NVIDIA is set to release a new graphics core out in to the graphics race, which is currently under the NV41 codename. The chip is designed with one purpose in mind to reduce the cost of producing the GeForce 6800. As we already know, the GeForce 6800 has a 12x1 fragment pipeline, 5 vertex shader configuration with one full quad of the fragment pipeline disabled either via hardware masking, or via soft-masking using the VGA BIOS to disable pipelines. The NV41 will come in to place to put a stop to the softmodding that has been introduced in the latest version of Rivatuner.

The chip will take over the roles of the GeForce 6800 and GeForce 6800LE, which are very expensive parts for NVIDIA to produce, as already mentioned they are essentially just a crippled NV40 core. We have a sneaky suspicion that the NV41 may well be called the GeForce 6700 series. Were uncertain as to how many different variants of the GeForce 6700 there will be, but clock speeds will be around the 400/1000MHz region with a 12x1 fragment pipeline and 5 vertex shaders. The reason we say this is that if they were to introduce it as a 16x1 configuration, it would rule out the GeForce 6800GT, as well as the two lower-specced GeForce 6800 boards. The 6800GT is clocked at 350/1000MHz with a 16x1 fragment pipeline and 6 vertex shaders.

Also, as we would have expected, the board will feature a 256-bit memory interface and is likely to come in two different memory configurations - there will be both 256MB and 128MB frame buffers available on these boards.

The card is more than likely to replace the current $200 to $300 parts that use the crippled NV40 core. At the moment, these cost NVIDIA rather too much to produce, certainly for their liking. We guess that the NV41 will be a native PCI-Express chip and we also expect that the NV41 will follow the same path as the GeForce 6600 series, which is to be bridged back to AGP later this month using NVIDIAs HSI bridge chip.

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