NVIDIA Kepler GPUs shipping to laptop makers

FUD Zilla received notice that NVIDIA's mobile Kepler GPUs are now shipping to notebook makers.The launch date is said to be April 8th, the same date as Intel's Ivy Bridge release.

The first massive batch is expected shortly after Chinese New Year, so let�s say mid-February and after that time most Nvidia Kepler early adopters and Ivy Bridge machine supports will start making its products based on new 22nm CPUs and 28nm Nvidia graphics. Of course, Optimus is a key feature that got Nvidia that so much traction. It doesn�t cost almost any battery life, unless you play a game or you need your GPU to take some heavy load and give you some better frame rates.

The launch date for both Ivy Bridge mobile CPUs as well as Kepler mobile parts is the first or second week of April, with April 8th being the date we�ve heard.

NVIDIA Kepler GPUs shipping to laptop makers - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA has Kepler part for ultrabooks

FUD Zilla heard NVIDIA's Kepler GPU will show up in some new Ivy Bridge based ultrabooks, but exact details aren't known.

This makes for an exciting development as many people expected that ultrabooks will always be doomed with Intel integrated graphics. It turns out that with Optimus, Nvidia can play this card and place some low power GPUs in some ultrabooks. Of course, don't expect any miracles, we are still talking about low TDP parts.

Sources mentioned that Asus and Acer should be on board, but we cannot confirm this at press time. However, we stand tall by the news that Kepler gets to Ultrabooks this year. This was confirmed by several industry sources.

NVIDIA has Kepler part for ultrabooks - More news at DV Hardware

AMD Radeon HD 7950 in two weeks, NVIDIA Kepler in April?

Word has reached DigiTimes that AMD is planning to unveil its Radeon HD 7950 graphics card by the end of January, while NVIDIA is anticipated to introduce its 28nm Kepler GPU in April, at the latest.

The sources noted that Nvidia wishes to make sure that the power consumption and the manufacturing process of the graphics chip all reach perfection before entering the 28nm generation. Since Nvidia is set to release its 28nm graphics card around the same time as Intel's upcoming 22nm Ivy Bridge processor, the sources believe Kepler series GPUs may have a chance to catch up with the demand for Intel's new CPUs.

Nvidia is set to release several 28nm Kepler-based GPUs including GK104, which will replace the existing GeForce GTX 560Ti; GK107, targeting the entry-level PC market; GK106, targeting the mid-range to entry-level market; GK110, which is equipped with two GK104 GPUs; and the highest-end GK112, which may be released in the fourth quarter or 2013.

Over at VR Zone Theo Valich reveals he heard at CES 2012 that Kepler may arrive by late March or early April, and that the launch will be a hard one with sufficient units for the first wave of customers.

Interestingly, VR Zone also picked up a rumor at ChipHell that tells a whole different story. According to the Chinese source, NVIDIA decided to pull the release of the GeForce GTX 680 (aka Kepler) from the original March/April launch to as early as late February.

The rumour claims GTX 680 will offer similar performance to AMD's Radeon HD 7970. Clock speed is 780 MHz - no higher than GTX 580 - while it sports 2GB memory. While this suggests a 512-bit or 256-bit memory bus, NVIDIA has in the past mated 1GB to 192-bit with GTX 550 Ti, so it is possible GTX 680 has a 384-bit memory interface. Little else is revealed about the mysterious GTX 680.

AMD Radeon HD 7950 in two weeks, NVIDIA Kepler in April? - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA Kepler GPU hard launch expected by April

VR Zone heard from its sources that NVIDIA plans to launch its Kepler GPU in late March or April. It will be a hard launch with enough units for the "first wave" of consumers.

The company originally scheduled GeForce Kepler for the launch in the first quarter (i.e. fiscal fourth quarter 2012), Quadro Kepler was scheduled for the second quarter (i.e. fiscal first quarter 2013) and Tesla Kepler was scheduled for the third quarter (second fiscal quarter 2013).

However, the new plan calls for launching the GeForce Kepler when the company is able to insure hard availability and have all of its partners covered.

NVIDIA Kepler GPU hard launch expected by April - More news at DV Hardware

Spire reveals three Kepler CPU coolers

Spire introduced Kepler, a new series of budget processor heatsinks. The basic Kepler cooler offers two direct-touch heatpipes and a heatsink with 45 aluminium fins. The Kepler II has three direct-touch heatpipes and 45 aluminum fins and the Kepler Pro edition offers four direct-touch heatpipes and 50 aluminium fins. All three models use a 92mm fan and come S420 thermal compound. Intel's Socket 775/1155/1156/1366 and AMD's Socket AM2/AM3 platforms are all supported.

The Spire all new Kepler universal micro-processor cooler series are direct contact heat-pipe solutions for Core i3/i5 and i7 from Intel and the AMD AM2/3/FM1 micro-processors. There are three (3) different models ranging from two up to four 6mm sinter powder heat-pipes which are in direct contact with the cpu heat-source, dissipating heat effectively and fast.

The high density fins are crowned with a powerful fan for high airflow and great cooling performance. The 92mm dc fan provides ample airflow and silent cooling at 19.0dBA. Compatibility is ensured with the multi-platform mounting clip for Intel 775/1155/1556 sockets and AM2/AM3/FM1 micro-processors. The Kepler series from Spire are build to deliver great cooling for maximum system performance.

MSRP:
Kepler USD 19.95 / EURO 14.99
Kepler II USD 25.95 / EURO 18.99
Kepler Pro USD 38.95 / EURO 27.99

Availability:
Late October

Spire reveals three Kepler CPU coolers - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA GK107 Kepler GPU is now sampling

VR Zone claims NVIDIA now has engineering samples of its GK107 "Kepler" GPU, this will be a low-end chip for notebooks. The GK107 chips may enter production in January 2012, but there's still no news about the high-end Kepler GPUs.

GK107 is set to feature in four mobile GeForce SKUs - N13P-LP, N13P-GS, N13P-GT and N13E-GE. If these codenames sound familiar, it is because they have previously appeared in a leaked 28nm mobile GPU line-up. GK107 features a 128-bit memory interface, and supports DDR3 and GDDR5 memory. The first three GK107 based SKUs (with a "P" suffix) will likely succeed the GeForce GT 500M series, and will presumably be branded GeForce GT 600M series. The top GK107 part, N13E-GE, may succeed GTX 560M and be part of the GTX 600M series, as denoted by the "E" suffix (Enthusiast). In addition, GK107 will also be part of mobile Quadro SKUs - N14P-Q1 and N14P-Q3.

NVIDIA GK107 Kepler GPU is now sampling - More news at DV Hardware