NVIDIA teaser hints at potential August 31 Ampere GPU launch

NVIDIA’s Ampere-based GeForce RTX 3000-series GPUs could be just around the corner.

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What you need to know

It appears we’re very close to hearing aboutNVIDIA’snext-gen graphics cards. The company’s official GeForce Twitter account today began teasingsomethingfor August 31, changing its header to say “21 days. 21 years.” That aligns with August 31, which marks the twenty-first anniversary since the launch of the GeForce 256.

The August 31 date could also hint at the official launch of Ampere, NVIDIA’s next-gen graphics architecture. Rumors have been circulating that Ampere is close to launch, and graphics card shortages appear to back that up. It would also jive with the intensity with which NVIDIA is hyping up this anniversary.

AsCNET notes, other rumors have indicated Ampere GPUs could represent a massive performance increase over the current crop of GeForce RTX 2000-series GPUs. Performance increases on the level of around 31 percent and up to four times greater ray tracing performance are said to be on deck.

It’ll be a busy rest of the year for GPUs. AMD is also cooking up its “Big Navi” GPUs for later this year, while Intel is set to show off work on its Xe graphics platform this week.

Of course, as with any new launch, expect pricing to be expensive for a while. If you’re in the market for a GPU, check out our pick forbest graphics cardavailable right now.

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Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter@DthorpLand Instagram@heyitsdtl.