Sources at TSMC told Hardspell that the next graphics processor (GPU) by ATI/AMD, the RV870 in the works have specifications such as:

• 40nm or 45nm fab process
• 140 sq. mm die size
• 192 ALUs, 960 stream processors
• 256-bit GDDR5 memory controller

It is believed that this GPU could perform 1.2 times better than RV770, purely based on the paper-specs.

Another interesting news is that R800, unlike its predecessors the R700 and R680, might not be a dual-GPU card but the world's first dual-core GPU.

TUL Corporation -a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards today announced the industry's first 2GB memory graphics card - PowerColor PCS HD4850 2GB. As the successful HD4800 series launched around the end of June, PowerColor got many positive feedbacks from both customers and media; in order to provide the greatest solution to the market consistently, PowerColor today provide the new generation architecture - the first 2GB memory graphics card to market.

Yes, you read that right. You can use upto four HD4870 X2 accelerators in tandem for an 8-GPU, 9.6 TFLOP, 8 GB graphics crunching monster. You need a 4-slot motherboard though. There are 4-slot solutions available on the AMD 790FX platform, for Intel though X48 did support 4 slots and images of prototype X48 boards with 4 slots did surface months back, there isn't such a board out yet. You do have the Skulltrail platform and upcoming X58 Bloomfield-supportive boards do promise to come in 4 slot flavours.

In a press-conference, Raja Koduri, worldwide CTO (Products Group), AMD talked to Indian website TechTree, among minor revelations such as "Fusion in 2009", here's a shocker:

"AMD has already built a computer that has four 4870X2s in it. So it has eight GPUs; drivers will not be supporting eight GPUs at this point of time."

-Implies that AMD is fully geared up to go head on against GT200b whenever it comes up. It's all a matter of them releasing a supportive driver. Again, unreliable sources point towards the possibility that also in the pipeline could be a R700+ which could be based on 'Super-RV770XT' processors. If you thought you're witnessing the peak of the GPU battle for supremacy, hold on, you're only getting appetised.

The Radeon HD 4850 has been in for a while and boy, did it change the face of the market as we knew it. PowerColor / TUL came up with the first non-reference design for the HD 4850, it sticks to the AMD reference PCB alebit changes to the cooler and the memory. It uses ZeroTherm full copper GPU cooler with CVVT technology(Continue Variable Velocity Timing). The card now features a mammoth 2 GB of GDDR3 memory. There are minor changes to the GPU parameters as well: 665 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory.

We could have understood if they gave it 1 GB of memory, knowing that the RV770 is a capable GPU and might be able to use higher amount of memory but 2 GB seems too much. The card is loaded with 16 x 1 Gb GDDR3 chips. The chips on the other side of the PCB have a heatspreader. There's no information about availablilty and pricing yet.

NVIDIA Plans to Nuke R700?

Let's face it, the ATI RV770 and its derivatives have become a rage. Everybody loves this chip and wants a card based on this, be it the card that made NVIDIA slash their prices, the HD4850 or the HD4870 which rivals the GeForce GTX 260 at a decent price. In surveys conducted by several websites, be it TweakTown or Hexus.net, majority community members chose ATI as a brand over NVIDIA, rougly indicating that the HD4000 series has done an excellent repair job with ATI and its brand value.

Nothing (exciting) is going NVIDIA's way these days, their notebook graphics division has taken a beating over the recent faulty parts issue. The NVDA stock is a little volatile at the stock market these days, after the company announced it predicts weaker earnings this quarter financial year. Here's something to ponder: If NVIDIA predicts weaker earnings, how come talks are they have something to counter the R700, which AMD already made statements about, saying it will "overwhelm the GeForce GTX 280"?

The RV770 is perhaps the best thing that happened to AMD in a long while. But more than AMD, it's perhaps the best thing that happened to us, the consumers. But general product launches seem to be just the tip of the ice-berg. The new PCB's designed by ATI for RV770 cards are actually running at well below the clock speed they can support and there is every reason to believe that these cards will be challenging NVIDIA's very best.

The HD4870 PCB with two 6-pin power connectors can support a maximum TDP of 225W (2x 75W from the power connectors + 75W from the PCI-Express interface). While at stock parameters, the HD4870 will not consume over 170W, it implies that with a fair bit of binning for high-performing parts, there is a serious lot of room for overclocking way beyond what the ordinary HD4870 cards can take.

Following the recent launch of the ATI Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 GPUs, AMD plans to introduce the high-end dual-GPU HD 4870 X2 by the end of July, according to sources at graphics card vendors. Evaluation samples are schedule to be available in mid-July, and AMD will begin shipping reference design boards with 1GB* GDDR5 memory at the end of the month, the sources detailed. In mid-August, AMD will also begin shipping the 4870 X2 (RV770XT) GPU to partners wishing to design custom cards, the sources added. HD 4870 X2 graphics cards are expected to be priced around US$499, the sources detailed.*unconfirmed reports suggest this card to feature a total of 2GB GDDR5 memory

I spotted some new nude shots of the upcoming ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics card today and decided to share them with you. Little is known about the card's specs at the time, but what's apparent from the pics is the black PCB, the two 55nm-built RV770 GPUs and the PLX PCI-Express 2.0 bridge chip situated between the GPUs. On both sides of the PCB there are 16 Qimonda GDDR5 chips for a total of 1GB video memory. Also one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCI-E connectors will be needed for proper operation.

