PowerColor Launches World's First 2GB Videocard
PowerColor Launches World's First 2GB Videocard
Posted 07/15/2008 at 5:17pm
| by Paul Lilly
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You knew it would happen sooner or later, the only question being which company would be the first to offer a 2GB graphics card? PowerColor answers that question today by annoucing the world's first videocard carrying a 2GB frame buffer. Or more accurately, the world's first desktop graphics card packing 2GB of memory, as workstation cards have already reached that milestone.
The fat frame buffer will first appear on PowerColor's PCS HD4850 built on ATI's RV770 core and use GDDR3 memory instead of the newer (and more expensive) GDDR5. PowerColor advertises a "massive memory bandwidth up to 57.6GB/sec" capable of "providing faster graphical performance," though it remains to be seen what impact the additional memory will have on gaming performance. Along with the added memory, PowerColor also says the new card will utilize its Professional Cooling System (PCS), which the company claims will result in up to a 10C drop in temps.
PowerColor certainly seems exciting over its announcements. Question is, are you?
Image Credit: PowerColor
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wk
July 16, 2008 at 5:27am
I don't think increasing frame buffer that much will have any real benefit.
MPC is my home page
Caboose
July 15, 2008 at 7:33pm
2GB is nice to see on a video card. But what I'd like to see, is a dual-core GPU!
That'd make an x2 card even sweeter. 2 Dual-Core GPU's on a single (or in nVidia's case dual) PCB. If ATI or nVidia could build the Crossfire/SLI bridge into the GPU I'm sure it could happen. GPU's aren't THAT far behind CPU's when it comes to manuf. process.
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
johnny3144
July 15, 2008 at 8:05pm
don't GPU already have many-core like architecture? isn't each stream-processor techinically a core? GPU have very different architecture when compared to CPU, so i don't think the multi-core logic applies here.
Skiplives
July 16, 2008 at 5:27am
GPUs are already very parallel, the manufacturing process is behind that of Intel because of the fabs, not the design.
Devo85x
July 16, 2008 at 1:51pm
That may be the case with some things but with games such as crysis you will see a respectable frame rate increase with more memory... but after so much memory the application can no longer support that much making the extra useless
Skiplives
July 15, 2008 at 6:19pm
I wonder why not on the 4870? Maybe the additional memory helps the slower card more. I like the Zalman-style cooler too and look forward to the review.
killerxx7
July 16, 2008 at 5:18am
if they put this on a 512 bit card like a gtx 280 is might be worth the extra cash its a shame they didnt do this with the HD2900xt that would of been FUN!!
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