AMD R9 390X Bermuda specs leaks rumors... no pills required

[Lanek]

tonga is the refresh of tahiti.

Also isn't tonga GCN 1.2 since the 2xx and 7xxx series is already 1.1.

In reality, GCN 1.1., 1.2 etc for AMD dont exist. but yes it have full HSA features, and so we can call it GCN 1.2 ( compared to hawaii who is GCN 1.1 ), but anyway, i will say the card was just made for be a 7870 replacement.. ( 7870 > R9 28x, 7970> 290x ). But sadly AMD have choose to re use 7970 when Hawaii have been launched, and so the R9 285's are coming way to late ( it will have been perfect as middle gpu in the 200 lineup 1 year ago ):


Here you get the information about " what we call GCN 1.2 " ( 7970 = GCN 1.0, 290x Hawaii = GCN1.1, again we just call them like that because they have a different set of features, but notthing official from AMD )
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/a...9-285-review/2

Basically, outside delta color compression algorythm for FP16 textures ( similar of GTX 980 in some way ), you have the GPU graphics preemption and GPU compute context switch added ( compared to Hawaii ), context switch was only possible on CPU so far but is added to the GPU for HSA case. QoS is allready on Firepro i think.

[tiro_uspsss]

the shroud looks nice

[gamervivek]

well most of this "specs" are nothing more then what was rumored since april this year.

3k SP is somewhat believable on the current process, but 4,2k would make a huge ass die, even with a mature process.

who knows?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost...&postcount=119

[iboomalot]

I thought the 390x was built on 20nm not 28 ???

[Pholostan]

I thought the 390x was built on 20nm not 28 ???

Probably not. It have not really been possible to make High Performance big chips on TSMC 20 nm planar. If anyone have some solid info on that being solved, I'm all ears. But everything so far point to TSMC 20 nm planar not being used for big GPUs. Small SoC and the like, sure. Not the GPUs we want. FinFET is needed for sub 28 nm it seems.

[iddqd]

My source at AMD has never even heard of Bermuda, so most likely fake (you know, in addition to the too-good-to-be-true specs). Is there anything known about it at all?
e: Fiji does exist, however.

[LordEC911]

Probably not. It have not really been possible to make High Performance big chips on TSMC 20 nm planar. If anyone have some solid info on that being solved, I'm all ears. But everything so far point to TSMC 20 nm planar not being used for big GPUs. Small SoC and the like, sure. Not the GPUs we want. FinFET is needed for sub 28 nm it seems.

It is possible but won't have the same properties, speed/voltage, that would make it "effective" for a highend GPU. The benefits from 28HPM to 20planar, other than density, just aren't there to justify the massive increase in fixed cost and higher wafer prices.
I believe that is pretty much what you were saying.

As far as the talk about a +550mm2 die, there has been talk about something like that the last 2-3years. With something that size, it seems highly unlikely it would be on a "new" node.

[tbone8ty]

i will be surprised if Amd makes a card with the same or lower TDP as the gtx 980 with similar performance even on 20nm

HBM sounds interesting

edit: changed title

[tbone8ty]

new prices

290 = $299

290X = $399

niiiice

[Sh1tyMcGee]

After the 290X, AMD better have a good showing, power hungry, hot as hell, the fact that AMD let a poor reference design like that pass into retail was pathetic and a slap to customers faces, you can sit here and tell me its a great chip all you want, im a system builder and have used plenty of AMD and nVidia cards, both have had good and bad, the GTX 480/470 were similar the R9 290s and thats when i used the good old 5870, and that was AMDs last great chip.

[DefStar]

After the 290X, AMD better have a good showing, power hungry, hot as hell, the fact that AMD let a poor reference design like that pass into retail was pathetic and a slap to customers faces, you can sit here and tell me its a great chip all you want, im a system builder and have used plenty of AMD and nVidia cards, both have had good and bad, the GTX 480/470 were similar the R9 290s and thats when i used the good old 5870, and that was AMDs last great chip.

I love AMD's 'deficiencies', It's all the more reason to put a much needed water block on the card and and keeps the prices low...in the end you end up with more performance for up $200 less then the competition.

[jogshy]

20nm + HBM stacked DRAM = the win

[tbone8ty]

After the 290X, AMD better have a good showing, power hungry, hot as hell, the fact that AMD let a poor reference design like that pass into retail was pathetic and a slap to customers faces, you can sit here and tell me its a great chip all you want, im a system builder and have used plenty of AMD and nVidia cards, both have had good and bad, the GTX 480/470 were similar the R9 290s and thats when i used the good old 5870, and that was AMDs last great chip.