With the cost of manufacture for a standard G200 die reaching up to US $110, thanks to yields as low as 40 per cent, NVIDIA seems to be in a rush for a 55nm revamp of its current GPUs. While nothing revolutionary is on the cards, and with 55nm G92b already in the making, NVIDIA plans to revamp its G200 graphics processors to the 55nm fab process, increasing yields up to 50 per cent. At 55nm, the G200 die will be effectively reduced to 470 sq. mm, implies 120 dice on a 300mm wafer.

The pace at which things are moving is having the partners red-eyed. NVIDIA's new Unilateral Minimum Advertised Price Policy (UMAP) has limited partners' playing field and minimizes competition between them. When NVIDIA at the same time decides to launch new cards based on existing cores, at lower prices, partners get upset over diminishing earnings. Add to that AMD's new RV770 chip is looking very tempting to some of these partners.

TUL Corporation - A leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, today announced the new generation of enthusiast graphics cards - The PowerColor HD 4870 and HD 4850. Based on the RV770 core chip, the PowerColor HD 4870/4850 support GDDR3/GDDR5 high-speed memory and aim to deliver superior visual performance.

The PowerColor HD 4800 series has adopted 55nm technology and is powered by ATI's Radeon HD 4800 graphics processing units. The HD 4870 GPU and memory run at 750 MHz and 900 MHz respectively, with 512MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit memory bus design and memory data transmission rates up to 3.6 Gbps. As for the HD 4850, it's equipped with 512 MB of GDDR3 on a 256-bit memory bus design, whilst the GPU and memory run at 625 MHz and 1986 MHz respectively.

As of 3PM CET the NDA for the Radeon HD 4850 Series has been lifted. Since this came as a surprise to everyone our reviews are not finished yet now finished.

MSI HD 4850 | PowerColor HD 4850

I just received an E-Mail from AMD stating that some RV770 info can be posted today:

Effective 9:00 AM EDT on Thursday, June 19th, AMD will be lifting the embargo preventing the publishing of ATI Radeon HD 4850 performance previews. These performance previews may include ATI Radeon HD 4850 benchmarks, photos of the ATI Radeon HD 4850 hardware, information printed on related packaging or photos of the packaging itself and related pricing information.

The guys over at VR-Zone have learned some new information about the ATI RV770 chips, and apparently they want to share it with everyone:

AMD has just confirmed the marketing name for RV770 yesterday which is no surprise to anyone, the Radeon HD 4800 series. RV770PRO is Radeon HD 4850, RV770XT is Radeon HD 4870 and R700 is Radeon HD 4870 X2. AMD will be shipping RV770 GPUs to AIB by end of this month and you can expect different card designs from the manufacturers at launch. AMD is set to launch the Radeon HD 4850 on June 18th and it is definitely a hard one with retail availability on the same day. Radeon HD 4870, however, will be launched a week later on June 25th with retail availability in July due to GDDR5 availability. Radeon HD 4870 X2 will come later in Q3. As for the clocks, we won't be revealing them yet but the RV770XT core clock is not going anywhere above 800MHz.

ATI is moving ahead the launch of its next-generation video processors, as reported by TG Daily. Despite its previous faliures in the graphics business and $8 million loss in the first quarter of this year - AMD's president and chief operating officer Dirk Meyer stated that the company will roll out a significant number of products in May ahead of schedule, including the new RV770 and mobile (M88) graphics parts. RV770 will launch as Radeon HD 4800 and will make its way into the FireStream stream processor and FireGL workstation cards. Both GDDR3 and GDDR5 memories ranging from 256MB to 1024MB will be supported by the chip, but ATI itself will only be offering GDDR5 cards with 256-bit memory controller. The Radeon HD 4850 version is set to come to market with an 800+ MHz core (the final clock has not been specified yet and will not be available until the final qualification is completed), while the 4870 will be the first mass-production GPU with a clock speed higher than 1GHz. The graphics processor itself will integrate more texture memory units (TMUs) - 32 in RV770 against 16 in R6xx. Expect mass availability of RV770 cards soon after their announcement in May.

With the launch of the GeForce 9 series getting closer and closer, AMD is hard pressed to find something to keep themselves competitive. While the RV670 and R680 are regaining some much needed market share, they will both pale when the GeForce 9 series is released to the public. Thankfully, AMD is not going down without a fight. About the same time as the GeForce 9 series is released, AMD is releasing a little something called the RV770. At this point, it appears that the RV770 is about 50% faster than the current HD3870, which is certainly respectable. How this compares to the GeForce 9 series is still a mystery. The release of CrossFire X technology ought to really help benchmark numbers, assuming AMD can make buying four AMD GPUs cost about as much as two from NVIDIA.