GeForce 8 series
Nvidia's first unified shader architecture, spanning entry-level to high-end GPUs.
The GeForce 8 series is Nvidia’s eighth generation of graphics processing units, built on the Tesla architecture—the company’s first to use a unified shader design. Every card in the series is based on this architecture.
As with many GPUs, a higher model number doesn’t guarantee better performance than older, lower-numbered cards. For instance, the entry-level GeForce 8300 and 8400 perform worse than the previous GeForce 7200 and 7300. Similarly, the high-end GeForce 8800 GTX can’t be directly compared to the earlier GeForce 7800 GTX due to performance differences.
For display output, select GeForce 8800 and 8600 GPUs support dual dual-link DVI, driving two flat-panel displays up to 2560×1600 resolution. Some GeForce 8500 GPUs and GeForce 8400 GS cards based on the G98 chip support one dual-link DVI for a single display at that resolution. Other GeForce 8400 GPUs, including G86-based 8400 GS cards, support only single-link DVI, reaching up to 1920×1200.
The series supports 10-bit per channel display output, up from 8-bit on previous Nvidia cards, allowing higher color fidelity on compatible displays. It also supports Scalable Link Interface (SLI) for linking multiple cards of similar architecture via an SLI Bridge. Nvidia’s PureVideo HD technology, an improved version from the GeForce 6 series, adds GPU-based hardware acceleration for HD movie decoding, post-processing for enhanced images, and optional HDCP support at the card level.
**GeForce 8300 and 8400 series** In mid-2007, Nvidia released the entry-level GeForce 8300 GS and 8400 GS, based on the G86 core. The 8300 was available only in the OEM market and also as an integrated motherboard GPU (GeForce 8300 mGPU). The 8300 series used PCI Express, while the 8400 series came in PCI Express or PCI versions. The first 8400 GS is sometimes called “Rev. 1.” These cards are less powerful than mid-range and high-end models, making them unsuitable for intense 3D applications like high-resolution games, though they can handle most games at lower resolutions and settings. They were popular among casual gamers and HTPC builders without PCI Express or AGP slots. Originally meant to replace the GeForce 7200 and 7300 series, they failed due to inferior gaming performance.
At the end of 2007, Nvidia released a new 8400 GS based on the G98 chip.
Quick Facts
- Codename
- G8x
- Architecture
- Tesla
- Created
- November 8, 2006
- Entry
- 8100 / 8200 / 8300 / 8400 / 8500
- Midrange
- 8600 GS/GT/GTS
- Highend
- 8800 GS/GT/GTS
- Enthusiast
- 8800 GTX/Ultra
- Openglversion
- OpenGL 3.3
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The GeForce 8 series includes the entry-level GeForce 8300 and 8400 series, the mid-range GeForce 8500 and 8600 series, and the high-end GeForce 8800 series. The GeForce 8300 and 8400 series, released in summer 2007, were based on the G86 core and were originally designed to replace the GeForce 7200 and 7300 series, but could not do so due to inferior gaming performance. Later revisions of the 8400 GS used the G98 chip (end of 2007) and the GT218 chip (mid-2010), each with reduced 3D-performance and different feature sets.
The GeForce 8500 GT and 8600 GT/GTS, released on April 17, 2007, are based on the G84 core and introduced 2nd-generation PureVideo with improved hardware decoding for H.264. The GeForce 8800 series, codenamed G80, launched on November 8, 2006, with the 8800 GTX and GTS for the high-end market. The 8800 GTX was the largest commercial GPU at the time, with 681 million transistors on a 480 mm² die. A minor manufacturing defect related to a resistor caused a recall of 8800 GTX models just two days before launch, though the launch was unaffected.
The 8800 GS is a trimmed-down 8800 GT with 96 stream processors and either 384 or 768 MB of RAM on a 192-bit bus. In May 2008, it was rebranded as the 9600 GSO. The early 2008 iMac models featured an 8800 GS GPU that is actually a modified version of the 8800M GTS with a slightly higher clock speed, using 512 MB GDDR3, 64 unified stream processors, a 500 MHz core, a 256-bit bus, and a 1250 MHz shader clock.
Reader's Guide
The GeForce 8 series marks a significant architectural shift for Nvidia with the introduction of the Tesla unified shader architecture, which replaced the previous separate pixel and vertex shader pipelines. This unified design allowed for more flexible allocation of processing resources, influencing subsequent GPU generations. The series spans a wide performance range, from entry-level cards like the 8300 and 8400 to the high-end 8800 GTX and Ultra. However, as with many GPUs, larger model numbers do not guarantee superior performance over previous-generation cards; for example, the GeForce 8300 and 8400 cannot be compared to the GeForce 7200 and 7300 due to inferior performance, and the 8800 GTX cannot be compared to the 7800 GTX due to performance differences.
The 8800 GTX was the fastest GPU at its launch and remained one of the fastest 13 months later. It supported HDCP but had an older PureVideo processor that used more CPU resources. The 8800 Ultra, released later, featured higher clock speeds and updated hardware that generated less heat. The series also introduced 10-bit per channel display output, up from 8-bit on previous Nvidia cards, and supported Scalable Link Interface (SLI) for multiple cards. The GeForce 8 series' legacy includes its role in establishing unified shader architecture and its varied revisions across different market segments, though some entry-level models were less powerful than their predecessors.
Did You Know?
- The GeForce 8800 GTX required two 6-pin PCIe power connectors and demanded up to 155 watts of power.
- The GeForce 8400 GS had three revisions: G86 (Rev. 1), G98 (Rev. 2), and GT218 (Rev. 3), each with different 3D-performance and features.
- The GeForce 8800 GTX measured 10.6 inches in length, while the 8800 GTS measured 9 inches.
- The GeForce 8800 Ultra retailed from $829 and offered only 10% more performance than the 8800 GTX.
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