192 stream processors or 216 stream processors ? To have, or not to have, that is the question. Nvidia recently released their improved version of the GTX 260, but partners are not buying into it right now.

The improved version of the card was part of an attempt to offer a product that would indisputably better compared to an offer from their direct competitor, ATI – with the 4870 graphics card. The new core does have its advantages over the old version, but many manufacturers have decided to stick with the older version for now.

The original GTX 260 with 192 stream processors (SP) has 64 texture units (TU), 28 render back ends (RBE) and 896MB of GDDR3. The new GTX 260 with 216 stream processors comes with 72 texture units and 30 render back ends and the same 896 MB of GDDR3. There is a performance increase, but nothing substantial. Nvidia even maintained the price model of the original 260.

Although the attempt was a good one, many of the leading suppliers of Nvidia based cards such as Asustek, Gainward, MicroStar International and Leadtek Research, still do not sell graphics cards based on the new 216SP core. According to market sources, many companies have too many of the 192SP based boards available in stock right now – they would have to be unloaded first before even considering another model with the same name with technical differences. Suppliers also do not think the performance increase is enough to warrant hopping on board just yet.

So it looks as though it could be a while before we see a lot of the 216SP core 260s floating around. More than likely, by the time it is stocked regularly, Nvidia will have something else newer at for the same segment.