AMD Preparing Radeon HD 4890, Slated for April

[btarunr]

AMD has been working the ATI RV790 GPU for a while now. It appears to be like it will take a little longer for the company to release an SKU based on it. Contradicting earlier reports, it is known that the RV790-based SKUs stay within the Radeon HD 4800 series, and not form the HD 4900 series.

The flagship single-GPU product based on the RV790 is to be called Radeon HD 4890. Samples based on the RV790XT A11 are currently running at speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory). AMD is reportedly telling its partners that the RV790XT is expected to be around 20% faster than the RV770XT (HD 4870), and has NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 in its sights, for head-on competition. Additionally, AMD may force NVIDIA to reconsider its pricing, since the RV790XT is expected to be priced between US$199 to US$249, up to $150 cheaper than the GeForce GTX 285 in its current pricing. Unfortunately, one has to wait till April.

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[ShadowFold]

I think they just need to up the ROPs and keep the 800 shaders. I was reading that it's main bottleneck is the low amount of ROPs. Either way I can't wait to see these in Crossfire!!

 

[PCpraiser100]

I think they just need to up the ROPs and keep the 800 shaders. I was reading that it's main bottleneck is the low amount of ROPs. Either way I can't wait to see these in Crossfire!!

Ya, the ROPs are the biggest concern of performance since that is how AMD lost most of their battles. Vertex shaders were used mostly in games like Crysis and Ghost Recon, which is usually in favour with ROPs. If AMD puts in a 512-bit interface soon, I will take it as the smartest move they have done in the generation cause thats why the HD 4870 sucks at overclocking.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

...the RV790XT is expected to be priced between US$199 to US$249...

YAYZ!

FordGT90Concept does a happy dance.


Edit: Oh crap, is that the OEM price for just the GPU or the MSRP of the cards?

 

[btarunr]

YAYZ!

FordGT90Concept does a happy dance.


Edit: Oh crap, is that the OEM price for just the GPU or the MSRP of the cards?

A GPU can never sell for that much. That's the price-range in which the cards will sell.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

YAYZ!

FordGT90Concept resumes the happy dance.

 

[eidairaman1]

I think they just need to up the ROPs and keep the 800 shaders. I was reading that it's main bottleneck is the low amount of ROPs. Either way I can't wait to see these in Crossfire!!

hmm IDK, with them testing the 295 the 295 doesnt pull that great a lead ahead the current X2.

 

[erocker]

To answer the ROPs question, wouldn't the perfromance gains going from 750/900 to 850/975 Mhz equal around 20%? It seems likely there are no architectural differences between the two GPU's.

 

[eidairaman1]

maybe if the ram was clocked equally as the GPU

 

[Valdez]

Ya, the ROPs are the biggest concern of performance since that is how AMD lost most of their battles. Vertex shaders were used mostly in games like Crysis and Ghost Recon, which is usually in favour with ROPs. If AMD puts in a 512-bit interface soon, I will take it as the smartest move they have done in the generation cause thats why the HD 4870 sucks at overclocking.

512bit? For what?

 

[eidairaman1]

its the memory bus, AMD has been on 256 since the Radeon 9000 Series.

 

[btarunr]

its the memory bus, AMD has been on 256 since the Radeon 9000 Series.

Nope, you had R600 with 512-bit in between.

 

[eidairaman1]

well for just that 1 card, after that they went back to 256 because its cheaper and just used new ram that in theory was supposed to double the data transferred, and its proving futile when NV is producing stuff that uses older ram but keeps up.

 

[Valdez]

its the memory bus, AMD has been on 256 since the Radeon 9000 Series.

Yes i know, but i don't see the point. With gddr5 you don't need 512bit memory bus.
And R600 was 512bit, as btarunr said.

 

[eidairaman1]

well only reason they did that was to cut the pricing down.

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

Going to a 512 bus would be idiotic. Even doubling the bandwidth like that will only bring mild performance increases while destroying their cost/perf ratio. Look at the 4670, it's 6% behind a 3870 but with only half the bandwidth.

 

[OnBoard]

RV790XT is expected to be priced between US$199 to US$249

I highly doubt that $199, as current cheapest 4870 1GB card in newegg is $224.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161269

Of course ATI could do a price cut on the 1GB models and sell them off the market before the new one. Then bring the new one with $225 and leave the 512MB version for lower price point.

 

[r9]

AMD series 48xx are fast, cheap to and great value for us the customers.

 

[Hayder_Master]

it is an overclock of 4870

 

[TheMailMan78]

I wonder if one of these 4890s would be faster than 2 4850s in crossfire? Anyone got a theory?

 

[Flyordie]

Some people only have a 64bit brain.... so I just point and laff.
OT-Its quad pumped @ 256bit... plenty of bandwidth... when the time calls for it... up it to 512bit but until then... its fine.

 

[wiak]

meybe they are doing 384bit or 448bit memory interface and GDDR5 + higher clocks
and some unlocked ROPs/Shaders

 

[leonard_222003]

150$ cheaper than gtx285 ? whollyyy , even is it's 100$ it's still a lot if the perf. is very very close to gtx285.
Think about what the Nvidia partenrs do now , they probably kick Nvidia to hell for this because how much they need to cut into their profits and with the economy problems and all , i think more Nvidia parteners will switch.
No wonder XFX sells ATI cards now.
Now this doesn't mean Nvidia cards sucks , they are just a bit pricey but supremacy in most games is held by Nvidia , for now.

 

[btarunr]

and some unlocked ROPs/Shaders

I think so too. The RV770 physically has either 880 or 960 SPs, although just 800/640(/lol 560) are enabled. That helps ATI harvest the dice better, where they simple substite dysfunctional ALU clusters with the spare ones that work. Maybe RV790 is built out of those with all ALUs functional? Just a guess.

 

[magibeg]

When i see the benchmarks and the prices in stores then i will decide if it's a good deal or not.