BIOS: Technology Means Business

PC enthusiasts around the world have a lot to be excited about today as nVidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) has introduced two new product families: the GeForce 8 series of graphics processing units (GPUs), and the nForce 680i SLI media and communications processors (MCPs) designed specifically for Intel Core2 Quad and Core2 Duo processors.

These two new product families represent the hardware foundation that allows you to start building your own definitive gaming PC platforms to experience high-resolution, high-performance gaming and stellar high-definition visuals.

“With today’s product unveilings, we can say with utmost certainty the new GeForce 8800 GTX GPU and nForce 680i SLI MCP are unambiguously the best platform for PC gaming and high-definition video,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at nVidia. “With Microsoft Vista and DirectX 10 right around the corner, and the immediate availability of our new products in the channel, we are extremely excited to be ushering in a new revolution of PC gaming.”

The GeForce 8 series GPUs are the world’s first to support Microsoft DirectX 10, the next-generation programming interface that will be introduced with the upcoming Microsoft Vista operating system.

The GeForce 8 series GPUs feature a number of groundbreaking technologies, including a ‘revolutionary’ new unified shader architecture delivering teraflops of raw floating-point processing power for incredible levels of graphics performance 128-parallel, 1.35GHz stream processors and nVidia Quantum Effects physics processing technology ushering in a new generation of visual effects and real-time graphics realism, and simultaneous 16x anti-aliasing and 128-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting for unparalleled image quality.

“The raw performance and visual effects of the new GeForce 8800 GTX is just going to knock your socks off,” said Pat Gelsinger, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Digital Enterprise Group at Intel. “Intel’s Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Duo combined with the GeForce 8800 GTX and SLI technology delivers the most compelling visual experience the world has ever seen.”

Throughout the GeForce8 series’ development process, nVidia worked in close partnership with the world’s top game designers to develop next-generation DirectX 10 titles on next-generation nVidia GPUs, enabling them to take full advantage of the increased performance and new features. As a result, more than 20 next-generation titles, including Crysis, Hellgate: London, World in Conflict, Company of Heroes, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, and Age of Conan - all with jaw-dropping visuals, were on display at the Company’s official unveiling which took place today in San Jose, CA - all running on new GeForce 8800 GTX GPUs.

“nVidia has placed the industry’s first DirectX 10 graphics processors into the hands of the world’s leading game developers, representing a significant milestone in the DirectX 10 game development cycle,” said Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “The GeForce 8 series, combined with the unparalleled graphical capabilities of DirectX 10 and Windows Vista - built from the ground up for games - will give game developers a virtually unlimited platform for realising their gaming vision.”

The other half of the definitive gaming platform is the new nVidia nForce 680i SLI MCP, which was designed to deliver the highest performance for Intel Core2 Quad and Core2 Duo-based PCs. Aimed squarely at the hard-core enthusiast, the nForce 680i SLI MCP is a motherboard core-logic solution that provides extensive support for all of the latest cutting-edge technologies - including enhanced support for nVidia SLI multi-GPU technology. It also offers advanced networking, storage, and overclocking functionality - including support for SLI-Ready high-performance memory DIMMs, and even incorporates a third PCIe graphics slot for extended multi-display environments or future physics processing.

In addition to providing silicon to the world’s leading motherboard manufacturers, nVidia also announced today it has started to design and manufacture its own line of enthusiast-class nVidia nForce 680i SLI-based motherboards, which are being offered as a turnkey solution for select channel partners. This ‘Designed by nVidia’ program allows nVidia partners - such as EVGA and others, to bring nVidia nForce 680i SLI-based motherboards to market faster than ever before, and lets consumers know that the motherboard they are purchasing fully supports all of the hardware and software features that are offered with the nVidia nForce 680i SLI MCP.

“EVGA is proud to be a launch partner for the new nVidia GeForce 8800 series and we are beyond ecstatic to be the first company to bring an nVidia nForce 680i SLI-based motherboard to the enthusiast market,” said Andrew Han, President and CEO of EVGA. “EVGA would like to applaud nVidia for the astonishing performance enhancements found in both the nVidia nForce 680i SLI core logic and GeForce 8800 GTX graphics solutions.”

GeForce 8 Series GPUs, including the GeForce 8800 GTX and GeForce 8800 GTS, nVidia nForce 680i SLI-based motherboards, and fully-equipped Windows-based PCs are now available from leading retail outlets, system builders, and OEMS.

“We’re very excited about bringing the definitive gaming platform to Velocity Micro customers. The superior overclockability of the nVidia nForce 680i SLI-based motherboard combined with the graphics power of the GeForce 8800 GTX GPU are at the bleeding edge - nothing less than what our customers demand,” said Randy Copeland, CEO of Velocity Micro. “nVidia continues to demonstrate why they are the leader in the enthusiast space, and we are excited to deliver this phenomenal level of performance and functionality in our new line of Raptor gaming PCs, which are available to consumers today.”

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