AMD gpus get better with age...updated frametime crossfireX drivers and aftermarket coolers. lol

this is especially true with Tahiti, my 7950's fly now in crossfireX... frametimes be damned!

[Zloyd]

Price drop is very nice and all .... good time to double up your 290/290x setup ...... but they really need new stuff .... its just a no brainer to go with 970. Wonder if they can do 290x performance with lower power.... they need to work on something 15% faster than 980 ..... you know nvidia is waiting on them to launch the Ti ..... pricing of the Ti will depend on how fast the new AMD stuff is.

Here's hoping they have something out FAST !!!! Dont think too many would go with 290x over a 970.

[Lanek]

Price drop is very nice and all .... good time to double up your 290/290x setup ...... but they really need new stuff .... its just a no brainer to go with 970. Wonder if they can do 290x performance with lower power.... they need to work on something 15% faster than 980 ..... you know nvidia is waiting on them to launch the Ti ..... pricing of the Ti will depend on how fast the new AMD stuff is.

Here's hoping they have something out FAST !!!! Dont think too many would go with 290x over a 970.

Thats like that at every new generation, we was saying the same thing about Nvidia when AMD have release the 5870 6-7 months before their 480. We was saying the same thing about Nvidia when AMD have release the 7970 some months before the 680..
Even if on TDP only side, i think Nvidia have put an high bar..

But i dont think the gpu's will get the same purpose on the end. ( They will continue to put a big pressure on Pro market with top notch workstation, HPC, server, video editing gpu's, )

[tbone8ty]

market only cares about performance per watt. AMD is failing hard... case in point 980/970 mobile gpus.

Nvidia is whipping the floor at the moment

[STEvil]

Nvidia should get a new job if they're whipping the floor.

The market does not only care about performance per what and to claim that as the only metric that matters is just plain lack of knowledge of the market. Low power use during non-gaming is great to have, but realisticly if your riding the fine line between eating or not because of how much your video card uses while gaming you've got other problems in life.

[Sparky]

Even if the idle power usage was a whole 20 watts higher, and it ran 24/7, and you had higher electricity rates at 25 cents/kWhr, that ends up being.... $3.50 extra a month. If that $3.50 makes or breaks you, I think you have major budget issues and shouldn't have bought a high end graphics card in the first place

I'm not saying getting idle power numbers down isn't important (though I care more concerned about load numbers). But the way some people talk about it makes me wonder what the priorities really are.

As usual though I'm going to watch this next generation with mild curiosity but sit it out like before. The following gen I might get more interested in depending on how my 7950 is doing at the time.

[tbone8ty]

idle? i could care less about energy usage/$$ that doesn't mean all the reviews dont care

case in point the 295x2 crushes its direct competition for cheaper ...but its a 500w beast so it gets on

but where it matters....980/970m = no competition for...



awhile



and that's been AMD MO ...no wonder their restructuring and lay offs and at $3/share again

their back to rock bottom again and again

they need to start focusing on perf/watt and for cpu's IPC

those who do that are leaders

[naokaji]

If you get significantly higher performance to go with the higher power consumption its perfectly fine, but equal or higher power consumption for the same or less performance? Better start running cause the mob is getting the pitchforks ready.

[kromosto]

On the year 2000 i builded a pc and come to this year by upgrading it. Till I run a cf setup i never have had a temperature problem. Now I have to find a solution for heating. What I am trying to say is I was thinking just same with tbone8ty but after this my thoughts changed.

[iddqd]

market only cares about performance per watt.

Only bitcoiners care about performance per watt above anything else.

Last time I checked, people still occasionally buy graphics cards to (gasp!!!) do graphics.

[Levish]

market only cares about performance per watt. AMD is failing hard... case in point 980/970 mobile gpus.

Nvidia is whipping the floor at the moment

I'd stick a 1200w GPU(s) in my computer if it made sense vs other options. Probably varies by region though.

[tbone8ty]

Lisa needs to crack the whip and possible fire Roy Taylor, that guy angers me

[TurboDiv]

The AMD Radeon 290 series is the worst engineering design ever built in this day and age. Maybe 3 years ago a design like AMD 290 would be acceptable, but when you have comparable products on the market which are much better in terms of temperatures/overclock/performance and power efficiency, it becomes embarrassing for the company as a whole. And now with Maxwell it is even worse for team red. I hope AMD takes their head out of the sand and produces a competitive product because it doesn't look good at the moment and i don't want to keep paying a premium for Nvidia due to lack of competition.