Nvidia's first GPU: GeForce 256

Nvidia released the GeForce 256 on October 11, 1999, marketing it as the first GPU, though the concept of offloading graphics processing from the CPU existed earlier with competitors like 3dfx and the Commodore Amiga. The GeForce 256 proved particularly beneficial for budget-conscious gamers with low-end CPUs like Celerons, and Nvidia's subsequent GPU releases helped establish the company's dominance in the graphics card market. Nvidia's early survival was secured by a $5 million investment from Sega in 1996 when the company ran out of money during a failed Dreamcast chip project, ultimately enabling Nvidia to eventually acquire 3dfx's assets and become the industry leader.