Nvidia launches new Kepler GPU family

Graphics company Nvidia on Thursday launched its new GeForce GTX 680 and 600m GPUs, which were built using the next-generation Kepler architecture and the 28nm process, replacing the two-year old Fermi architecture.

With the new Kepler GPUs, Nvidia focused on creating faster, smoother, and overall better graphics that were much more energy efficient.

"When we first launched Fermi with the GeForce GTX 480, people told us how much they loved the performance, but they also told us they wished it consumed less power," said Nvidia's James Wang. "Gamers want top performance, but they want it in a quiet, power efficient form factor. The feedback we received from Fermi really drove this point home. With Kepler, one of our top priorities was building a flagship GPU that was also a pleasure to game with."

For desktop machines, the GTX 680 includes a new streaming multiprocessor block called SMX which doubles the performance per watt found in Fermi GPUs, Nvidia's dynamic GPU Boost technology, FXAA and TXAA antialiasing and Adaptive VSync technologies, the ability for a single GPU to drive up to four displays, and support for PCI-e Gen 3 and DirectX 11.1.

The GTX 600M is designed for notebooks and even the super-thin ultrabook profile. These units feature Nvidia's Optimus on-demand GPU technology, Verde notebook drivers, PhysX engine support, Optional 3D Vision upconverting technology including 3DTV Play for outputting 3D content from PC to 3D TVs, and the ability to hook up two GTX GPUs with Nvidia's SLI technology.

Earlier this month, Acer became the first PC maker to debut a GTX 600M-driven Ultrabook with the 15" Aspire Timeline Ultra M3, but more notebooks using the new Nvidia GPUs are on their way.

MSI Computer Group on Thursday announced its new GT60 and GT70 gaming notebooks run the new Kepler GPUs, and that the gaming public will be able to get its hands on the machines at PAX East from April 6-8.