Graphics chip-maker Nvidia has announced a new generation of graphics processors that promise improved speed and new features, such as multi-display and peak frame-rate technology. The GeForce4 will push Nvidia’s earlier high-performance graphics processing unit — the GeForce3 — down into the mainstream and value markets.

Amid speculation and specification leaks, Nvidia unveiled the two newest versions of its GeForce family of GPUs Tuesday at an event in San Francisco, California.

Forward Features

Among the biggest improvements is the addition of “Accuview,” a new hardware technology that will offer peak frame rates of 60 frames per second or higher for 3D graphics at any resolution, Perez said, adding that the feature keeps graphics in the “sweet spot” of frame rates.

The GeForce4 processors also will feature a new display technology called “nVIEW” that will allow multi-monitor display on as many as 16 different screens at the same time, Perez said.

Other features include new user controls that allow changing of desktops and a memory architecture that delivers 128-bit double data rate (DDR).

Step in Speed

Forrester principal analyst Carl Howe told NewsFactor that the new GeForce4 chips are simply “the next generation of an ongoing product line.”

“They’re faster,” Howe said, adding, “The scuttlebutt is that [the GeForce4] is basically the same chip [as the GF3] with different packaging and different speed peaks.”

Evolution, Not Revolution

Referring to Nvidia’s strategy of coming out with a new graphics processor every six months, Howe compared it to Dell’s upgrading strategy.

“Is it different, is it better, is it faster? Yes,” Howe said. “But I wouldn’t call it a giant change in strategy. It’s continual evolution, not revolution.”