Nvidia's renaming scheme revealed

[JPB]

Fud Fud Fud

The guys over at Techconnect have poked around the latest .inf file and found some names that are new. We already wrote about the fact that Nvidia has plans for renaming/rebranding its cards and as for now the G92, G94 and the G96 will get new names soon.

If the 178.15 "inf" file is right, then the G92 based cards, currently known as the Geforce 9800 series, will be renamed to Geforce GTS 1xx, while the midrange G94 based cards, currently branded as the Geforce 9600 and 9500 will be known as the Geforce GT 1x0.

This new naming scheme should hopefully clear up the Nvidia roadmap mess, but this much rebranding is goingto confuse the market even more, especially as GTX, GTS, GT and GS just keep appearing and disappearing in the market.

NVIDIA_G92.DEV_0615.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce GTS 150"
NVIDIA_G94.DEV_0626.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce GT 130"
NVIDIA_G96.DEV_0646.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce GT 120"

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Who the fuck can keep this stuff straight?

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante
Who the fuck can keep this stuff straight?

I've heard the GeForce GT139 is a re-badged Voodoo 5!



Seriously, this may well be in response to expressed confusion about the differences in naming conventions among product lines, an attempt to bring linear order.

 

[Tempered81]

It's so they can saturate the gpu market with many SKU's and increase profit. If you search newegg, you'll find 147 products of the Geforce 9 series, 104 of the geforce 8 series, and 43 of the GTX series... and only 65 products of the HD 4000 series.

 

[MarcVenice]

No, it's a fucking marketingploy. It's going to throw of customers even more, customers who allready think that a 9500gt > 8800gt, while in fact the 9500gt< pretty much everything. Now a 1x0gt or whatever will be seen as superior to anything 8x00 or 9x00. And that with the allready confusing 8800gs, 9600gso, 8800gt and 9800gt. Bah, it's just ridiculous. With the move from the 7x00 series to the 8x00 series we at least knew a 8800gt would spank a 7800gt. Nowadays you need to dig through a dozen benchmarks and 500 enthusiast websites before you can be even remotely sure.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: nRollo

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante
Who the fuck can keep this stuff straight?

I've heard the GeForce GT139 is a re-badged Voodoo 5!



Seriously, this may well be in response to expressed confusion about the differences in naming conventions among product lines, an attempt to bring linear order.

No, it's a way to make people think they're buying a next gen card when in fact they're getting last gen goods. If it's not a GT200 series card, do NOT name it with the same nomenclature. It's also so they can essentially re-release hardware with a different SKU, a different name and a different box with a significantly higher price point. It's all about money, margins and profit, nothing else.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: nRollo

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante
Who the fuck can keep this stuff straight?

I've heard the GeForce GT139 is a re-badged Voodoo 5!



Seriously, this may well be in response to expressed confusion about the differences in naming conventions among product lines, an attempt to bring linear order.

No, it's a way to make people think they're buying a next gen card when in fact they're getting last gen goods. If it's not a GT200 series card, do NOT name it with the same nomenclature. It's also so they can essentially re-release hardware with a different SKU, a different name and a different box with a significantly higher price point. It's all about money, margins and profit, nothing else.

Great minds think alike then?

Text

If anyone thinks this doesn't belong here, let me know and I'll start another thread. I just though it pertained to the topic.

 

[Sable]

GO TEAM PR!!!!!!!!!!! SCRAMBLE!!!!!!!!

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Sable
GO TEAM PR!!!!!!!!!!! SCRAMBLE!!!!!!!!

So I should start the new thread then?

Marc? Sunny?

Hey, I'm not really psyched about the renaming either, on either account. New GPU's should get new names. Old GPU's should stick to their names. For me, I don't care, because I can tell the difference. Others may not be able to.

 

[Creig]

Personally, I don't agree with either company doing this. If a particular card was released as X123, they should not change it to Y123 unless they make some significant changes to it. You can't simply rename a 2008 Ford F-150 as a 2009 Ford F-150 even if the two are completely identical. Video cards should be no different.

