NVIDIA's next-gen GeForce Ampere GPUs may arrive August 31, teaser hints

NVIDIA's Ampere-based GeForce RTX 3000-series GPUs could be just around the corner.

What you need to know

• An NVIDIA teaser hints that its Ampere GPU launch could be nearly here.
• The GeForce Twitter account's header now says "21 days. 21 years." alongside the #Ultimatecountdown hashtag.
• August 31 marks the twenty-first anniversary of NVIDIA's GeForce 256, and it could mark the launch of next-gen Ampere GPUs.

It appears we're very close to hearing about NVIDIA's next-gen graphics cards. The company's official GeForce Twitter account today began teasing something for August 31, changing its header to say "21 days. 21 years." That aligns with August 31, which marks the twenty-first anniversary since the launch of the GeForce 256.

The August 31 date could also hint at the official launch of Ampere, NVIDIA's next-gen graphics architecture. Rumors have been circulating that Ampere is close to launch, and graphics card shortages appear to back that up. It would also jive with the intensity with which NVIDIA is hyping up this anniversary.

As CNET notes, other rumors have indicated Ampere GPUs could represent a massive performance increase over the current crop of GeForce RTX 2000-series GPUs. Performance increases on the level of around 31 percent and up to four times greater ray tracing performance are said to be on deck.

It'll be a busy rest of the year for GPUs. AMD is also cooking up its "Big Navi" GPUs for later this year, while Intel is set to show off work on its Xe graphics platform this week.

Of course, as with any new launch, expect pricing to be expensive for a while. If you're in the market for a graphics card now, we have a list of some of the best graphics cards to check out right now.