AMD: R9xx Speculation

[gkar1]

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110225PD207.html

Affected by the rise in APUs (IGP packaged with the CPU). AMD and Nvidia are both seeing dropping demand in the entry-level graphics card market and therefore are shifting their focus toward performance and high-end markets.

AMD is literally selling out their APUs all over the world yet they are "affected" by it so they shift focus toward performance and high-end markets by delaying their high-end product one month. Fudzilla writes less nonsense than this and that's saying a lot.

 

[eastmen]

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110225PD207.html

AMD is literally selling out their APUs all over the world yet they are "affected" by it so they shift focus toward performance and high-end markets by delaying their high-end product one month. Fudzilla writes less nonsense than this and that's saying a lot.

I'm sure it is. Of course they make money on the apu but they are selling a cpu + gpu for $40 or so bucks instead of a cpu for $40 and a gpu for $40. So in a way it can be hurting them. They just have to dump old stock and focust on the $100 and up market imo

 

[neliz]

I'm sure it is. Of course they make money on the apu but they are selling a cpu + gpu for $40 or so bucks instead of a cpu for $40 and a gpu for $40. So in a way it can be hurting them. They just have to dump old stock and focust on the $100 and up market imo

it's not hurting them as it means their competitors aren't selling a CPU, chipset or GPU in that product.

Right now AMD's priority should be market share.

 

[rpg.314]

I'm sure it is. Of course they make money on the apu but they are selling a cpu + gpu for $40 or so bucks instead of a cpu for $40 and a gpu for $40. So in a way it can be hurting them. They just have to dump old stock and focust on the $100 and up market imo

It can't be hurting them. They are selling into a market they previously had no products in. I can't see how that is anything but good for them.

 

[Blazkowicz]

would that be a reason for not launching a 3GHz desktop version?

 

[Squilliam]

I'm sure it is. Of course they make money on the apu but they are selling a cpu + gpu for $40 or so bucks instead of a cpu for $40 and a gpu for $40. So in a way it can be hurting them. They just have to dump old stock and focust on the $100 and up market imo

Do you really think they make $40 on a $40 GPU once you take out AIB partner margins, manufacturing cost incl board, components and RAM, shipping and other fees?

Do you also think they would pursue this market if they couldn't sell their APU with > margins than the cost of a CPU and GPU separate? You must also take into account with an APU they have to fab only the one chip. It is a competitive advantage compared to Intel and Nvidia which means they can command higher prices.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Aye, I'm pretty sure the 5450 GPU doesn't sell for 40 USD since the entire card is selling for ~40 USD right now.

Regards,
SB

 

[Squilliam]

Aye, I'm pretty sure the 5450 GPU doesn't sell for 40 USD since the entire card is selling for ~40 USD right now.

Regards,
SB

We also don't know how much the Fusion APU is selling for either as it isn't available at retail. For all we know it could cost more than a 5450 and equivalent CPU combined but with even higher margins again due to efficiencies in production.

 

[onethreehill]

AMD Radeon HD 6990 dual-GPU graphics card officially outed.
The fierce competition between AMD and NVIDIA is about to get spicier with the introduction of genuinely high-end graphics cards from both companies.

In the red corner, hailing from Toronto, Canada, and weighing in with a meaty punch is the AMD Radeon HD 6990 dual-GPU card, formerly known by the code-name Antilles.

Fending off the Canuck beast is the job of the also-dual-GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590, said to be primed for a mid-March launch. This means that both cards should be released to the press at roughly the same time.

While confirmed specifications and release dates for both cards are still close-kept secrets, AMD is the first to bring its heavyweight contender to the public's critical gaze.

Common sense dictates that the Radeon HD 6990 will take the form of two power-optimised HD 6970 GPUs on one PCB. Spitting out some conjectured numbers, this translates to a jaw-dropping 3,000-plus shaders, 4GB of onboard memory and 300GB/s of combined memory bandwidth: put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Such presumed power requires a card TDP in the region of 300W, though AMD's PowerTune technology will ensure that no application can force the GPUs to put the local electricity grid on red alert.

