Q1 – 2012 Scheduled, GCN based Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs
Until Now…
- 8th December – AMD Radeon HD 7000 series Preview
- 22nd December – AMD Radeon HD 7970 Preview for public
- 9th January – Official Release of Radeon HD 7970 (originally planned for HD 7950 3 GB version too)
To Happen…
- 31st January – Official Release of Radeon HD 7950 3GB ($449)
- Mid February – Radeon HD 7770 1GB ($149) and HD 7570 1GB ($139) will be released
- Mid February to Mid-March – A breakthrough for AMD by releasing Radeon HD 7850 2GB ($249) and HD 7870 2GB ($299)
- Mid-March to April – Radeon HD 7990 6GB ($849), HD 7950 1.5GB ($399) and HD 7850 1GB ($219)
These dates hold valid, only if everything goes according to plan.
| Model | Code Name | Price | Frame Buffer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD 7990 | New Zealand | 849 $ | 2 x 3GB | Mid-March to April |
| HD 7970 | Tahiti XT | 549 $ | 3 GB | 9th January |
| HD 7950 | Tahiti pro | 449 $ | 3 GB | 31st January |
| HD 7950 | Tahiti pro | 399 $ | 1.5 GB | Mid-March to April |
| HD 7870 | Pitcairn XT | 299 $ | 2 GB | Mid February to Mid-March |
| HD 7850 | Pitcairn Pro | 249 $ | 2 GB | Mid February to Mid-March |
| HD 7850 | Pitcairn Pro | 219 $ | 1 GB | Mid-March to April |
| HD 7770 | Cape Verde XT | 149 $ | 1 GB | Mid February |
| HD 7750 | Cape Verde Pro | 139 $ | 1 GB | Mid February |
Price Difference between HD 7950 and GTX 580
Only a few days are more to see Radeon HD 7950 3GB version to be out. From the leaked 3D Mark 11 benchmarks, we came to know that GTX580 lagged behind HD 7950. At a price point of $449, HD 7950 will be $10 lower than the lowest priced PNY GeForce GTX 580 at $469.
Nvidia Keeps on increasing our Expectations for Kepler
Though HD 7950 has lot many advantages compared to GTX 580, AMD can only attract the upcoming buyers of GTX 580. So before losing many customers, Nvidia should release its Kepler series GPUs. In the meantime, remember that Nvidia has commented on HD 7970’s performance that they had expected much more performance from AMD, which develops more expectation from us for their Kepler series GPUs. So let us wait and see whether Nvidia can stand by our expectations.
