, the 8800GTS 512 is not the same chip as the 9800GTX, it just has identical per clock GAME performance (and is built on boards that can clock higher).

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

its the same

jk

 

[bryanW1995]

taltamir, what prompted this post? We've all known this for months. I say that the 9800gtx is MOSTLY the same. Most of the changes are useless to high-end gamers, with the lone exceptions being tri-sli and better overclockability. tri-sli users will, imho, benefit greatly from 9800gtx (as they would have from 8800gts 512) b/c it has similar performance to 8800gtx but runs much cooler. The overclocking ability is certainly better than 8800gts, but not ridiculously so. Probably like going from a tuniq to a true.

 

[Munky]

The 9600gt is a g94 chip, with about half as many shaders and texture units as a g92. This isn't the same analogy as comparing 2 cards based on the same gpu. AFAIK, all g92-based cards have the same transistor count on the gpu, so whatever new "decode and hybrid power features" the 9800gtx has over the 8800gts must be enabled in the drivers, and not a unique feature of the 9800gtx gpu. These cards are still based on the same chip, and clock-for-clock will offer the same performance.

True, the 9800gtx has a different board, with better memory and a second SLI connector, but unless someone is seriously considering tri-SLI, the differences between those cards are purely academic, not to mention both cards are still crippled by a 256-bit bus and both are slower than the old 8800ultra.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

You said, it offers identical game performance and identical clocks. For what it is, it is just a G92 GTS with a few extra negligible features for 98% of us.

 

[taltamir]

You say everyone knew it for a while, yet here munky is proclaiming them to be the EXACT same chip...

It is not the same chip. Tri sli and power capabilities are board level changes and are not related to the chip itself (well, tri SLI might be).
The other changes are in the GPU chip itself. They are not disabled in software, they are disabled in the hardware, the 8800 GTS 512 simply had those features disabled because they were incomplete.
They are the "same processor" in the same way that the phenom B2 and B3 are the "same processor". They have undergone minor hardware changes that affect their behavior, aka, its a different stepping. The underlying architecture and specs are the same, but there are changes.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

I saw a MSI 8800GTS 512 on Newegg for $204.99 (lower after a rebate). 9800GTX might be worth an extra $25 for the better overclockability (and a bigger number) but otherwise, I don't care. I don't even remember reading about any differences in their HD-decode ability.

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: taltamir
You say everyone knew it for a while, yet here munky is proclaiming them to be the EXACT same chip...

It is not the same chip. Tri sli and power capabilities are board level changes and are not related to the chip itself (well, tri SLI might be).
The other changes are in the GPU chip itself. They are not disabled in software, they are disabled in the hardware, the 8800 GTS 512 simply had those features disabled because they were incomplete.

That's what the "official press statement" says, regarding the new video decode features, enabled only on the 9-series cards. However, this wouldn't be the first time Nvidia said one thing when the reality was completely different. I remember when the original nv40 was released with a broken video processor, and it took many months of promised but undelivered software fixes and flaming forum threads until the truth finally came out about the HW being broken. I also remember the original g70 was touting transparency AA as a new exclusive feature, to further differentiate itself from the older nv40, when in fact it was possible to enable the same feature on the nv40 with a few tweaks.

They are the "same processor" in the same way that the phenom B2 and B3 are the "same processor". They have undergone minor hardware changes that affect their behavior, aka, its a different stepping. The underlying architecture and specs are the same, but there are changes.

That's a bad analogy, as the B2 phenom has a serious bug which requires a fix that severely lowers its performance. This is more like the difference between 2 steppings of a C2D cpu, where the newer one might have slightly better OC ability, but the naming scheme changed from e6600 to e7600 with no performance or architectural changes whatsoever.

 

[IlllI]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
taltamir, what prompted this post?

my guess is he just wanted some attention

 

[error8]

Does it have more stream processors? No.
Does it have more rops? No.
So, they are the same chip. Nobody cares about HD decoding stuff that the GTX has. Yes, maybe these are hardware disabled, but it doesn't matter. It's the same chip, but with higher voltage and with that comes higher core and shader clocks. Those are the ONLY differences between 9800 GTX and GTS gpus.
Of course, the GTX has another PCB, power circuit and faster Vram, but it has the SAME chip as the GTS, only with higher clocks.

 

[spittledip]

I was wondering about this the other day and decided to look it up to see the differences between the g92 and g94 cards. Taltamir is right- the GTS and the 9800gtx have different chips, and the 9600gt and the gtx have the same chips:

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpu...7/NVIDIA_9800_GTX.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpu...06/NVIDIA_9600_GT.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpu...A_8800_GTS_512_MB.html

 

[Arcanedeath]

The 9800GTX is G92 not G94 despite what the tech power up link indicated.

edit: they are different stepings the 8800GT is G92-200, the 8800GTS is G92-400 the 9800GX2 / 9800GTX is G92-450

 

[AzN]

You actually made a post about this? Damn must have nothing to post about. All these cards are based on the same architecture with some tweaks that doesn't diddly in the real world. Same old 16 ROP with 256 bit bus. Who gives a crap.

 

[spittledip]

Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
The 9800GTX is G92 not G94 despite what the tech power up link indicated.

edit: they are different stepings the 8800GT is G92-200, the 8800GTS is G92-400 the 9800GX2 / 9800GTX is G92-450

how do you know?

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: spittledip
how do you know?

I betcha from that thar new invention, the interweb. For instance, some reviewers actually provide that type of info. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[spittledip]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: spittledip
how do you know?

I betcha from that thar new invention, the interweb. For instance, some reviewers actually provide that type of info. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

You know, the internet was the same place I got my info from. How do you know this particular one is right?

 

[Cookie Monster]

Im thinking that the 3 digits next to the GPU codename is indicating its clock limit rather than stepping (i.e higher the digit, the better the GPU at handling higher voltage/clocks - i guess you can say higher binned). G92s are at A2 stepping/revision right now.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: spittledip

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: spittledip
how do you know?

I betcha from that thar new invention, the interweb. For instance, some reviewers actually provide that type of info. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

You know, the internet was the same place I got my info from. How do you know this particular one is right?

Actually, I neither know nor care. What would that have to do with where he got his information? He was wrong, BTW. Only the 9800GX2 has the G92-450. Dang, I'm good at this here interweb. Maybe I should start an interweb site.

 

[RussianSensation]

Thanks for the update, but "who cares"?

With HD 4xxx around the corner and GTX series from NV, 9800GTX was obsolete from the moment it came out both due to lack of performance and high price.