Nvidia Pascal GPU to use 2nd-gen High Bandwidth Memory, launch first half of 2016, report says

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Graphics-intensive tasks such as computer gaming require high speeds and quick memory features. The current memory architecture for GPUs is the GDDR5.

However, Nvidia hopes to open a whole new level of GPU architecture when it launches the Pascal graphics lineup next year. Reportedly, the new Nvidia Pascal GPUs will use second-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM).

According Digital Trends, HBMs were first used by AMD for their Fiji XT-based Fury GPUs. However, although the architecture did manage to raise the bar in terms of bandwidth speed, the cards remained limited due to the low number of gigabytes that can be accommodated on the board itself.

Nvidia seems to have solved the problem, as the industry follower reported that the second-gen HBM architecture for the Pascal can use as much as 16 GB of high-speed memory per board. The technology also offers blazing speeds as in addition to high-capacity levels, the Nvidia Pascal GPUs will have excess bandwidth speed of at least a terabyte per second.

Meanwhile, as to when the Pascal GPU lineups will ship out to consumers, WCCTech reported that the graphics cards were already spotted being tested at Nvidia's testing sites in India. The industry follower added that this means that the 2016 expected release date is still on track, and market introduction may be expected in the first half of next year.

Meanwhile, as fans expect Nvidia to introduce the Pascal GPU lineup as a high-end graphics component, Vine Report deduced that it won't be long before another competitor, AMD, comes out with its own graphics card upgrade, also with a 2016 release. The industry follower added that there are already rumors of AMD readying its own take on a top-tier GPU, with the boards speculated to be coming out under a lineup dubbed Zen.