EVER SINCE the launch of NV30 made it clear that something was deeply wrong in Nvidia-land, reviewers and consumers alike have looked to NV35 as the product launch that would redeem Nvidia from the Dustbuster Debacle — or, of course, steepen the slide.
From what"s been whispered in our ear thus far it looks like Nvidia"s got a much better performer on its hands this time around, meaning, at a minimum, the card doesn"t reach nuclear temperatures or sound like a banshee. Considering how much those two features annoyed people in NV30, their absence in NV35 could be enough to win the card an editor"s choice right there. NV35 also won"t be using DDR-II, though it supports the standard should Nvidia choose to adopt it in the future.
While clockspeeds on the new chip haven"t yet been finalized, we"ve heard 450 / 850 (core/memory clock) suggested as the likely final numbers, or something close to them. If true, this means NV35 will run a 10% slower clock and a 15% slower memory core than its predecessor, and in raw numbers, ends up looking a lot like the original GeForce FX 5800 (which, if you recall, didn"t require such mammoth cooling solutions either).