Graphics expert Nvidia is reported to launch its first GeForce 9 series graphics processor, the GeForce 9600 GT (G94) on February 21st. The new chip is built on the 65-nanometer process node and will be manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

The 9600 GT graphics processor aims at the mid-range market and comes with 64 processing units and 256-bit memory bus width. The new specifications double the performance of the previous 8600 GTS cards, that came with 32 stream processors and a 128-bit memory interface. However, sources located at the graphics cards manufacturers reported that the real performance gain is situated at a value of only 40 percent as compared to the 8600 GTS chips.

The new graphics processor will come with Dual-Streaming Decode technology. That allows the graphics card to simultaneously decode two high-definition video streams. It also offers picture-in-picture functionality that should come in handy for the users who are obsessed with multitasking even while they are watching TV.

The GeForce 9600 GT-based graphics cards will hit the market with an estimative price tag of $169-189. According to the same sources, the older 8600GTS-based graphics cards will be adjusted to fit a retail price of $139-149.

Some graphics cards manufacturers are rumored to delay the introduction of the GeForce 9600 graphics cards by two or three weeks, as a result of a bug in the initial 9600 chips that affects the GPU's power management capabilities. Despite the fact that the chip manufacturer has already fixed the glitch, the graphics cards manufacturers will need to update their designs.

This is not the only delay in Nvidia's product line. The chip manufacturer's high-end graphics card, the GeForce 9800 GX2, has been delayed yet again until next month. Slated for launch in mid-February, the dual-chip graphics card has been repeatedly delayed on different grounds.