Rumor no more: Nvidia GeForce 9800GX2 details emerge

Did you hear that? Jaws from just about every part of the globe dropped in unison. But we suppose the chins slammed to floors first in Taiwan, where the first images and initial specifications of the long-rumored NVIDIA GeForce 9800 card erupted. Need to know more? Head on over to full story, but if you’ve just spent your last savings on a GeForce 8xxx series card last Christmas, the experience may be tear-inducing.

Perhaps the hottest news on the hardware scene involves one little puppy you wish you could take home: the NVIDIA GeForce 9800GX2. Details and seemingly final prototype images of the long-awaited graphics card just emerged from correspondents in Taiwan, and the specifications are beginning to clue in on a new trend for NVIDIA: dual GPU cards.

You heard that right: the 9800GX2 is in every way similar to the former DX9 card offering of the multinational graphics manufacturer. Like the 7950GX2, the 9800GX2 integrates two graphics processor units (GPUs) in one card, but the new one comes coupled with 1 GB of GDDR3 RAM – split down to 512 MB per GPU. The 9800GX2, however, kicks off from the next-generation of DX10 cards, the 8xxx series, and is claimed to be at least 30% faster than a single 8800 Ultra at stock settings.

What’s even more is that the 9800GX2 finally integrates HDMI native interface – a feature that some enthusiasts wished their 8800GTX’s carried – together with digital out and the 8800’s dual DVI outputs. Unfortunately, the card still occupies two expansion slots and is much bulkier than a decked out 8800 Ultra (images can be found at the Via link below).

There have been no confirmation of quad-SLI support, but as more details are expected to spill at 2008’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) starting on January 7, we’re about to find out. The 9800GX2 is anticipated to be NVIDIA’s solid answer to ATi‘s recent unveiling of the X3800 series. Revel more in the world of bleeding-edge graphics technology as they come in.