If they're worried about old stock not selling then they should adopt a naming convention that's based on some sort of performance rating. And they should leave enough room in the numbering to allow for new models to be inserted into the previous model lineup. That way, people can instantaneously get a good idea of what a particular card's performance level is simply based on the model number.

 

[Tempered81]

2009 F-150 looks pretty cool, btw. Yah both companies are boner-shrinkers for renaming all their products. But times are tough, eh.

 

[Concillian]

I'm pretty sure a good portion of selling strategy is to confuse people into buying something they otherwise wouldn't.

Not the people who read hardware forums on the internet, of course, but people standing in Fry's looking at a wall of products with prices and trying to compare products by picking up boxes and reading them.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: nRollo

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante
Who the fuck can keep this stuff straight?

I've heard the GeForce GT139 is a re-badged Voodoo 5!



Seriously, this may well be in response to expressed confusion about the differences in naming conventions among product lines, an attempt to bring linear order.

No, it's a way to make people think they're buying a next gen card when in fact they're getting last gen goods. If it's not a GT200 series card, do NOT name it with the same nomenclature. It's also so they can essentially re-release hardware with a different SKU, a different name and a different box with a significantly higher price point. It's all about money, margins and profit, nothing else.

Great minds think alike then?

Text

If anyone thinks this doesn't belong here, let me know and I'll start another thread. I just though it pertained to the topic.

And if you noticed the last time this was discussed, I slammed ATI for the same thing.

Text

 

[will889]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: Sable
GO TEAM PR!!!!!!!!!!! SCRAMBLE!!!!!!!!

So I should start the new thread then?

Marc? Sunny?

Hey, I'm not really psyched about the renaming either, on either account. New GPU's should get new names. Old GPU's should stick to their names. For me, I don't care, because I can tell the difference. Others may not be able to.

Ehem. Sort of like how CC has an 8600GT (not even the GTS) right now on the shelf for a whopping $280.00. All in the face of the recent discount of the PNY 9600GT for $99.00 (walk-out). You know 'm not sure who's at fault there NV or the retailers, but when I picked up that card (just for kicks) and took it to the firedog counter they confirmed it, and one of the guys in FD I know really well he used to work for me when I had a local shop and even he was stunned and practically fell to the floor laughing. Stunningly you will not see that same 8600GT online at all (by design) - just as you would not have likewise seen the PNY 9600GT with the $99.00 discount price (in store only).

My point is that not only are the naming schemes purposefully obsfuscated, but there are also random H U G E price bloating to "catch" the totally unsuspecting consumer - and it's usually with NV cards (almost exclusively) in the B&M stores (walk in).

 

[skyofavalon]

Nvidia/Ati are almost as bad with all these video cards as boxing is with all those weight classes.

 

[will889]

Certainly the naming schemes (both ATI and NV) are meant to confuse the casual enthusiast IMO, budding enthusiast etc.. that doesn't look online for reviews or know newegg, zipzoomly stock like the back of our hands as most of us here do. It's about the numbers of people they trip up with the name confusion schemes, just like the rebate scams. They make enough money at it for them to use the schemes.

 

[VirtualLarry]

This is really disgusting. From both camps. It's bad enough that you LITERALLY need a "secret decoder ring" to take with you to the store to keep all of these models straight.
I know all those new 4xxx ATI models, I can't remember them all. I thought that the 8800GS -> 9600GSO was bad enough.

It was bad enough back when the Radeon 9800 Pro came out, with 128-bit instead of 256-bit memory.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

It was bad enough back when the Radeon 9800 Pro came out, with 128-bit instead of 256-bit memory.

Actually, both of the Radeon 9800 Pro cards, which had either 128 MBs VRAM, or 256 MBs, were 256 Bit cards.

It was the "SE", as was the usual case for a crippled version from ATI, which had the 128 Bit memory.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Kiwi

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

It was bad enough back when the Radeon 9800 Pro came out, with 128-bit instead of 256-bit memory.

