What should nVidia have called it? I'm not saying GF4 is right, but what else? Calling them GF2s, the most accurate description, will make them bomb. Calling them GF3s would mean either naming them accurately as Ti150 thus not selling any or for marketing as Ti600 and getting the same complaints.
They really need a different name for the budget cards, like Athlon and Duron. Maybe, instead of GeForce, they should call the MX440 and MX460* the GeeThisSucksForce card. I've seen a number of people buying the GF4 MX440 and thinking they got a really great card.
* The MX460 is nearly as crap as the MX440, right?
I was thinking of buying a GF4 Ti4600 as my current card is somewhat old ... now I'm not sure, although at the rate I upgrade, JC is right to point out that a newer nVidia card will be out so I might as well be realilistic and face the fact that I will upgrade now *and* then no matter what my common sense tells me to do.
EDIT: More about names.
I don't think they will keep their GPUs in line with Intels Pentium number. In fact I believe them when they say there won't be a GeForce 5 (that is what they said, right?). Gfx cards have become the single most new and flashy upgrade for a computer and as a result, the branding as to be flashy. I think the GeForce name is running out of steam and, while considered the industry standard to which everything else is compared, it will go. The next nVidia card (bar future souped up GF4s) will probably have a new brand name along with massive marketing for it to keep their product range fresh. GeForce? Old news. Much like MS Windows has gone from 1,2,3, to 95,98,2000 to ME, XP. OK, they've kept the Windows name, but that's such a widely known program that they will keep it for a lot longer and just freshen up the ending. GeForce isn't as well known and is mainly known around people who will see the ads, are used to changing from TnT to GeForce and can adjust to a new name with the same company behind it.
They might release more in the GF range but not with a bland, old 5 or 6 in front of it. They could go for big numbers, but that might not happen for a while because they can either sound inferior to the Rad8500 or have numbers that are too huge to sound at all sensible. The other route is to put cool letters - I wouldn't have been surprised to see the GF3 or GF4 called the GeForce XP. They could go this route for a while, or they might completely change the product line's name. Who knows? nVidia's marketing department, that's who.
Cheers,
Xain
War isn't about who's right, its about who's left.
This comment was edited on Feb 11, 18:25.