Nvidia Pushes Back 9800GTX+

The latest word from our eastern friends is that the 9800GTX+ has been delayed by 2 weeks. Nvidia launched the 9800GTX+ exactly the day AMD launched their 4850. The difference between the launches was that Nvidia was soft launching with the street date of July 16, which gave the 4850 one month of zero competition.

After taking a beating at the stock market, slashing prices, being accused of cheating & getting sued by Rambus comes this news to compound Nvidia's worries. While a 2 week delay might not seem significant, it was one of the few key things Nvidia was counting on to go right. The reason seems to be improper allocation of 55nm wafers at TSMC. The volume for a $199 part (compared to a $299 one) is higher and Nvidia is likely ramping up to reflect this change in roadmap. Until then, partners have to counter the 4850 (already at $159.99) with OC versions of the 9800GTX albiet at very slim profits.

This situation is very reminiscent of the 9600 v 5600 midrange duel, where Nvidia needed a shrink (5700 Ultra) in order to be competitive, while the situation is not as bad its just that we've witnessed such a situation after 8 years. Fierce competition is good for consumers and vendors too, remember the follow up to that by Nvidia; 6600GT was one of the best midrange cards of all time. Hopefully Nvidia recovers from these hiccups and gives a better fight in the latter half of this year.

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