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Nvidia GeForce 20 Series

The Nvidia GeForce 20 series is a family of graphics processing units (GPUs) developed by Nvidia. Serving as the successor to the GeForce 10 series, the 20 series marked a significant advancement in GPU technology, introducing several groundbreaking features and technologies that have since become industry standards.

Introduction and Announcement

Nvidia teased the announcement of the first card in the 20 series, the GeForce RTX 2080, on August 14, 2018, shortly after introducing the Turing architecture at SIGGRAPH earlier that year. The GeForce 20 series was officially announced at Gamescom on August 20, 2018. The series became the first line of graphics cards designed to handle real-time ray tracing, thanks to the inclusion of dedicated tensor and RT cores.

Turing Architecture

The GeForce 20 series is based on Nvidia's Turing architecture, named after the renowned mathematician and logician Alan Turing. The Turing architecture represents a significant leap from the previous Pascal architecture, introducing new technologies such as real-time ray tracing and artificial intelligence-powered features.

Key Features

  1. Ray Tracing (RT Cores): Ray tracing is a rendering technique that simulates the way light interacts with objects, producing highly realistic lighting effects. The Turing architecture includes dedicated RT cores to accelerate ray tracing tasks, making the GeForce RTX series the first consumer GPUs capable of real-time ray tracing.

  2. Tensor Cores: Tensor cores are specialized processing units designed for artificial intelligence and deep learning tasks. These cores accelerate operations used in AI-powered features, such as DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), which uses machine learning to enhance image quality and improve performance.

  3. Advanced Shaders: Turing GPUs include new advanced shaders, which allow for more complex and detailed visual effects, enhancing the overall graphical fidelity of games and applications.

  4. NVLink: Turing-based GPUs support NVLink, a high-speed interconnect technology that enables faster communication between multiple GPUs, improving performance in multi-GPU configurations.

Product Lineup

The GeForce 20 series includes several models, each targeting different segments of the market. Key models in the series include:

  • GeForce RTX 2080 Ti: The flagship model, offering the highest performance and featuring the most advanced version of the Turing architecture.
  • GeForce RTX 2080: A high-end model, providing excellent performance for gaming and professional applications.
  • GeForce RTX 2070: A mid-range model, offering a balance between performance and affordability.
  • GeForce RTX 2060: An entry-level model in the RTX lineup, providing ray tracing capabilities at a more accessible price point.

SUPER Variants

In July 2019, Nvidia introduced the "SUPER" variants of the GeForce 20 series. These models, such as the RTX 2060 SUPER and RTX 2070 SUPER, offered improved specifications and performance at similar price points to their predecessors.

Impact and Legacy

The GeForce 20 series set a new standard for GPU technology, particularly with the introduction of real-time ray tracing and AI-powered features. These advancements have had a lasting impact on the gaming and professional graphics industries, pushing developers to create more visually stunning and realistic experiences.

The GeForce 20 series was succeeded by the GeForce 30 series, which further built upon the innovations introduced in the Turing architecture.

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