What are re-brands?
There are some cases where nVidia takes a certain model of its current generation, and re-releases it under a different name to allow it to fit into it's next generation line-up.
The problem is, is that people can't decide what a "rebrand" really is. Some people call just the re-use of a chip a rebrand, while others call 100% identical cards rebrands. Let's break it down.
Okay, I see what that is. So what cards are seen today that are twins with other cards by a different name?
So what cards aren't rebrands, or related?
Unfortunately, all this rebrand confusion has brought on a lot of nonsense that every 9xxx series card is a direct rebrand of the 8xxx card of the similar name. This simply just isn't true. For example, people would call a 9600GT a rebranded 8600GT. This is completely false. They are completely unrelated in every aspect, and a 9600GT would outperform a 8600GT five-fold. Except for the listed above, this holds true for any other cards. Some might also dispute mentioning the differences between the G80 and G92 8800GTS' here, I'll tell you why I did. There's been threads where people would try to get opinions on a new card. Let's say they currently have a 8800GTS 320MB (G80). Someone would suggest a GTS 250, and someone else would dispute "No, don't get the GTS 250, it's a rebrand of the card you have now, they're the same thing!", which isn't true.
But I thought a GTS 250 was a rebranded 9800GTX+ which was a rebranded 8800GTS?
NO! While they follow the same bloodline, they are not linear! You wouldn't call your cousin your twin, would you?
For more insight on this accusation, please read G92 for Dummies (no offense towards the name).
There are some cases where nVidia takes a certain model of its current generation, and re-releases it under a different name to allow it to fit into it's next generation line-up.
The problem is, is that people can't decide what a "rebrand" really is. Some people call just the re-use of a chip a rebrand, while others call 100% identical cards rebrands. Let's break it down.
Okay, I see what that is. So what cards are seen today that are twins with other cards by a different name?
- 8800GT --> 9800GTThe 8800GT was the first of the G92 chip in the 8xxx series. It was brought over to the 9xxx series as the 9800GT as a straight-up rebrand, and the die of the G92 was shrunken to the G92b, a 55nm version of the G92 for lower power, higher clocks, and theoretically more overclocking potential.
- 8800GS --> 9600GSO (G92)Unfortunately, there are two cards named the "9600GSO". One with a G92 chip, and one with a G94 chip, like the 9600GT. The G92 chip version is a straight rebrand of the 8800GS. The G94 chip version was released afterwords, except it compared poorly to it's G92 cousin, considering it had half the shaders of the G92 version and dramatically cut down the overall performance of the card. More of the comparison between the two can be seen here.
- 8800GTS (G80) ~ 8800GTS (G92)These cards are NOT rebrands. There are two 8800GTS' on the market, one with a G92 chip and one with a G80 chip. The G80 can be easily identified by having either 320MB of memory, or 640MB. The G92 likewise can be identified by having 512MB of memory. People tend to mistake the two, calling a 9800GTX a rebranded 8800GTS 320MB, which is false as they're different chips.
- 8800GTS (G92) --> 9800GTXThese cards were released after the 8800GT with the new G92 chip that the 8800GT used. They are a linear rebrand, except the 9800GTX has faster memory and bumped clocks.
- 9800GTX --> 9800GTX+
Later on, the 9800GTX was given a die shrink to 55nm (the G92b chip) and was called the 9800GTX+, with higher clocks and lower power consumption than the 9800GTX. This isn't a rebrand, but should be pointed out separately because it has been labeled as a rebrand before.
- 9800GTX+ --> GTS 250The GTS 250 shares the same G92 chip as the 9800GTX+, and they are brothers in design. The GTS 250 is called a rebrand of the 9800GTX+, but to its defense the GTS 250 has a smaller and differently designed PCB, lower power consumption, a 1GB memory standard.
- 8400GS --> 9300GSThese cards are a direct, identical rebrand.
- GeForce G 210 --> GeForce G 310
Same deal here, they are an identical rebrandment. - 9800GT --> GTS 240 [OEM Only]
The GTS 240 is an OEM-only rebrand of the 9800GT.
So what cards aren't rebrands, or related?
Unfortunately, all this rebrand confusion has brought on a lot of nonsense that every 9xxx series card is a direct rebrand of the 8xxx card of the similar name. This simply just isn't true. For example, people would call a 9600GT a rebranded 8600GT. This is completely false. They are completely unrelated in every aspect, and a 9600GT would outperform a 8600GT five-fold. Except for the listed above, this holds true for any other cards. Some might also dispute mentioning the differences between the G80 and G92 8800GTS' here, I'll tell you why I did. There's been threads where people would try to get opinions on a new card. Let's say they currently have a 8800GTS 320MB (G80). Someone would suggest a GTS 250, and someone else would dispute "No, don't get the GTS 250, it's a rebrand of the card you have now, they're the same thing!", which isn't true.
But I thought a GTS 250 was a rebranded 9800GTX+ which was a rebranded 8800GTS?
NO! While they follow the same bloodline, they are not linear! You wouldn't call your cousin your twin, would you?
For more insight on this accusation, please read G92 for Dummies (no offense towards the name).
