Radeon HD 6970 "Antilles" launches in December

[NH|Delph1]

I spend way too little time here nowadays, but I still thought you would like to read this:

AMD recently revealed bits on its coming graphics architecture and after some digging we found information about what circuits will appear in 2010, and that includes Antilles sporting dual GPUs; to be known as Radeon HD 6970.

According to reliable sources, the Radeon HD 6000 family will consist of three different series; Antilles, Caymen and Barts. Where the last one will be the first one out.

Barts will replace AMD Juniper in the mid-range segment and most likely be named Radeon HD 6700 series. The launch is scheduled for October 2010. The code-name most likely comes from Saint-Barthélemy (Saint Barts), which is a Frech island in the Caribbean. On a side note, Saint Barts was a Swedish colony between 1784-1878, which can be seen on the island shield with its three crowns.

Caymen will replace Cypress and take over in the performance segment from Radeon HD 5870, 5850 and 5830. Exactly what models that will launch is uncertain, but the cards are expected to reach stores in November 2010 in the form of the Radeon HD 6800 series. Catalyst 10.8 lists 14 different Cayman models (more on that later). The GL models are a bit illusive at the moment, but could very well just be the FireGL versions of AMD's professional family. The Cayman Islands can also be found in the Caribbean, Weest Indies and have been named after the native tounge for alligator (caiman).

Antilles sports graphics circuits of the Caymen series, but as the successor to Hemlock it uses two of these with each card. This dual-GPU card looks to launch in two versions, like much Radeon HD 4850 X2 and 4870 X2. If there is any room for the entry level model of Antilles is hard to say, but in December 2010 we can expect the first Antilles models in stores. Antilles is named after the islands with the same name, a group of islands divided into two groups; Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles.

AMD Radeon HD 6970 will probably be the name of the top model of the series and should launch in December.

We still fairly little about the changes made to the architecture since Evergreen, but from what it looks like AMD has plcaed itself in top of NVIDIA Fermi, but also lowered energy consumption.

We hope to offer more details soon, not the least more on the mid-range and entry level cards that are slated to appear early next year.

Source: NordicHardware

Cheers!

//Andreas

[Manicdan]

wow across 3 months they plan to refresh every single card from 5600s and up

sounds like AMD/ATI really have their organizational skills running top notch

[saaya]

yeah, sounds like quite a challange... if they can pull it off, respect...
i just hope this will result in more bang for the buck and that they will have a better mainstream card this time around...
the 5850 was too expensive, the 5830 sucked and was still kinda expensive originally, and the 5770 was too slow...
the gap between the 5800 and 5700 series was a big flaw imo... i hope they do better with the 6000 series

[Manicdan]

based on the $ per mm2 relative to how long the process has been out (basically the 4870 with $ per mm2 when new is the same as 5870 when new) means that right now we should be seeing a 275$ 5870

[saaya]

based on the $ per mm2 relative to how long the process has been out (basically the 4870 with $ per mm2 when new is the same as 5870 when new) means that right now we should be seeing a 275$ 5870

but back then there was more competition...
but yeah... makes you wonder how much 5850s will cost after the 6000 series launches huh? i remember a friend picking up a 4850 for a ridiculously low price after the 5000 series launched...
like 80$ or something...

[Manicdan]

i got my second 4850 for 65$ after rebate i think in the late fall, after nvidia delayed again, and when i knew 5800 prices were not dropping anytime soon.

[ReverendMaynard]

but back then there was more competition...
but yeah... makes you wonder how much 5850s will cost after the 6000 series launches huh? i remember a friend picking up a 4850 for a ridiculously low price after the 5000 series launched...
like 80$ or something...

wasn't the 5850 EOL'd after the 5830 launched?

[Manicdan]

wasn't the 5850 EOL'd after the 5830 launched?

dont know where you herd that

they all have their place, the 5830s is just a really crappy place, all are available commonly

[Mungri]

wasn't the 5850 EOL'd after the 5830 launched?

[informal]

I think he meant the other way around(switched places for 5850 and 5830)

[Bobsama]

wasn't the 5850 EOL'd after the 5830 launched?

