Digital Foundry on AMD Polaris: Can 'R9 480'/'R9 480X' Dominate Mainstream PC Graphics?

[JEMC]

Slimebeast said:

JEMC said:

But, what if 490X was within 5% of the 1070 and launched at $299, for example?

Of course, you wouldn't upgrade since the jump from your 290 wouldn't be as big, but how would react the market?

Now that would be great ofc for sales in the mainstream segment for AMD, but I still think having the high-end and performance crown is very important. AMD is seen as second rate by many gamers when they almost never have the crown. Nvidia understands the importance of this PR and having the high-end users on its side.

And yes, the performance of a 490X will never be enough for it to be worth it compared to a Radeon 290. And since most games don't support SLI/Crossfire nowadays buying two of them ain't an option either.

Being able to use the "fastest GPU" or "fastest card" of the world is always a good selling point, although AMD may be able to claim the second one with the Radeon Pro Duo, but fighting for that place has done AMD more harm than good these last gens.

Focusing on improving its marketshare and its profitability is the best AMD can do this time around.