NVIDIA used its Facebook page late this week to offer a teaser for what’s likely its next-generation, dual-chip graphics hardware. Although the text only shows that “it’s coming,” traces of a thick card with two sets of heatsinks point to it being a higher-end board rather than a mid-range model. With the GTX 680 already out, the component is likely to ba called the GTX 690.
If going by the history of the GTX 590, the 690 would be a slightly downscaled version of the single-chip board, with lower clock speeds on each chip and possibly fewer visual effects cores. Its advantage would come from built-in SLI that makes the two cards act as one and perform much faster than what any one-processor equivalent can.
NVIDIA hasn’t given clues as to the release date or price. A teaser hints that any launch is getting close, possibly by the middle of next week. The $500 asking price of the GTX 680 could point to the 690 costing $600 or more.
