The way graphics cards are named varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, with NVIDIA and AMD being two of the most well-known graphics card manufacturers in the market. Their naming strategy is designed to reflect the performance level, series, and generation of the graphics card to help consumers understand the positioning of each product. Here's a general overview of how NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards are named:
NVIDIA's graphics often start with the "GeForce" brand, followed by the series name (e.g., GTX, RTX) and a numeric codename. For example, RTX 3080:
geforce: NVIDIA's brand of graphics cards.
rtx/gtx: The name of the series, the RTX series supports ray tracing, while the GTX is an early or non-ray tracing series.
The first number (3).: Represents the generation of the graphics card, the higher the number, the newer the generation.
The following number (080).: Indicates the performance level of the graphics card in the series, the higher the number, the more powerful the performance.
ti: Indicates that the performance is stronger than that of the non-TI version of the same series.
super: Usually indicates a higher performance than the original and ti versions, or an improved version in between.
AMD displays often start with the "Radeon" brand, followed by the series name (e.g., RX) and a numeric codename. For example, the Radeon RX 6800 XT:
radeon: AMD's graphics card brand.
rx: The name of the series, which indicates the high-performance graphics family.
The first number (6).: Represents the generation of the graphics card, the higher the number, the newer the generation.
The following number (800).: Indicates the performance level of the graphics card in the series, the higher the number, the more powerful the performance.
xt/xtx: Indicates a version with higher performance, and XTX is generally more powerful than XT.
The naming strategy of a graphics card is designed to provide visual information about the performance and features of a graphics card through a combination of brand, series, generation, and performance level. Understanding these naming conventions can help consumers make more informed decisions when making purchases. However, in addition to the naming, looking at detailed specs and performance reviews is also an important consideration when choosing a graphics card.