Nvidia launches retro GPU giveaway ahead of CES

Editor’s take: In a nostalgic nod to its roots forward of CES 2025, Nvidia has launched a giveaway marketing campaign providing followers an opportunity to win 5 iconic GPUs from its storied historical past. The primary prize is the groundbreaking GeForce 256, usually hailed because the world’s first GPU – a time period that Nvidia outlined and popularized. Whereas some could view this as a advertising ploy, the attraction of proudly owning a bit of PC gaming historical past signed by one of many business’s most influential figures is simple.

The GeForce Greats competitors kicked off with a submit on X as Nvidia unveiled a framed GeForce 256 graphics card, full with its unique field, bearing the signature of CEO Jensen Huang. This piece of computing historical past, courting again to 1999, marks the start of Nvidia’s pc graphics journey.

Whereas the corporate has stored the identities of the 4 remaining GPUs beneath wraps, hypothesis is rife amongst tech fanatics. Many predict that the legendary GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, launched in 2017 and nonetheless revered for its efficiency, may be among the many prizes. Nvidia plans to disclose one GPU per day within the lead-up to Jensen Huang’s CES opening keynote.

Participation within the giveaway is simple: followers are invited to remark #GeForceGreats on Nvidia’s social media thread and share their fondest gaming recollections. This engagement technique not solely generates buzz but additionally faucets into the nostalgia that many PC avid gamers maintain for these traditional playing cards.

The timing of this promotion isn’t any accident. With CES 2025 on the horizon, Nvidia is drumming up pleasure for its upcoming bulletins, together with the much-anticipated GeForce RTX 50 sequence. The corporate can be planning a 48-hour gaming marathon from January 4th to sixth, additional fueling the hype for its CES presentation.

This giveaway is greater than only a journey down reminiscence lane; it is a celebration of Nvidia’s impression on the gaming business.

The GeForce 256, for instance, which was constructed on TSMC’s 220nm course of node and featured a 139mm² chip with 17 million transistors, boasted a number of superior options for its time. It revolutionized PC gaming by providing considerably improved efficiency and visible high quality, offering as much as 50% or higher enchancment in body charges in comparison with earlier high-end 3D sport accelerators. In the end, it set a brand new normal for graphics processing, influencing the event of subsequent GPUs.

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, launched in March 2017, additionally stands as a landmark achievement within the historical past of pc graphics. The cardboard’s capacity to deal with 4K gaming and help for superior applied sciences like VR and Nvidia G-Sync was hailed by avid gamers. What actually set the GTX 1080 Ti aside, although, was its price-to-performance ratio. Retailed for $699, it supplied Titan X-level efficiency for almost half the associated fee. This aggressive pricing technique disrupted the high-end GPU market and put strain on opponents like AMD, which was struggling to match Nvidia’s efficiency on the prime finish.