Nonetheless, calling it HD5900 instead of HD5800X2 makes sense to me.
It's about time we get to have shorter names in ATI's lineup.
In fact, I think it's about time that both ATI and nVidia drop the Radeon and Geforce brands. It's been 10 years now, we need new names!
I still remember when nVidia was so confident about NV30 that they even publicly stated that they'd drop the Geforce brand and call it a different name. When the architecture turned up as bad as it was, they had to use the Geforce brand again, for marketing purposes.
It's not done to shorten elongated enthusiastic X2 names, AMD just once again practice their copycating naming intel/nVidia scheme solution. Well seems AMD marketing herd thinks of intel/nv as smarter than themselves. I never liked it but. ... So since nVidia break with their gx2 naming scheme for sandwiched cards with 9800gx2 ATi decided to follow path and get rid of nicely fitting name like X2 (or R800 codenames in fact) in favor of blatantly confusing names. Since their official introduction in 3870 X2 series ATi tried to explain themselves as
how great that names fit into their CPU/GPU naming lineup with X2 and X4 Athlons on their way and now abandoning that just cause nV also did release sandwiched dual g200b card just based on cutdown chip (as this 5970 should be) not having full 512 bit as gtx 280/285 but just 448 as gtx260/275 and claiming throne over 4870X2 with it. So they did just as nV did use affordable GPUs and lower clockspeeds but retaining not so complex 256b memory bus for each chip. And
they didn't want to mislead customers, as they said,
into believing that 5970 (or ex 5870X2) is really 5870 x2 when it's not just downclocked version of fully functional RV870 chip x2
And as ATi and nVidia abandoning their long established code naming scheme as Rx00 series or recently Gx00 series in favor of newcomer Intel's larabee is just too stupid. They now have some
next to nothing meaning names instead down to earth numbering scheme. And we all know where i leads ... spending more and more money on
stupid marketing "wisdom" instead of trying to made way better chips (at least they have traditionand great starting ground) than richy rich player that wants to bully itself to market. As long for nV they at last tried to praise their CUDA capable gpus with scientist names either none of them was great mathematician afaik. And they skipping from one concept scientist to another in blink of an eye. Not dedicated at all. But probably there's reason why cause no one claims rights to use that scientist names. Duh what gutterly low way of promoting their products in patent ruled world.
