Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 580 is what the original should have been: quieter, full-featured, faster and more efficient.
When Nvidia launched the GTX 480 -- code-named the GF100 -- early this year, the new GPU proved to be something of a mixed bag. It was undeniably fast, but also crippled – every GTX 480 GPU shipped with a full functional unit disabled. Whether that was because of yield or power issues wasn’t clear. Power clearly was a problem – Nvidia’s flagship ran hot and loud.
Given the competition, Nvidia had to get Fermi out the door. Even before the original Fermi left the building, Nvidia’s engineers were heads-down, respinning and reengineering the GF100. The result is the GF110. The new GPU is, as Emperor Palpatine might put it, “fully operational”, with all functional units now enabled.
Hit the jump for a detailed analysis of the GTX 580.
