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

NVIDIA GK104 to compete with Radeon HD 7900 series?

Asian rumors cited by TPU claim NVIDIA's GK104 "Kepler" GPU will continue to have a 256-bit GDDR5 memory bus. The card has a pretty high power consumption of 225W, but according to the rumor this GeForce GTX 560 Ti successor aims to compete with AMD's Radeon HD 7970 series.

New reports suggest that this GPU, which will succeed GF114 (on which the likes of GeForce GTX 560 Ti are based), will continue to have a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. An equally recent report suggests that NVIDIA could give the front-line product based on GK104 as much as 2 GB of memory. We are also getting to hear from the INPAI report that on this product based on the GK104, the GPU will have a TDP of 225W. What's more, NVIDIA is gunning for the performance crown from AMD Radeon HD 7900 series with this chip, so it suggests that NVIDIA is designing the GK104 to have a massive performance improvement over the GF114 that it's succeeding.

NVIDIA GK104 to compete with Radeon HD 7900 series? - More news at DV Hardware

Nouveau For Open-Source NVIDIA In Mesa 8.0 Is Mixed @ Phoronix

After looking last week at the ATI/AMD Radeon Gallium3D performance under Mesa 8.0 and comparing its performance to Mesa 7.11 and the closed-source AMD Catalyst driver, along with the LLVMpipe driver performance, we're now focusing upon the Nouveau Gallium3D implementation that seeks to provide open-source NVIDIA hardware support. This comparison is pitting Nouveau in Mesa 8.0 against Mesa 7.11 and the official NVIDIA Linux driver.

Learn more at Phoronix.

Nouveau For Open-Source NVIDIA In Mesa 8.0 Is Mixed @ Phoronix - 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

NVIDIA 28nm desktop GPU roadmap leaked

Details about NVIDIA's upcoming 28nm desktop GPUs were leaked by Asian tech site 4Gamer. The slide reveals NVIDIA's low-end parts (GK107) will arrive around Q2 2012, with mainstream parts (GK106) to follow by late Q2 2012 and a new high-end part (GK104) by mid-2012. Shortly after that we can expect a new dual-GPU model (GK110), and a new massive die chip (GK112) is anticipated by the end of the year or early 2013.

In 2012, NVIDIA is expected to embrace AMD's sweet-spot strategy, with no massive die. Instead, the top single GPU part will be GK104, featuring 384-bit 1.5 GB GDDR5 memory. GK104 is said to push out 2 TFLOPS, 30% higher than GTX 580. However, despite the smaller die, 4Gamer claims it consumes over 250W power. GK104 will release bang in the middle of 2012, perhaps during Computex time. Following right after GK104 will be GK110 - a dual GK104 flagship, thus completing NVIDIA's line-up for most of 2012 - remarkably similar to AMD's sweet spot strategy.

However, not for long, as late in 2012 / early 2013, NVIDIA plans to return back to a massive die with GK112, featuring 512-bit memory.

Source: VR Zone

NVIDIA 28nm desktop GPU roadmap leaked - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores launched

NVIDIA introduced the GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores, a new 40nm GF110 based card with 448 CUDA cores, 1280MB GDDR5 and a 320-bit memory bus.

The card features a 732MHz core, 1464MHz shaders and 3800MHz GDDR5 memory. The reference design draws power from two 6-pin PCI Express power connectors and includes two DVI outputs and one Mini-HDMI output.

Pricing is $289 but it's a limited edition release that will only be sold in North America, Germany, France, Scandinavia and Russia.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores launched - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA to start 28nm mobile production in December

FUD Zilla claims NVIDIA's first 28nm mobile GPUs will hit production in December, but the site also heard that 28nm yields are not good.

The aim is for the Maho Bay platform to get its 28nm Nvidia chips and continue the good transition of Optimus graphics. The possible launch timeframe is going to be set by Intel, and we hear it will happen either in March or April of 2012.

The production of mobile chips starts in December at the latest, which means that these chips have been taped out for a while now. However, 28nm is currently not doing as great as some companies would make you think, as the yields are not good.

NVIDIA to start 28nm mobile production in December - 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

NVIDIA releases fiscal Q1 2012 results

NVIDIA published its fiscal Q1 2012 financial results:

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today reported revenue of $962.0 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 ended May 1, 2011, up 8.5 percent from the prior quarter, and down 4.0 percent from $1.0 billion from the same period a year earlier.

On a GAAP basis, the company recorded net income of $135.2 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. That compares with net income of $171.7 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, in the previous quarter, which included a $57.0 million credit to operating expenses related to the legal settlement in connection with a new Intel licensing agreement. In the same period a year earlier, the company had net income of $137.6 million, or $0.23 per diluted share.

On a non-GAAP basis, net income was $165.7 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. That compares with non-GAAP net income of $142.4 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in the prior quarter, and $169.0 million, $0.29 per diluted share, in the same period a year earlier.

GAAP gross margin was 50.4 percent, a third consecutive record, compared with 48.1 percent in the previous quarter and 45.6 percent in the same period a year earlier. Non-GAAP gross margin was 50.6 percent, compared with 48.3 percent in the prior quarter and 45.7 percent in the same period a year earlier.

