Uttar has posted some information over at Beyond3D about Nvidia's upcoming NV40! Here's a snip.
I'd just like to post a (originally short, now long) summary post of the current information, reliable or not, we have regarding the NV4x's "pipeline" technology. None of this information is guaranteed at all; and it's likely at least some of it, if not all of it, is wrong. IMO, though, it's the more logical and up-to-date info you'll find Most of it has already been posted at nV News in the NV40 thread.
To start simple, the NV41 will be marketed as a 6 pipelines design; as the NV4x technology assumes usage of the FP units for part of the texture addressing, each "pipeline" will have to be able to access to 2 texture lookup units; otherwise, half of this FP unit would be wasted. Also, considering NVIDIA has the technology to "double" "pipelines" (2x2->4x1 for the NV31/NV34, for example) by what some people call "double-pumping", and NVIDIA's marketing practices, it seems logical it is only a "6 pipelines" design in that specific peak case; the logical conclusion of these conditions means the NV41 is a 3x2/6x1, just like the NV31 was a 2x2/4x1.
NV40: 6x2/12x1/8x2/16x1? Meh. Summary of what I believe
I'd just like to post a (originally short, now long) summary post of the current information, reliable or not, we have regarding the NV4x's "pipeline" technology. None of this information is guaranteed at all; and it's likely at least some of it, if not all of it, is wrong. IMO, though, it's the more logical and up-to-date info you'll find Most of it has already been posted at nV News in the NV40 thread.
To start simple, the NV41 will be marketed as a 6 pipelines design; as the NV4x technology assumes usage of the FP units for part of the texture addressing, each "pipeline" will have to be able to access to 2 texture lookup units; otherwise, half of this FP unit would be wasted. Also, considering NVIDIA has the technology to "double" "pipelines" (2x2->4x1 for the NV31/NV34, for example) by what some people call "double-pumping", and NVIDIA's marketing practices, it seems logical it is only a "6 pipelines" design in that specific peak case; the logical conclusion of these conditions means the NV41 is a 3x2/6x1, just like the NV31 was a 2x2/4x1.
NV40: 6x2/12x1/8x2/16x1? Meh. Summary of what I believe
