NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 brings Fermi to $129
updated 08:15 am EDT, Mon September 13, 2010
NVIDIA unveils GeForce GTS 450 entry video
NVIDIA this morning released its cheapest ever graphics chipset based on its current Fermi core. The GeForce GTS 450 scales back to 192 effects cores and a 128-bit memory bus but is expected to be on par or faster than its arch-rival, AMD's Radeon HD 5750. It's pitched as an alternative to integrated graphics as a partial GF106 core is both cheaper and much more energy efficient than a full GF106 core or earlier designs.
The card can still handle the full feature set, including either DirectX 11 or OpenGL 4 as well as 3D Vision. Fermi as usual is designed to give added speed for general purpose computing in CUDA, DirectCompute, PhysX or OpenCL. A typical card clocks in with a 783MHz main speed and a 1.8GHz speed for the 1GB of onboard GDDR5 memory. Most cards have two dual-link DVI video outputs, but at least Windows users now have the option of a mini HDMI output with bitstream audio passed through the video card.
At $129, the GTS 450's official price is more competitive for the sometimes faster Radeon HD 5770 but the least expensive current option before NVIDIA confirms the GT 420 it inadvertently revealed earlier. Partners like ASUS, EVGA and MSI are part of the initial lineup and are selling cards today, with PC builders likely to have pre-installed boards and chipsets soon.
