Nvidia's latest ForceWare driver beta release has added weight to speculation that the company is preparing to release a mainstream desktop GeForce 7 series part.

A peek within the driver package, version 81.87, reveals a reference to a chip called the GeForce 7800GS, according to an Anandtech report.

The 7800GS is expected to be a mainstream-oriented part that will sit below the 7800GT, which Nvidia released this past August. It is likely to be priced in the $200-300 range.

The story also claims Nvidia is preparing a 512MB version of the 7800GTX, though it doesn't provide any direct evidence for it. However, we note the driver mentions the G73, a GeForce 7 series part, and that may well be what Anandtech has in mind.

The report also mentions a "mystery product" dubbed the GeForce 6150, but we'd note that's the integrated North Bridge formerly known by its codename, 'C51'. However, the driver also mentions the 6250 - a more advanced integrated graphics engine, or the successor to the budget-priced 6200 graphics chip line? There's also a reference to a 6700 part and the elusive NV48 chip.

Nvidia last week launched the GeForce Go 7300 mobile GPU, pitched at multimedia-oriented thin'n'light laptops. The part was pre-announced by Nvidia's first customer for the chip, Asus. ®