"Our core GPU businesses are solid, with expanding revenues and margins. And this quarter, our Tegra mobile business took off," said Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA president and chief executive officer. "With the Tegra super chip and the Icera wireless communication processor, we will offer our customers the two most important processors of the mobile computing revolution. We look forward to completing the Icera acquisition shortly."

Excluding the Icera acquisition, the outlook for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 is as follows:

- Revenue is expected to be up 4 to 6 percent from the first quarter.
- GAAP gross margin is expected to be 50.5 to 51.5 percent.
- GAAP operating expenses are expected to be between $332 and $336 million.
- GAAP tax rate is expected to be 14 to 16 percent.

NVIDIA releases fiscal Q1 2012 results - More news at DV Hardware

Updated NVIDIA Drivers for Mac OS X: Install Guide and iBoot-GE

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This week, NVIDIA released drivers for their line of "Fermi" cards for Mac OS X.  Besides supporting their new flagship Quadro 4000, these drivers support the GeForce GT 430, GTS 450, GTX 460, GTX 465, GTX 470, GTX 480. They also show increased OpenGL, Quartz Graphics, and User Interface performance for NVIDIA 2xx cards.

To use the new drivers on any system, we made an alternate installer, tonymacx86 NVIDIA Update, that overcomes the official installer's system limitations.  We also created iBoot-GE, a new variation of iBoot that uses Chameleon's GraphicsEnabler instead of enabler kexts.  Finally, we've updated MultiBeast to include the necessary bootloader.

• The tonymacx86 NVIDIA Update is the official NVIDIA updater tweaked to allow install on any system.  

• iBoot-GE uses Chameleon's GraphicsEnabler, with updated device IDs for new NVIDIA cards.  Update: iBoot now works for NVIDIA 4xx cards- you may need to type -x PCIRootUID=1 to install using these cards

• MultiBeast now contains Chameleon 2.0 RC5 Prerelease which includes device IDs for all new NVIDIA cards.

Guide for a Fresh Installation
If you're starting from scratch, follow iBoot + MultiBeast.

1. Install using iBoot
2. Install latest Combo Update
3. Install UserDSDT or EasyBeast, plus the latest Chameleon 2.0 RC5 from MultiBeast
4. Install the tonymacx86 NVIDIA Update 
5. Reboot

Guide for an Existing Installation
If you've already installed and configured your system to boot from hard drive

1. Install latest Combo Update
2. Install the latest Chameleon 2.0 RC5 from MultiBeast
3. Install the tonymacx86 NVIDIA Update 
4. Reboot

Post your results in the forum!  Have fun, and enjoy!  

-tonymacx86 & MacMan

For discussions on this and other topics, register today at tonymacx86.com!

Fully Compatible NVIDIA Graphics Cards for Mac OS X

type="html">One of the most important components in a custom build is the graphics card.  If you're building a CustoMac, it's an especially tricky decision.  Not only do you have to worry about what will be a good performer for the cost, but you also have to be informed what is fully supported, and what is not.

Below we've listed a few fully compatible NVIDIA graphics cards for Mac OS X.   Each gives a range of port options, full install compatibility, and are known to work with minimal configuration.  They may not be the most powerful or newest cards available, however they are undoubtedly smart and safe options.  All of the following models have been personally tested by our team.

ASUS GeForce 8400GS

DVI/VGA

This oldie is a perfect fit for someone on a budget who doesn't need much power, but wants a silent card with two working outputs.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.

PNY GeForce 9800 GT

DVI/DVI

A standby choice for many enthusiasts, this card gives great performance.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.

EVGA GeForce GT 240

DVI/VGA/HDMI

A great choice for a HTPC setup, with working audio + video via HDMI.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.

PNY GeForce GTS 450*

DVI/DVI/Mini-HDMI

PNY GeForce GTX 460*

DVI/DVI/Mini-HDMI

EVGA GeForce GTX 470*

DVI/DVI/Mini-HDMI

The newest cards to gain compatibility status, these three 'Fermi' cards are a good choice for their new architecture, CUDA support, and awesome next-generation performance.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.  Details here. 
*NVIDIA 4xx cards are fully supported, but some users are reporting random freezes and open gl issues.  Take caution when choosing these cards for now.  Update: these cards are not recommended yet. -tonymacx86

For more information about compatible graphics cards, check out the Graphics Card Database on the Wiki.  Feel free to add a comment here with detailed info about your compatible models.

-tonymacx86 & MacMan

For discussions on this and other topics, register today at tonymacx86.com!

CustomBeast Now Available for NVIDIA 4xx Graphics Cards + USB 3.0 Support

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CustomBeast is now available for NVIDIA 4xx graphics cards!  Supported specs now include any Gigabyte H55, P55, or X58 motherboard with any NVIDIA graphics card. 

In other news we have made some changes to CustomBeast.  During our testing we have found that the MacPro3,1 smbios.plist provides the best performance.  Because of this, we are removing the option for System Identification.  As an added bonus, we will now be including USB 3.0 drivers for supported motherboards.

CustomBeast Request Form

-tonymacx86 & MacMan

For discussions on this and other topics, register today at tonymacx86.com!