HKEPC
reports that NVIDIA will release 3 performance optimized DirectX 10 graphic
cards in mid-April, including GeForce 8600GTS, GeForce 8600GT and GeForce
8500GT. All of them are stronger than AMD RV630, according to internal test
results from manufacturers. Based on G84, the whole GeForce 8600 family is all
fabricated by TSMC with 80nm technology. The top model, GeForce 8600GTS,
codenamed G84-400, has a core speed at 675MHz, and features 2GHz DDR 128Bit
256MB graphic memory. GeForce 8600GTS is therefore expected to give more power
than GeForce 7900GT.
The second top, GeForce 8600GT, codenamed G84-300, would be a weaker version of
GTS, where its core speed is lowered to 420MHz or below, and features 1.4GHz DDR
graphic memory only. GeForce 8600GT is expected to give more power than GeForce
7600GT. On the mean while, NVIDIA also plans to release new value G86 product,
GeForce 8500GT, codenamed G86-300. Based on G84, its architecture is much
simpler, and it will be fabricated by 80nm technology as well. GeForce 8500GT is
expected to give more power than GeForce 7600GS.
All G84 and G86 except G84-P400 would have no HDCP and native HDMI support on
this release. Yet, since its rival AMD makes these features in all of its
upcoming RV630 and RV610, source cited NVIDIA's promise that the company would
put in these features in later time Besides, the 3 models mentioned above, 2
more G86 models will also soon to be released, namely GeForce 8400GS and GeForce
8300GS.