Nvidia will not be supporting the Vulkan API on GTX 400 and 500 Series GPUs

Nvidia will not be supporting the Vulkan API on GTX 400 and 500 Series GPUs

 

Nvidia will not be supporting the Vulkan API on GTX 400 and 500 Series GPUs, stating that supporting it is not an “Engineering Issue” but an “install base issue”, meaning that Nvidia do not think that enough people own GTX 400 or 500 series products to justify supporting the new Vulkan API on them. 

One thing to note here is that AMD will not be supporting the Vulkan API on Pre-GCN GPUs, which considering the fact that the GCN architecture and the GTX 600 series launched at the same time means that both brands have just as many generations of Vulkan compatible GPUs as each other. 

Below is a quote from an Nvidia representative answering a question at a Khronos Group Vulkan API Webinar, confirming that the GTX 400 and 500 series would not support the new API. The video of this Webinar is shown below, but you will need to move to 46:24 to get to this specific question. 

 

  We are currently not planning to support for 4-500 class GPUs, it is not an engineering issue but an install base issue.

If that causes you pain please contact your local Nvidia representative and let them know. 

 

 

The Vulkan API is a very important step for the Khronis Group, already providing a great performance increase when compared to OpenGL in our early testing in The Talos Principle with Early GPU drivers. 

It is not unexpected to see Nvidia not bringing Vulkan support to GTX 500 and 400 series GPUs, as supporting these GPUs will add a lot of extra development time for Nvidia with no financial incentive, given that none of these GPUs are currently for sale anymore. 

Both AMD and Nvidia support Vulkan on any of their GPUs that were released in 2012 or later, with AMD supporting all products using their GCN architecture and Nvidia supporting it on their GTX 600 series or newer products.  

 

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