NVIDIA kicks off GeForce 600M series with mild tweaks
updated 08:45 am EST, Wed December 7, 2011
NVIDIA 600M starts with slight upgrades, rebadges
NVIDIA on Wednesday formally introduced GeForce 600M notebook graphics with what's now known to primarily be a respin of the 500M series. The 610M, 630M, and 635M are all parallels to the 520MX, 540M, and 555M, but all edged down in the lineup to be considered more affordable parts. The 635M does get an upgrade in support for faster 3.6GHz equivalent GDDR5 memory, giving it a higher 57.6GB per second of bandwidth over the 555M's 50.2GB.
The 610M carries 48 visual processing cores, eight texture units, 900MHz core and DDR3 memory speeds, and a 64-bit bus. Picking the 630M moves to 96 cores, 16 texture units, a 672MHz core, and a 128-bit bus. Systems running the 635M have split specifications depending on the system: one version has nearly the same performance as the 630M, although the highest-end version has 144 cores, 24 texture units, the faster GDDR5 memory and a 192-bit bus.
Availability of the whole 600M line will depend on individual notebook makers adding support. The lower model numbers point to these systems costing less than those using their once higher-end counterparts, but they also point to true next-generation 600M-series chips being available next year.
