896 = 512+384 = 512 + 256 + 128 = 7 x 128 so maybe its just a 128 module short of a GB. Probably just shaved off that RAM chip to save some cost in a place where its not likely to be a big performance difference. Isn't somewhere between 512 and 1024 supposed to be as much as is needed for most games?
What really confuses me is the 216 cores, which is 128+64+16+8. How do they make these things? Is it 23 sets of 8 core "somethings" built onto the same die? I mean 23? That's a frikkin prime number.
It could be they couldn't a yield of 24 out of these, similar to how the PS3 has 7 cores. Maybe some chips yield 24 cores so they disable one, but most only yield 23.
Funny how both of you have plausible explanations while still being wrong :)
896MB because the card has a 448 bit memory bus (down from 280's 512 bit bus and 1GB mem) - 2MB per bit of bus
now, cores - as this is not a new chip but all GTX's are based on the target of 240 cores per chip design adding an intermediate sku between the 240 core GTX 280 and the 196 core GTX 260 is not really tied to yields but more so to marketing - at 216 cores the new 260 is faster than the old 260 but not fast enough as to challenge the 280.
The texture unit increase is likewise, incremental.
If you are interested how exactly these stack up Anand has a comprehensive article about them.
As a side note: they should have named it the GTX 270 to keep it clear and simple.
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Where is everyone?
A political firestorm is going on in another story.
Whats with the odd steps in memory? 896? What the....???
896
= 512+384
= 512 + 256 + 128
= 7 x 128
so maybe its just a 128 module short of a GB. Probably just shaved off that RAM chip to save some cost in a place where its not likely to be a big performance difference. Isn't somewhere between 512 and 1024 supposed to be as much as is needed for most games?
What really confuses me is the 216 cores, which is 128+64+16+8. How do they make these things? Is it 23 sets of 8 core "somethings" built onto the same die? I mean 23? That's a frikkin prime number.
It could be they couldn't a yield of 24 out of these, similar to how the PS3 has 7 cores. Maybe some chips yield 24 cores so they disable one, but most only yield 23.
...do you two guys want to be alone?
Funny how both of you have plausible explanations while still being wrong :)
896MB because the card has a 448 bit memory bus (down from 280's 512 bit bus and 1GB mem) - 2MB per bit of bus
now, cores - as this is not a new chip but all GTX's are based on the target of 240 cores per chip design adding an intermediate sku between the 240 core GTX 280 and the 196 core GTX 260 is not really tied to yields but more so to marketing - at 216 cores the new 260 is faster than the old 260 but not fast enough as to challenge the 280.
The texture unit increase is likewise, incremental.
If you are interested how exactly these stack up Anand has a comprehensive article about them.
As a side note: they should have named it the GTX 270 to keep it clear and simple.
Ok, edit that.
Not wrong, just not fully right.
Peace.