Kepler refresh

[creiner]

What exactly is Nvidia's "Kepler refresh" that is scheduled for March 2013? I've searched around and some people say that the 7xx series will be released, but I have also read that the 7xx series is Maxwell, which has been delayed. If that is the case, then are we getting new 6xx cards in March?

What is going to happen to the prices of video cards over the next couple months?

 

[AnandThenMan]

When I get my time machine back on the road I'll let you know.

 

[tviceman]

Kepler refreshes (and perhaps the big daddy GK110) will comprise the gtx 700 series. Maxwell will not come until 2014.

 

[creiner]

So basically nobody knows what is happening?

 

[blackened23]

No.

There is no publicly released information on the successor. The rumor is that GK110 will remain for tesla only, while the GK114 will be the true successor to the GK104. That would not be surprising, because GK110 in its current form would really offset any of the current efficiency benefits of the GK104, not to mention that it is mostly tailored to compute performance.

JHH mentioned at various times last year that they're making an effort to completely separate compute and gaming functions and putting those devices into different product lines. How that translate with the kepler refresh? Nobody knows. The release date isn't known either, other than maxwell being scheduled for 2014.

I do predict this forum will be pretty crazy in the weeks leading to release.

 

[boxleitnerb]

That would not be surprising, because GK110 in its current form would really offset any of the current efficiency benefits of the GK104, not to mention that it is mostly tailored to compute performance.

That is just plain wrong.
If you look at K20X, you have 20% higher TDP than GTX680 (235W/195W) but should have about 20-25% higher 3D performance (due to higher compute power and bandwidth). Additionally, you have 3x the memory which of course also consumes power. 1GB of fast GDDR5 consumes around 8-12W depending on current operations.

Second, "compute" performance IS gaming performance (if sufficient bandwidth is provided). More accurately, SP compute performance. What you probably mean is DP compute. But a GK110 SMX has the same amount of TMUs and ALUs as a GK104 SMX. There is no reason at all that it would perform worse. Additionally, GK110 has more cache, which should help it to utilize bandwidth a bit more efficiently.

The improved DP compute capabilities and HPC features cost transistors and make the GPU significantly bigger. That's it. Increased power consumption/clock in gaming comes mostly (if not completely) from the increased number of units and the wider memory bus.