Twenty-five years ago, NVIDIA introduced the world’s first GPU, the GeForce 256, and today the company is the GPU leader.
NVIDIA’s GPU journey began with the GeForce 256, which celebrates its 25th anniversary today
In 1999, the PC gaming market lacked a dedicated solution to meet the growing needs of gamers. Before GPUs became a household name, add-in solutions were called 3D gaming and video accelerators and included things like Riva TNT and 3dfx Voodoo3. The launch of the GeForce 256 changed the entire industry forever.
In the 25 years since the GeForce 256 was released, the world of 3D graphics has evolved tremendously. PC gaming has become increasingly complex and accessible to all kinds of enthusiasts. But perhaps none of this would have happened without the early innovations of that product, which was launched in the fall of 1999. I was lucky enough to have access to that product. For 25 years, NVIDIA has been able to continue the tradition that began with the GeForce 256, the first GPU in the GeForce family.
Via NVIDIA
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the GeForce 256 GPU, NVIDIA is showcasing a retro-themed PC inspired by the 1999-2000 era, featuring an RTX 4080 SUPER, Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU . These PCs are being offered as part of a contest hosted by NVIDIA on various social channels including TikTok, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
GeForce 256 is also the first fully functional dedicated GPU with T&L (hardware translation and lighting). This significantly improves performance for games that use OpenGL renderers, such as Quake III. The GeForce 256 could process at least 10 million polygons per second. This reduces CPU load and allows developers to integrate more polygons into their games without stressing the CPU.
Popular shooter games such as Quake III Arena and UT (Unreal Tournament) and the performance provided by NVIDIA GeForce 256 in these titles have contributed to their success, with over 1 million units sold in the first few months of release. It became a reason. This was a pivotal moment for the Green Team, which gave NVIDIA early recognition in the industry.
NVIDIA has had its ups and downs since then, but right now, there’s no doubt that NVIDIA is the GPU leader. The company has undergone a major transformation from being seen as a hardware provider to being seen as a software enabler and, more recently, as a server provider. The GeForce brand has undergone a major transition from GeForce GT, GTS, GTX, and now RTX branding. The company’s next frontier is AI-accelerated computing, and we’re already seeing a large influx of AI technology from the company, delivered in both consumer and enterprise-grade solutions.
The road ahead looks very exciting, with AI being the next major step for GPUs, and NVIDIA is driving the path to the future. It all started with the world’s first GPU, the GeForce 256.
NVIDIA GeForce past and present
NameGeForce 256GeForce RTX 4090 ArchitectureCelsiusAda Lovelace Process NodeTSMC 220nmTSMC 4N Transistors17 Million 763 Billion GPU Core 4 Pixel Shader 16384 CUDA GPU Clock 120 MHz2520 MHz Memory Bus 128 Bit 384 Bit Memory Type SDR/DDRGDDR6X Memory Capacity 32 MB24 GB Memory Bandwidth 4.8 GB/s 1001 GB/s TDP50W 450W Interface AGP 4xPCIe x16 Price $199 $1599 Release December 1999 October 2022