The following AMD-provided shots have been released to nurture and whet your appetite for a graphics card that should chew through benchmarks with fervent alacrity.....

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=29248

 

[Silent_Buddha]

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=29248

If those picture are correct, and if those are DP 1.2 connectors, that beastie could theoretically support 12x 1920x1200 monitor's or 8x 2560x1600 monitors.

Regards,
SB

 

[hkultala]

We also don't know how much the Fusion APU is selling for either as it isn't available at retail. For all we know it could cost more than a 5450 and equivalent CPU combined but with even higher margins again due to efficiencies in production.

Brazos/Zacate/Ontario ASP is $34. Calculated from AMD financials, income from those APU chips divided by number of APU's shipped

 

[Kaotik]

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/28/amd_radeon_hd_6990_antilles_sneek_peek_pictures

Either the card isn't final, or it's first official product to break PCIE specs (2x8pin doesn't fit within PCIE specs)

 

[Lightman]

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/28/amd_radeon_hd_6990_antilles_sneek_peek_pictures

Either the card isn't final, or it's first official product to break PCIE specs (2x8pin doesn't fit within PCIE specs)

Or it is limited to 300W with 6pin, 8pin and OC potential unlocks when 2x8pin is detected (aka HD2900).
Febuary was boring but I do hope March will keep us entertained

 

[Kaotik]

Or it is limited to 300W with 6pin, 8pin and OC potential unlocks when 2x8pin is detected (aka HD2900).
Febuary was boring but I do hope March will keep us entertained

Not an option, 8+8pin doesn't fit within PCIE specs even if the consumption is lower than 300W
edit:
For clarification

Delivering Power to Cards

A 300W add-in card can receive power by the following methods:
75W from x16 PCIe® connector plus 150W from a 2x4 connector plus 75W from a 2x3 connector.
75W from x16 PCIe connector plus 75W from a first 2x3 connector, plus 75W from a second 2x3 connector, plus 75W from a third 2x3 connector. – Note that this is not the preferred approach.

A 225W add-in card can receive power by one of the following methods:
75W from x16 PCIe connector plus 150W from a 2x4 connector.
75W from x16 PCIe connector plus 75W from a 2x4 connector plus 75W from a 2x3 connector.
75W from x16 connector plus 75W from a first 2x3 connector plus 75W from a second 2x3 connector.

http://www.google.fi/url?sa=t&sourc...udvOwP&usg=AFQjCNHjNfwCvgyjwnTBTiKMu7ySgjWn7g
PCI SIG's PCI Express Electromechanical Updates PDF

 

[Alexko]

I seriously doubt anyone will care, as long as it doesn't draw more than 300W.

 

[Kaotik]

I seriously doubt anyone will care, as long as it doesn't draw more than 300W.

PCI SIG might care and not approve the product?

 

[AlexV]

PCI SIG might care and not approve the product?

I'd not worry about that myself...

 

[Kaotik]

I'd not worry about that myself...

I understand that hasn't been an issue with all the AIB cards, but if AMD wouldn't care if their official flagship is approved by PCI SIG, why do they bother getting any of their products approved by PCI SIG in the first place?

 

[Zaphod]

Not an option, 8+8pin doesn't fit within PCIE specs even if the consumption is lower than 300W

I don't see anything there explicitly precluding using two 8-pin sockets. It's just populating a card with two 8-pin plugs that's definitely out of spec. And since a 6-pin plug fits fine in an 8-pin socket, couldn't it then be seen as working normally and get certified for operating parameters that are within spec?

Any further OC-voodoo enabled from power-sensing any additional out of spec power would thus not be neither tested nor certified and remain entirely at user risk?

 

[AlexV]

I understand that hasn't been an issue with all the AIB cards, but if AMD wouldn't care if their official flagship is approved by PCI SIG, why do they bother getting any of their products approved by PCI SIG in the first place?

Think about where something like Antilles will end up. OEMs tend to like certifications of all sorts...but how many of the mainstream OEMs would care about something like this?