Nvidia is planning to broaden its NV40-based GeForce 6800 line in a bid to compete more effectively with products based on ATI's R420 chip, which is expected to launch today as the Radeon X800 Pro.

According to a company presentation foil posted (http://www.computerbase.de/bild/news/7597/1/) at German site ComputerBase, Nvidia is planning to add a GeForce 6800 GT to its product line, filling a gap between the already launched 6800 and 6800 Ultra.

Like the Ultra, the GT features 16 pixel pipelines - the vanilla 6800 has 12. However, the GT will sport lower core and memory clock frequencies than the top-end chip, and lower average board prices as a result.

While the Ultra runs at 400MHz, with memory clocked to 1.1GHz, the GT is set at 350MHz and 1GHz, respectively. Both will ship on cards with 256MB of GDDR 3 SDRAM.

The foil reveals that the GeForce 6800 is clocked at 325MHz while its 128MB of DDR SDRAM runs at 700MHz. It also leaves room for a 375MHz part between the GT and the Ultra.

Nvidia has already said boards based on the GeForce 6800 and 6800 Ultra will ship for around $299 and $499, respectively. That suggests a $399 price point for the GT, if the slide information is accurate. ®

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