Just under two years ago, Nvidia launched what turned out to be their most popular line of graphics cards: Maxwell. The GTX 970 in particular became a PC gaming favourite instantly, with a perfect ratio of price/performance for some truly top-level gaming. Fast forward to today, and Nvidia is hoping to reclaim that success with their latest graphics card line, Pascal. Having already launched for mobile devices, Nvidia is finally ready to start talking about desktops – with two cards specifically.
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t expect the name to stick, but it seems Nvidia is all on-board with the GTX 1080 and 1070 naming convention. The team in green is expected to reveal both at a special streamed event planned for today, which you can check out live via the Twitch stream below. The show starts at 6pm PST (so 3am local time), so it’s truly for the diehards out there if you’re not in the USA.
Watch live video from NVIDIA on www.twitch.tv
Nvidia made the announcement via Twitter yesterday, seemingly confirming the naming convention it will adopt for Pascal in an updated GeForce listing for the event. WCCFTech is also reporting that the more aggressive, updated NVTTM cooler will make its debut with the Pascal cards – for those who look for reference coolers after the (usually) superior aftermarket ones. The NVTTM cooler has been particularly good in the past though, featured on earlier Maxwell and Titan cards.
Previously it was rumoured that Nvidia would be hosting a private event to reveal their Pascal cards, before launching them later at Computex at the beginning of June. As of now, the cards are expected to be within full circulation by the end of June, meaning your latest upgrade could be around the corner. Ignoring some dubious leaks about performance, reviews around that time should also indicate whether Nvidia has managed to top Maxwell.
Because that will be the goal with Pascal, especially with so many VR solutions making it to retail now. Pascal needs to drive Nvidia forward until Volta, which is where the focus will turn to after tonight.
Last Updated: May 6, 2016
Admiral Chief in New York
May 6, 2016 at 09:32
#TeamRED
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
May 6, 2016 at 09:34
http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/axj8K5Y_460sa.gif
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 6, 2016 at 09:51
Aw jis. Dancedevil, Deadpole & Stripper-man!
Admiral Chief in New York
May 6, 2016 at 09:56
HUEHUEHUE
Ottokie
May 6, 2016 at 09:34
https://media.giphy.com/media/3oEduJVCkYIGxOkSWY/giphy.gif
VampyreSquirrel
May 6, 2016 at 09:34
I do NOT want to know what those cards are going to cost locally 🙁
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
May 6, 2016 at 09:35
https://media.giphy.com/media/nXU1FF5HS2eFG/giphy.gif
Matthew Holliday
May 6, 2016 at 12:54
considering that old tech doesnt depreciate locally, in fact, i just did a quick search, the 970 is actually more expensive than it was at launch.
I bought mine for R4800, the “budget” 970 option, the same card is going for R5600 now, oh, and thats on special apparently, down from R6999.
So expecting the cheapest 1070 model for anything under R6500 is ambitious
lets talk more about this so called price:performance ratio
VampyreSquirrel
May 6, 2016 at 12:59
I got my 970 last year, it’s not almost 1.5k more than it was then.
Matthew Holliday
May 6, 2016 at 13:02
R1.5k is a pretty massive increase… lol…
ridiculous, especially in a market thats supposed to deppreciate…
Inflation and the plummeting exchange rate is working faster than depreciation, lol…
Ottokie
May 6, 2016 at 09:35
Good thing I will be skipping this generation, with the new and improved Rand these things are going to cost a pretty penny. Besides nothing has clocked out my 980 Ti yet.
Alessandro Barbosa
May 6, 2016 at 09:45
Highly doubt anything will for a while. When Pascal eventually gets its own Ti model, maybe then 🙂
Ottokie
May 6, 2016 at 09:47
And it’s going to be a very long time until 2K gaming becomes mainstream and 4K even further. 1080p is still king at the moment.
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 6, 2016 at 09:50
And I’m not spending a few thousand on a new monitor either.
Ottokie
May 6, 2016 at 09:51
I did, still 1080p but the smooth 144 fps refresh rate is something I will never give up ever again.
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 6, 2016 at 09:54
My 60hz will be just fine until it breaks. Monitors are also stupidly expensive now.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
May 6, 2016 at 09:51
Filthy Casual 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 6, 2016 at 09:52
What was that? I swear I heard something from below the balcony on my tower.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
May 6, 2016 at 09:54
Oh crap
*Hides the dynamite
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 6, 2016 at 09:56
😀
Ottokie
May 6, 2016 at 09:57
It is I, lord Farquaad!
Matthew Holliday
May 6, 2016 at 12:59
mentioned this in another comment, did a quick search, the cheapest 970 model is R800 more than it was when i bought it a year ago.
befor it was bad enough that tech prices just never changed, now its actually getting more expensive over time? lol…
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 6, 2016 at 09:46
1080p for me. No need.
Greylingad[He Charges!]
May 6, 2016 at 09:49
Yup!
Ottokie
May 6, 2016 at 09:55
Swifty is always so hyper on any photo xD
Suzanne Lyons
May 6, 2016 at 12:18
Well if AMD launches a GPU that’s within a few percent of a 980ti and charges in the region of $350, just how much could Nvidia get away with just about edging past a 980ti?
I’m sticking with my 980ti anyway for now, the big chips next year is what I’m excited about.
ElimiNathan
May 6, 2016 at 14:44
Exactly. We wait for the next Ti version and then look to see if its worth it. 980Ti will carry use for a long time I think
Matthew Holliday
May 6, 2016 at 12:48
970 had a perfect price:performance ratio?
only if you earn in dollars
R5000 graphics card barely delivering 60fps at 1080p on current AAA titles.
Meanwhile we look back at the 460 release a few years back and that hit 60fps easy mode for half the price at launch.
James Anderton
May 6, 2016 at 14:58
Because most games had to have parity with 7th-gen consoles, which were nearing the end of their lives. Meaning developers didn’t want to push their games too far (there were exceptions of course).
And our economy hadn’t gone to shit. The 400 series came out when the rand was around R7 to the dollar.
You’re talking bullshit anyway
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-gf104-fermi,2684-8.html
Matthew Holliday
May 6, 2016 at 20:54
mentioning parity with the old 7th gen consoles, then bringing up Crysis tp prove your point is a pretty big contradiction.
looking at the rest of the games on that benchmark list sorta proves the point.
Crysis rekd all hardware for years afterwards.
yes, the exchange rate has gone to shit, doesnt change the fact that R5000 is a crap tonne of money and that the 460 was half the price.
Locally, the price:performance ratios are skewed.
with prices rising as fast as they have, the price:performance ratio will never be as good as the card youre upgrading from.
we got more card for our Rand back then. the 460 was better, or as good then, as the 970 is now. I say that after owning both.