NVIDIA has launched a new initiative called “SFF-Ready Enthusiast GeForce Cards” to support small form factor (SFF) gaming PCs. This initiative aims to promote the use of smaller, powerful graphics cards in the PC gaming world. However, the true size of these cards and the purpose of this initiative have specific details that are worth noting.
Smaller NVIDIA Graphics Cards
Last month, leaked information suggested that NVIDIA would encourage smaller gaming PCs, leading many to imagine a small but powerful NVIDIA GPU. However, the newly announced SFF-Ready cards are not as small as some might have hoped. For instance, an RTX 4070, which is 2.5 slots thick, 304mm long, and 151mm wide, falls into this category. These dimensions are still quite large for many SFF cases.
The Purpose of the Initiative
Justin Walker, NVIDIA’s director of desktop products, summarizes the goal of this program: “Leave this much (SFF-Ready) space in your case so you can fit a graphics card like a 4080 or 4070.” This initiative is not just about the cards but also aims to enhance compatibility between cases and cards. Instead of individually checking dimensions on manufacturer websites to see if a card will fit, users can simply look for the “SFF-Ready” label to make their decisions easier.
Expectations for Card Manufacturers
Walker expressed that NVIDIA wants its partner card manufacturers to put more effort into reducing the sizes of their cards. NVIDIA’s own Founders Edition cards are usually only two slots thick. However, Walker hopes that more partner card manufacturers will produce cards in this form factor. Walker stated, “Putting a 4080 into this form factor takes a lot of work and intentional design.” Hence, NVIDIA plans to put in more effort in this direction.
Contributions of the Initiative
Although NVIDIA’s new “SFF-Ready” initiative may not revolutionize small form factor cases, it will contribute to the proliferation of smaller gaming PCs. By improving compatibility between graphics cards and cases, it aims to make users’ lives easier. Moreover, only RTX 4070 or higher cards are included in this program, meaning lower-performance cards do not fall into this category.
Conclusion
NVIDIA’s “SFF-Ready Enthusiast GeForce Cards” initiative could help popularize small gaming PCs. This initiative will make it easier for users to find smaller, compatible graphics cards and optimize their gaming experiences. What are your thoughts on these new cards and cases? Don’t forget to share your opinions with us!