Actually, both of the Radeon 9800 Pro cards, which had either 128 MBs VRAM, or 256 MBs, were 256 Bit cards.

It was the "SE", as was the usual case for a crippled version from ATI, which had the 128 Bit memory.

But there was one vendor, Sapphire I think, that started producing 128-bit cards without changing the name. IIRC.

 

[Denithor]

This one?

 

[Keysplayr]

Whoops! Sorry Sunny, I hit EDIT instead of Quote. Nothing was altered in your post, and I removed my misplaced post and place it here.

"That's what I like to see. Equal opportunity slamming. Agreed. "

 

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
No, it's a fucking marketingploy. It's going to throw of customers even more, customers who allready think that a 9500gt > 8800gt, while in fact the 9500gt< pretty much everything. Now a 1x0gt or whatever will be seen as superior to anything 8x00 or 9x00. And that with the allready confusing 8800gs, 9600gso, 8800gt and 9800gt. Bah, it's just ridiculous. With the move from the 7x00 series to the 8x00 series we at least knew a 8800gt would spank a 7800gt. Nowadays you need to dig through a dozen benchmarks and 500 enthusiast websites before you can be even remotely sure.

you just sit there and pout... my new 9600 gso is going to run circles around my buddy's 8800gs... because, it, um, er, has that, uh, magic driver and, um, stuff.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
No, it's a fucking marketingploy. It's going to throw of customers even more, customers who allready think that a 9500gt > 8800gt, while in fact the 9500gt< pretty much everything. Now a 1x0gt or whatever will be seen as superior to anything 8x00 or 9x00. And that with the allready confusing 8800gs, 9600gso, 8800gt and 9800gt. Bah, it's just ridiculous. With the move from the 7x00 series to the 8x00 series we at least knew a 8800gt would spank a 7800gt. Nowadays you need to dig through a dozen benchmarks and 500 enthusiast websites before you can be even remotely sure.

you just sit there and pout... my new 9600 gso is going to run circles around my buddy's 8800gs... because, it, um, er, has that, uh, magic driver and, um, stuff.

Thats right, you tell 'em!!!! I just installed my new 9600GSO and it's WAAAAY faster than my OLD 8800GTS 512, I can't believe anyone is still using those ancient "8" series cards.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: Spike

Originally posted by: bryanW1995

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
No, it's a fucking marketingploy. It's going to throw of customers even more, customers who allready think that a 9500gt > 8800gt, while in fact the 9500gt< pretty much everything. Now a 1x0gt or whatever will be seen as superior to anything 8x00 or 9x00. And that with the allready confusing 8800gs, 9600gso, 8800gt and 9800gt. Bah, it's just ridiculous. With the move from the 7x00 series to the 8x00 series we at least knew a 8800gt would spank a 7800gt. Nowadays you need to dig through a dozen benchmarks and 500 enthusiast websites before you can be even remotely sure.

you just sit there and pout... my new 9600 gso is going to run circles around my buddy's 8800gs... because, it, um, er, has that, uh, magic driver and, um, stuff.

Thats right, you tell 'em!!!! I just installed my new 9600GSO and it's WAAAAY faster than my OLD 8800GTS 512, I can't believe anyone is still using those ancient "8" series cards.

Low end cards of newer generations often (if not always) have lower performance than high end cards of past generations.

You can really only consider the part number within current generation.

 

[Zap]

Warming over and renaming chips has been done for years now by many companies. You guys are just catching on to it? Heck, I remember BITD when Cyrix magically "upped" their PR ratings on their chips. With socket AM2, AMD started with just their + numbers, then added "BE" and now has "B" (for "business class") and "e" models. Sheesh, they're all Brisbanes AFAIK. With NVIDIA, the Geforce 2 became the Geforce 4 MX (maybe with a die shrink) and with DX9 tacked on became the FX 5200, which is still sold today. Maybe.