If they got Hawaii respin @ GloFo it might have got tweaks necessary to make it last gen stuff
Hawaii is still relevant enough not to fall too much behind Tonga
The 290X is currently already in 970/980 performance range depending on the resolution and game being tested. Even if the 390X ($389) only comes with a small boost in clock speeds and 8GB of VRAM, it should be competitive with the 970/980 ($300/$500). I don't see where it would need to "significantly" improve in order to compete.If they are releasing a new series of SKUs and want to sell it for $329/389, it has to be significantly improved to compete* against 970/980.
** My meaning of competitive 390/X
They need to shave 50W off the TDP if performance is the same, putting it at ~200W gaming load. Or boost performance by 10-20% with a small power reduction. If its faster, it can justify the higher power usage. But it cannot be slower and much more power hungry. That's a dealbreaker.
The 290X is currently already in 970/980 performance range depending on the resolution and game being tested. Even if the 390X ($389) only comes with a small boost in clock speeds and 8GB of VRAM, it should be competitive with the 970/980 ($300/$500). I don't see where it would need to "significantly" improve in order to compete.
if the only improvement is higher clocks & 8GB VRAM, then people are still going to buy up the cheaper GTX 970 over the 8GB 390X
But you know, 8GB vs 3.5GB might be enough to make people think about it
1.5Ghz overclocks doesn't seem that magical once you consider the fact that on stock cards they can boost up to 1.2Ghz (1.5 divided by 1.2 = 25% OC). It's not really 50% OC... Check out the results from OCing, most sites noted around 20% more fps.
Hawaii cards can get 1.2Ghz no problem by pumping the voltages. That's 20% OC and you don't need special cards for that, reference PCB card will do just fine such as the reference PCB card Sapphire Tri-X. All you need is good cooler. Hawaii cards also noted to scale well with core clocks too.
right now, people buy a whole lot more $330 GTX 970s than $300 290Xs
if the only improvement is higher clocks & 8GB VRAM, then people are still going to buy up the cheaper GTX 970 over the 8GB 390X
390X needs to be a respinned Hawaii with lower power consumption & a nice performance bump over 290X for it to have an impact on GPU purchase decisions if its price is $389
If they got Hawaii respin @ GloFo it might have got tweaks necessary to make it last gen stuff
So, what is Apple's contract GPU that we won't be able to get?
Last time it was "Full Tonga".
I am not an engineer but something about the specs strikes me as odd. Why would Fiji PRO have 128 ROPs, double that of Hawaii but yet shaders and TMUs only increase 27%? With colour compression of Tonga's GCN 1.2, even with 64 ROPs, the pixel fill-rate would increase 100%. Why are they doubling the ROPs yet again but only increasing shaders and TMUs so little? Is the pixel-fillrate such a massive bottleneck for current GCN design? Doesn't appear to be a well balanced design on paper to cram that many ROPs, but I am just thinking out loud....
Similarly for Fiji XT, they are increasing shaders/TMUs by 45% (ok by 53% if we account for 1.05Ghz clocks vs. 1Ghz on the 290X) but yet ROPs double. Wouldn't it make sense to have 96 ROPs + Tonga's colour compression? That already sounds like overkill as is, nevermind 128 ROPs. My logic is failing me on this one as I can't reconcile this spec. Furthermore, 128 ROPs of Fiji is 33% more than paper specs of GM200 but yet performance estimates put this card ~ Titan X +/- 10%. Are AMD's ROPs that inefficient compare to NV's?
I know it's often just pointless to compare paper specs of NV vs. AMD but I even when comparing that number of ROPs to Hawaii, it seems like overkill, no?
if someone wants to feel more secure that 8GB is bigger than 3.5GB, but performance wise, Hawaii single GPU isn't strong enough to make use of 8GB
if crossfiring, then really should be buying a 980Ti or Fiji
Fiji is going to have to compete against custom 980Ti that boost to 1.3+ ghz out of box and OC to 1.45ghz boost.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_980_ti_g1_gaming_soc_review,25.html
The competitor isn't Titan X, it's really a dud held back by the blower and overpriced. These custom 980Ti going for $699 that offer Titan X + 10% performance is the major threat.
Either way, do many people really pay $800 for this stuff these days?
Fiji is going to have to compete against custom 980Ti that boost to 1.3+ ghz out of box and OC to 1.45ghz boost.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_980_ti_g1_gaming_soc_review,25.html
The competitor isn't Titan X, it's really a dud held back by the blower and overpriced. These custom 980Ti going for $699 that offer Titan X + 10% performance is the major threat.
I hope not, since it is $680 from EVGA directly... Actually the only one they have in stock right now.
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-4995-KR
There is some different between that and the backplate version.
But you know, 8GB vs 3.5GB might be enough to make people think about it
AFAIK nvidia hasn't changed the labeling of the 970. So as far as most consumers are probably concerned, the 970 is still 4GB. gg consumer protection/rights.
Fillrate is king. I'd imagine if they're targeting 4k, ROPs dominate.
AFAIK nvidia hasn't changed the labeling of the 970. So as far as most consumers are probably concerned, the 970 is still 4GB. gg consumer protection/rights.
I read that R9 380X forum can beat GTX 980
if someone wants to feel more secure that 8GB is bigger than 3.5GB, but performance wise, Hawaii single GPU isn't strong enough to make use of 8GB
if crossfiring, then really should be buying a 980Ti or Fiji