Nvidia reportedly plans to launch less powerful – and inherently more affordable – DirectX 11 graphics cards over the summer. A few months after the release of its GF100-based GeForce GTX 480 and 470, the company will ship entry-level and mainstream Fermi iterations branded 450, 440 and 430.
Models built with the new GF104 architecture are expected to have less horsepower but with features on par with their higher-end counterparts. Rumored specs include 256 shader cores, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 256-bit memory bus. The graphics core is said to be destined for use in three cards, but no other details are available.
The GTS 450 should be a touch faster than the HD 5830, but its price will probably reflect that edge, and it's expected to cost between €200 and €230. The GTS 400 will supposedly outperform the HD 5770, and cost around €160 to €180. Meanwhile, GTS 430 will carry 192 shader cores, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and a 192-bit memory bus, should match the HD 5770, and will run between €130 and €150.
Other cards based on GF106 and GF108 cores should follow, with the former selling for €60 to €100, depending on the SKU, and the latter for €30 to €40.