| Captain_Tom said: -The 8970 will use 25% more stream processors so there you go on that clear cut buff. -The 8970 has 50% more ROP's, and 30% more TMU's. -The overall pixel and texture fill rate are 40-50% faster than the 7970. -The memory clock is 6500 MHz effective. (Crazy higher than the 7970) |
All the specs you listed are pure speculation based on VGChartz. The guy who runs the site, WhyCry, put together his own "speculative" analysis of HD8970's specs based on rumors he gathered from various internet sources: http://videocardz.com/35050/amd-radeon-hd-8970-rumored-specification-analysis
Keep in mind that those rumors he put together have never been confirmed. Unlike a working K20/K20X GK110 chip around which we know some details, HD8970 only exists in AMD's offices and for us, just on paper (or rather based on Internet's unsubstantiated rumors).
Last year Kit Guru reported that they got access to inside sources in Far East and HD8000 series was actually aimed to launch around Computex, or June 2013:
Fast forward to today and now Sweclockers reports that both NV and AMD may delay GTX700/HD8000 series to Q4 2013.
"The new circuits can be "at best" pop up in the fourth quarter of 2013, ie in the period October-december. This could mean, for example, the Radeon HD 7970 has time to fill two years before a proper replacement can find on the market."
http://www.sweclockers.com/nyhet/16480-nasta-generation-geforce-och-radeon-skjuts-upp-till-q4-2013
Nvidia could still launch the Titan right to coincide with the launch of Crysis 3 as that sounds like a great marketing move to strengthen their brand equity and reclaim the performance crown. The situation is far less clear about what's happening with GTX780 and HD8970. If their launch is truly delayed to Q4 2013, does that mean 20nm Maxwell/Volcanic Islands will also be delayed from 2014 to 2015? Or will GTX780/HD8970 will be one of the shortest lived "refresh" generations in history before being replaced by far superior 20nm parts in mid-2014?
With bitcoin mining prices on fire at > $20 per coin, I would snap 2x HD8990s with 2560 SPs x 4 in a heartbeat but AMD seems to have run into serious issues or something because it's been more than a year since HD7970 launched and there isn't even a sign of HD8970 launching any time soon. No rumors, no specs, no articles from anyone regarding when it's coming. Dead silence, except the Sweclockers rumor of delays to Q4 2013....
