Sick of having to support umpteen names for the one card.
NVIDIA have been guilty of renaming their G92-based cores from the 9x00 series in the mobile department, to the Gxx0 series - even though they're the same core.
All signs had pointed to them wanting to do exactly the same in the desktop space too - changing the 9800GT's name to GTS240.
The 9800GT is actually a 55nm revision of the same core used in the 8800GT, making the potential GTS240 a superfluous name change that wouldn't give any performance increase, and only serve to bump up sales as less informed people snap up the 'new' cards.
As sick as we are of this dodgyness, the vendors are sick of it too - not only do they have to make the cards proper, but all the packaging and discounting of the older names mean that their profits fall sharply.
They kicked up a stink about it, and NVIDIA finally agreed to give it a rest, instead splitting the 9800GT into three SKUs; the standard one, a Green version with lower core voltage and power consumption, and an overclocked model.
Haed to TechConnect to read a little more, but really it's a good sign that partners aren't happy - NVIDIA might clean up their act just that little bit faster.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012