Hi!
Just as most of you guys, I'm very eager to see AMD's next generation cards launched, and compare them to the new Nvidia Pascal listings (GTX 1080 / 1070). But a lot of news sites, like WCCF Tech, are speculating in different directions to which chips the new ones are going to replace. It is understandable, since last years were easy with almost only rebrands, and now suddenly there is suddenly guessing work involved. However, it's relevant to see how the new silicon is going to be positioned, because that will decide the retail price - and if's really going to be the bang for buck warrior as is now rumored.
So, the new Polaris 10 chip is the most interesting, because it will be in the high midrange and will probably wage war with the GTX 1070. Still, some sources claim it will be the successor to the R9 380(X), and some say it will replace R9 390(X). I don't know why there isn't more discussion about this, because its a FUNDAMENTAL difference. x90 parts sell for over 300 dollars, x80 parts closer to 200. It makes it an entirely different market. Back in the mining days, the 280X was very popular for its great price-performance ratio. But when that was over, interest in the chip dropped and 390 started to gain supporters.
So, my best guess for a line-up (edited):
Radeon Pro Duo (Dual Fiji, ultimate enthousiast) ~$1000
Fury / Fury X / Fury Nano (Fiji, top end) ~$500
R9 490/490X (Polaris 10, subtop) ~$300 / claimed perf of 390X at lower price / tdp
R9 480/480X (Antigua > Tonga Rebrand, high end) ~$230
R9 470/470X (Polaris 11, midrange) ~$180 / claimed perf of 370X at lower tdp
R7 460/460X (Tobago > Bonaire Rebrand, low midrange) ~$120
R7 450/450X (Cape Verde Rebrand, entry) ~$100
R5 430/440 (Oland Rebrand, discrete) ~$80
As said, there are also sources which claim Polaris 10 at the x80 placeholder, and Polaris 11 at the x70 spot. But that only shifts the question, because which chips are going to fill the new blanks then? Rebrands are not the solution this time, who buys a 470 rebrand (which would be triple rebrand from Pitcairn > Curacao > ?) if you can have same performance at lower price and tdp with the 460.
Please feel free the join this discussion. I think its very relevant and overlooked in recent speculations.
Just as most of you guys, I'm very eager to see AMD's next generation cards launched, and compare them to the new Nvidia Pascal listings (GTX 1080 / 1070). But a lot of news sites, like WCCF Tech, are speculating in different directions to which chips the new ones are going to replace. It is understandable, since last years were easy with almost only rebrands, and now suddenly there is suddenly guessing work involved. However, it's relevant to see how the new silicon is going to be positioned, because that will decide the retail price - and if's really going to be the bang for buck warrior as is now rumored.
So, the new Polaris 10 chip is the most interesting, because it will be in the high midrange and will probably wage war with the GTX 1070. Still, some sources claim it will be the successor to the R9 380(X), and some say it will replace R9 390(X). I don't know why there isn't more discussion about this, because its a FUNDAMENTAL difference. x90 parts sell for over 300 dollars, x80 parts closer to 200. It makes it an entirely different market. Back in the mining days, the 280X was very popular for its great price-performance ratio. But when that was over, interest in the chip dropped and 390 started to gain supporters.
So, my best guess for a line-up (edited):
Radeon Pro Duo (Dual Fiji, ultimate enthousiast) ~$1000
Fury / Fury X / Fury Nano (Fiji, top end) ~$500
R9 490/490X (Polaris 10, subtop) ~$300 / claimed perf of 390X at lower price / tdp
R9 480/480X (Antigua > Tonga Rebrand, high end) ~$230
R9 470/470X (Polaris 11, midrange) ~$180 / claimed perf of 370X at lower tdp
R7 460/460X (Tobago > Bonaire Rebrand, low midrange) ~$120
R7 450/450X (Cape Verde Rebrand, entry) ~$100
R5 430/440 (Oland Rebrand, discrete) ~$80
As said, there are also sources which claim Polaris 10 at the x80 placeholder, and Polaris 11 at the x70 spot. But that only shifts the question, because which chips are going to fill the new blanks then? Rebrands are not the solution this time, who buys a 470 rebrand (which would be triple rebrand from Pitcairn > Curacao > ?) if you can have same performance at lower price and tdp with the 460.
Please feel free the join this discussion. I think its very relevant and overlooked in recent speculations.