Nowhere close.

The HD5770 would be a much better card if it and the HD5750 were lower priced. Both cards have less performance per dollar than the HD4800's they replaced. The only new features were slightly lower power draw, DX11, OpenGL 4, and Eyefinity.

[ReverendMaynard]

at least someone got it.

I guess it's ironic that I've owned every 5 series card from the 5770 to 5870. Can't wait to start again with the 6770...if that's what it's going to be labeled as.

[generics_user]

Nowhere close.

The HD5770 would be a much better card if it and the HD5750 were lower priced. Both cards have less performance per dollar than the HD4800's they replaced. The only new features were slightly lower power draw, DX11, OpenGL 4, and Eyefinity.

slightly lower is an extreme understatement; they basically cut load power in half (5770 vs 4870) and idle from something like 80-90W to a mere 24

on top of that reference 5770s clocked like hell (over 1ghz on the core); they were worth the premium over the 4870; but i guess that the higher price hurt their reputation a bit (if they priced it @ 130$ from the start it would've been that bang/buck card of the DX11 generation just like 6600gt was in the SM3.0 and 9500PRO in the DX9 gen

[BababooeyHTJ]

yeah, sounds like quite a challange... if they can pull it off, respect...
i just hope this will result in more bang for the buck and that they will have a better mainstream card this time around...
the 5850 was too expensive, the 5830 sucked and was still kinda expensive originally, and the 5770 was too slow...
the gap between the 5800 and 5700 series was a big flaw imo... i hope they do better with the 6000 series

I agree, with current prices I'll be sticking with my GTX280 for a while longer. I just can't see spending what I did for my 280 two years ago for a 5850 and anything less would be a downgrade.

[Bobsama]

The issue is that, at stock, they were still much more expensive and performed worse than the cards they replaced. They clock like hell, yes. However, price is still the main factor. The HD5770 would be a perfect upgrade if it was <$130 up-front and could clock like hell--your average user will still get HD4870 performance guarantied. Not everyone overclocks everything and not all overclocks are stable.

Now then, I'll be using a GTX460 for a commissioned build. Right now, that card is a much better choice.

[Manicdan]

The issue is that, at stock, they were still much more expensive and performed worse than the cards they replaced. They clock like hell, yes. However, price is still the main factor. The HD5770 would be a perfect upgrade if it was <$130 up-front and could clock like hell--your average user will still get HD4870 performance guarantied. Not everyone overclocks everything and not all overclocks are stable.

Now then, I'll be using a GTX460 for a commissioned build. Right now, that card is a much better choice.

4850xfire can be had for the average price of a 5770

i honestly could not recommend a 5000 series card, due to limited tessellation it probably will not last as long as a 460 would. and the 6000s are now right around the corner.

hold onto your money, this xmas prices better be down 40-50% across the board

[zanzabar]

slightly lower is an extreme understatement; they basically cut load power in half (5770 vs 4870) and idle from something like 80-90W to a mere 24

on top of that reference 5770s clocked like hell (over 1ghz on the core); they were worth the premium over the 4870; but i guess that the higher price hurt their reputation a bit (if they priced it @ 130$ from the start it would've been that bang/buck card of the DX11 generation just like 6600gt was in the SM3.0 and 9500PRO in the DX9 gen

what kind of 4870 do u have i have a 4890 and the gpu is using just under 1.5W and the whole package cannot make up anything the 80-90W range on the package without the gpu when it tops out at somehting like 150W and on load the gpu is like 100W. i got my 4890 pre hd5 launch for $150 and its been nice.

but i would not expect the kind of gains in power and die size (or loss) since its staying 40nm

[situman]

wow across 3 months they plan to refresh every single card from 5600s and up

sounds like AMD/ATI really have their organizational skills running top notch

They had a whole year to do this upgrade as opposed to the usual 6 mos. If they indeed have things in order, this would have came out the minute Fermi launched. For disclosure, I own a 5780 so I'm not fanboy of NV.

[G.Foyle]

Keep in mind that Fermi's delays and ATI's next gen delays have one factor in common: TSMC...

