BlueFalcon said:
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? |
What I listed is not pure speculation. That leaked sheet has been found on numurous websites. That doesn't make them anywhere near "Set in Stone,"but they are based on something.
However I wouldn't be surprised if both AMD and Nvidia delay their next line-up.
AMD:
They are selling very well and this is possibly the best moment ever to buy an AMD card. They are being advised by forum users and techsites left and right with a clear price/performance crown at arguably every price point. In addition to this, their mobile graphics are clawing away small amounts of market share as well and that is where most of the money is at this point. No reason to update unless you have to.
Nvidia:
The 600 series is also selling very well. Otherwise NV is probably still trying to fix its manufacturing yields so the 700 series can profit. When the 680 launched it was stronger (At stock), more efficient, and CHEAPER than the 7970. However the 7970 was able to sit by and keep selling for 2 months because NV couldn't produce enough 680's. Then when they were in stock, AMD release a refined version of the 7970 that once again stole the performance crown, and has kept it since. They are not gonna let that happen again.
Other: Do they really need to release another flagship so soon? The 7970 is currently around twice as powerful as the 6970, and the 680 is at least 50% stronger than the 580. The differences between the 480 and 580 was fairly small in all honesty. When there are performance gains this big between a generation, it usually takes the companies around 1.5-2 years before they do a full refresh.
