Consumer Electronics

Nvidia Unveils New GPU Based on Its Pascal Architecture

10 May 2016

Already using its new Pascal architecture in deep-learning supercomputers to enable future breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, Nvidia Corp. is bringing the high-performance engine to its bread and butter—gaming.

The company has introduced its GeForce GTX 1080 that offers up two times the performance for virtual- reality gaming than its previous generation, and offers a huge leap in terms of memory bandwidth and power efficiency, Nvidia says. This results in a graphics feature that gives the PC a new way to play video games as well as take advantage of the budding innovations in virtual reality.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 is the first gaming GPU that is based on Nvidia’s next-generation Pascal architecture. Source: Nvidia  The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 is the first gaming GPU that is based on Nvidia’s next-generation Pascal architecture. Source: Nvidia The GeForce GTX 1080 is the first gaming GPU designed using a 16nm FinFET process, which uses smaller, faster transistors that are packed more densely together, Nvidia says. The 7.2 billion transistors in the GPU deliver a big boost in performance efficiency, so much that it has three times more power savings compared to the previous Maxwell architecture.

Memory wise, the GPU includes 8 GB of Micron’s GDDR5X DRAM memory with a 256-bit memory interface running at 10 Gb/second, enabling a 1.7 times higher effective memory bandwidth compared to other memory types.

“Our first Pascal gaming GPU, the GeForce GTX 1080, enables incredible realism in gaming and deeply immersive VR experiences, with dramatically improved performance and efficiency,” says Jeff Fisher, Senior Vice President of Nvidia's PC business. “It's the most powerful gaming GPU ever built, and some of our finest work.”

The GeForce GTX 1080 “Founders Edition” will be available on May 27 priced at $699, with other custom boards varying by region with pricing expected to start at $599.

To contact the author of this article, email engineering360editors@ihs.com

To contact the author of this article, email PBrown@globalspec.com


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