[Sly Fox]

So essentially, this new info is that there will be new video cards at some point in the near future. They will likely be faster than existing cards. And likely add 1000 to the current model numbers.

So... Which of that information can't just be safely assumed by anyone who half-follows the industry.

[chispy]

More info:


Source - http://www.donanimhaber.com/ekran-ka...e-edilecek.htm



Turkish to English translation.
---------------------------


Code Name Bart: It replaces Juniper GPU and comes in Octorber with AMD Radeon HD 6700 series.

Code Name Caymen: It replaces Cypress GPU and comes in November with AMD Radeon HD 6800 series.

Code Name Antilles: It replaces hemlock (dual Cypress-HD 5970) desing and comes in December with AMD Radeon HD 6970 and maybe Radeon HD 6950.





AMD Radeon HD 6800 series will be launched in November

Catalyst 8.10 driver, the Radeon HD 6000 series graphics chips will be used to reveal the new second-generation DirectX 11 card with authentication information for the new well began to arrive. According to information obtained from reliable sources Radeon HD 6000 series Antilles, Caymen to Barts and the first stage will consist of three different series. Now, AMD's second-generation DirectX 11 cards for you, create, and what the final table, let's look at the GPU segment for which we have been tabled.

Code Name Bart: Bart code named AMD's new graphics chip, the Radeon HD 6000 series is the first representative to enter the market expected. ATI Radeon HD 5700 series GPU power to the Juniper is expected to replace the graphics card, the Radeon HD 6700 series can be expected to be launched in October and will power.

Caymen Code Name: AMD Caymen code named the new GPU design, the ATI Radeon HD 5800 series GPU is used to replace the Cypress. Will celebrate its first birthday next month, the Cypress GPU, ATI Radeon HD 5830, HD 5850, HD 5870 and HD 5970 models was used in pairs. Expected to be released in November, ATI Radeon HD 6800 series GPU to be used in designing the Caymen, according to Catalyst 8.10 drivers will be 14 different versions of a significant portion of which will be used in more professional card.

Code Antilles Name: AMD ATI Radeon HD 5970 high-performance model will be updated before the end of the year. According to information received to replace the Radeon HD 6970 Radeon HD 5970'in Antilles model will carry the code name and will have dual GPU Caymen. Radeon HD 5970 Radeon HD 4850 X2 model, unlike models such as X2 and HD 4870 version is expected to double the graphics card is expected in December.
AMD ATI Radeon HD 6000 graphics card series, a new generation of DirectX 11.

Google Translator Sucks

[tajoh111]

Man, AMD throws out so many red herrings with its graphic card division its not even funny.

I remember them leaking rumors about NI delayed and we won't see a new chip till mid 2011.

Same type of leaks involving shaders numbers reduced also have been red herrings. It might caught Nvidia off guard, but it sure is catching the consumer off guard. I bet alot of people didn't wait for next generation because they thought rv 870 was all they were going to get for a while.

Whatever it is, it sounds like a winner if they can actually deliver. But I can imagine the capacity and shortages already. Its likely going to take a 400 mm plus part to perform better than a gtx 480 512, unless they really did huge changes(which I believe they won't do till northern Islands). The ROP I can imagine are going to have to be boosted unless they want to be bottlenecked. Also I think they are going to some decent changes to increase tesselation performance.

If this card delivers, I will try to buy on launch day because with bigger chips, supply becomes an issue.

[Bobsama]

4850xfire can be had for the average price of a 5770

i honestly could not recommend a 5000 series card, due to limited tessellation it probably will not last as long as a 460 would. and the 6000s are now right around the corner.

hold onto your money, this xmas prices better be down 40-50% across the board

I'm holding off on replacing the 3850--it's not particularly fast but it definitely gets the job done. Perhaps a 6850, or a 5850 if prices drop through the floor.

[Chrono Detector]

Looking forward to this card, looks like ATI is pumping out new cards like crazy these days. NVIDIA still hasn't have an answer to 5970 yet, things look interesting.

[Zloyd]

Sweet looks like ATI dont want to give up the title of having the fastest card on the market , this is probably in preparation for the nvidia dual gpu. Come on monster dual gpu cards !!!