2004-04-14 Nvidia GeForce 6800 New high-end graphics processor, succeeding NV35 (GeForce 5900). Includes Pixel Shader 3.0 and Vertex Shader 3.0 to support DirectX 9.0c (previously known as 9.1) and to include 16 "real" pipelines instead of the 4x2 architecture used previously.
Named GeForce 6800 and was to be shown at CeBIT or GDC with availability in April or May, but unveiled on April 14th.
Draws a massive 110W from two power cables. Previously known as NV40.
- 6800LE: 8 pipes, 4 shaders
- 6800: 12 pipes, 5 shaders
- 6800GT: 16 pipes, 6 shaders
- 6800 Ultra: 16 pipes, 6 shaders
2004-10-XX Nvidia NV45 NV40 with PCI-Express support, for the enthusiast segment. Performance identical, but adds PCI Express support. The Ultra version (> 500 MHz) is called NV45 U.