NVidia will release graphics boards later this month with a fast new memory technology that can achieve bandwidth speeds double those of current graphics memory, the company has announced. Graphics cards using the Santa Clara, California, company"s GeForce FX 5700 Ultra chip and 128MB of GDDR3 (Graphics Double Data Rate 3) memory will be available in mid-March from board manufacturers such as Asustek Computer and Gigabyte Technology, NVidia says.
Zooming Ahead
GDDR3 is a large step forward in memory technology. Chips based on the standard can run at speeds up to 800 MHz and deliver data rates of up to 1.6 gigabits per second, according to Samsung Electronics. Samsung is providing the memory for NVidia"s graphics boards. The new technology achieves faster speeds by cleaning up data signals as they flow through the memory chip. GDDR3 designers used on-die termination to absorb reflected noise caused by the movement of the data signal through a chip.