Nvidia’s newest GPU, the GTX 280, is starting to show up under popular brands like Leadtek, XFX, and Zotac, represented by the Zotac GTX 280 AMP! Edition as tested in the July issue of our print edition. As well as being the newest and best hyper-enthusiast videocard available from the Green team, this release is also significant for the future direction of “general” computing for the PC buyer.

General in this case refers to the pedestrian uses we put our PC through from day to day depending on the user – most prominently video editing, image processing and the like. These tasks are traditionally under the CPU’s domain, with software developers concentrating on optimizing for the CPU architecture. Nvidia’s recent offerings are focused on this kind of mainstream performance, with the GTX 280 at the head of the pack.

                                             The Zotac differs from the reference design only with its sticker and overclock.

To do so, Nvidia equipped the GTX 280 with a lot more stream processors (240 to be exact) with an improved stream scheduler that more efficiently utilizes available bandwidth for maximum speed through the GPU. Bandwidth is another big improvement from the previous generation’s maximum 384-bit memory interface (in the 8 and 9 series), bringing it up to 512-bits of wide, wide access. Topping it all off is a wonderful 1GB of GDDR3 – not divided between two GPUs as in the 9800 GX2, but wholly dedicated to the single GTX 280 chip. Now, if these specs sound s like the typical list of improvements in a new graphics-focused product from Nvidia and its partners, its because it is still primarily a gaming device first, and a general purpose processor second. It is only with the addition of Nvidia’s own programming language named CUDA that the latest Nvidia releases come into its own as a potential CPU supplement or “alternative”.

                                             Make sure PSU requirements are met, notably a six and eight pin connector.

The CUDA language enables specifically programmed applications to use the GPU’s stream and thread-oriented architecture (as opposed to a CPU’s fewer threads) effectively, making the GPU act like a massively parallel computer in executing instructions (think hundreds of cores instead of the four cores common in CPUs today). Of course, these “stream processors” on the GPU is much simpler than the cores in a typical Intel or AMD product, yet the sheer number of stream processors and the inherent efficiency of said units in handling instructions make the GPU a very viable processing device. CUDA makes it possible to adapt existing programs to use the GPU architecture.

                                             Rear connectivity doesn't deviate from the 9800 GTX.

So far, this entry has been a bit more technical than what I would have liked to write – it is only due to the very interesting paradigm shift that’s happening right under our noses that’s piqued my interest so much that I just had to write about the nitty – gritty of it all. Simply stated it is wholly possible for us to see the GPU start to grow in importance for customers when shopping for a new PC in the coming years. GPU type will become as important as the CPU frequency, especially considering that recent CPU trends lean towards multiple cores / processes, something that the GPU is specialized in. Besides, if it’s in raw processing power alone, the GTX 280 with its 1.4 billion transistors easily tops some of the popular, high-end CPUs, such as the 45nm Wolfdale’s 820 million transistors (410 million x2 for the dual cores).

                                             Bundle notably includes a new game: Racedriver Grid.

The Zotac GTX 280 AMP! does not play up any of these new capabilities. For now, it is the king of the graphics pile, with performance handily beating the single core 9800 GTX and only eclipsed in a few tests by the dual GPU 9800 GX2. Game performance, which is after all what most enthusiasts in the here and now is looking for, is the best that (lots of) money can buy, and its hidden depths as a powerful general purpose processing device using CUDA only adds to its appeal. While there is no current movement toward the GPU as the main device to program applications for (aside from games that is), with the groundwork and the hardware laid out, we’ll soon be looking at our GPUs in a different light, best represented here by the GTX 280 powered Zotac. Watch out for our review in the July HWM issue! More pictures to follow.