NVidia boosts GeForce
Firm adds TurboCache technology to new release
NVidia has set out to revolutionise performance in the entry-level graphics space with the introduction of the GeForce 6200 with TurboCache technology.
TurboCache boosts the performance of the GeForce 6200 cards by allowing them to render directly to a PC's system memory instead of the card's limited memory. The cards will be cheaper because they will carry less on-board memory.
NVidia has claimed the TurboCache-enabled cards will allow system builders to deliver PCs with more graphics performance and features in the entry-level space at a competitive price.
It has redeveloped the 3D graphics pipeline for the 6200 cards using TurboCache by leveraging the bi-directional PCI Express bandwidth. The TurboCache Manager dynamically allocates memory for maximum system performance, while software algorithms maximise application performance.
"Customers in the value segment have previously had to settle for technology that was one generation behind the cutting-edge, high-end graphics processing units [GPUs]," said Ujesh Desai, nVidia's general manager of desktop graphics.
"For the first time, nVidia TurboCache will deliver the feature set found on current-generation high-end GPUs to the value segment of the PC market."
The entry-level chips will boast the sort of features usually found only on the high-end GeForce 6000 series. They are the only graphics processors in the value segment that support Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0, used in the development of many next-generation games.
They will also feature PureVideo, an nVidia software and hardware solution that offers consumer electronics-quality video on PCs.
"This is a very good chipset which will be popular in the system builder arena," said Jonathan Filleau, graphics product manager at PNY Technologies Europe.
"The fact that it has so little on-board memory will make it cheaper, but it also supports many of the key GeForce technologies such as PureVideo, which will support MPEG 4 and high-definition DVD playback on the PC."