AMD readies cheaper, 1GB Radeon HD 6970/6950 cards?

Jos

Posts: 3,073   +97

AMD is getting ready to launch a new version of its enthusiast-grade Radeon HD 6970 graphics card with half the amount of onboard memory and a much more palatable price-point, according to X-bit Labs. The card would be based on the same fully-fledged Cayman GPU with 1,536 stream processors clocked at stock speeds of 880MHz, but featuring only 1GB of GDDR5 memory instead of the 2GB found on the current flagship.

The site claims to have obtained the information directly from AMD and says add-in partners will have the new cards ready by mid-February with prices starting at $280. If accurate, that would make this new card roughly $70 cheaper than the lowest priced 2GB Radeon HD 6970 and even cheaper than a 2GB HD 6950, which has an MSRP of $300.


The price would basically make the HD 6950 irrelevant at its current price point, although Hexus has been hearing that a 1GB version of this card might also be making its way to retailers some time soon so perhaps some adjustments in the lineup are in order. There are no details on pricing or availability for this card, but reports suggest AMD is looking to put some pressure in the sub-$300 segment with the new cutback cards as Nvidia readies the launch of its GTX 560 Ti.

Apart from new Radeon HD 6970 and 6950 models, factory-overclocked versions of the previous-generation Radeon HD 6870 are also expected to hit the market at $229 to $259 from the likes of Sapphire, PowerColor and XFX.

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Princeton said:
"Nvidia readies the launch its GTX 560 Ti."

Just a little error there.

never been too sure about my a's and an's BUT:

"which has a MRSP of $300. "

I think an would flow better.
 
yRaz said:
never been too sure about my a's and an's BUT:

"which has a MRSP of $300. "

I think an would flow better.
Generally speaking, if a word starts with a vowel sound (in this case, 'Em'), 'an' is acceptable or preferred, still depending on the word of course.

As for the article, 1GB of memory seems AWFULLY low for a card that will still retain the capacity for Eyefinity. I can see such a card being popular for the boys 'n girls that have only one (albeit likely large) screen if it is priced aggressively low, but I would imagine those that want to make use of Eyefinity should probably stick with the 2GB model.
 
Guest said:
What is this? Grade school? Thanks grammer nazi's.

I honestly thought someone might be smart enough to clear that up for me. Figured since Princeton alright broke the ice with stupid I might be able to get away with asking about my stupid.
 
yRaz said:
Guest said:
What is this? Grade school? Thanks grammer nazi's.

I honestly thought someone might be smart enough to clear that up for me. Figured since Princeton alright broke the ice with stupid I might be able to get away with asking about my stupid.

How was my comment "stupid"? I simply wanted to help make a better experience in terms of article grammar quality.

In response to your question, MRSP starts with a vowel. So you have to use "an" before it.

Guest said:
What is this? Grade school? Thanks grammer nazi's.

Keep going. You're simply adding to the list of reasons why registering should be manditory.
 
Princeton said:
yRaz said:
Guest said:
What is this? Grade school? Thanks grammer nazi's.

I honestly thought someone might be smart enough to clear that up for me. Figured since Princeton alright broke the ice with stupid I might be able to get away with asking about my stupid.

How was my comment "stupid"? I simply wanted to help make a better experience in terms of article grammar quality.

In response to your question, MRSP starts with a vowel. So you have to use "an" before it.

really? It sounds weird when spoken with an "a." Anyway, picking apart grammar is stupid. I shouldn't have even credited this with a response. Sorry to offend you, I was just trying to accurately access the situation.
 
Think this is a good move by AMD as it keeps them competitive in the sub $300 market and is clearly a response to the pending release of the GTX 560 Ti. At this price point the HD 6970 could also cut into GeForce 570 sales unless of course Nvidia responds by lowering the cost of the GTX 570.
 
MRSP does not start with a vowel... The grammar in the article, as I see it now, is correct.
 
Princeton said:
"Nvidia readies the launch its GTX 560 Ti."

Just a little error there.
It's funny how I read you quote over and over to find the error. My brain was inserting a complimentary "of" every single time.
 
wagan8r said:
Princeton said:
"Nvidia readies the launch its GTX 560 Ti."

Just a little error there.
It's funny how I read you quote over and over to find the error. My brain was inserting a complimentary "of" every single time.
Haha, same thing here.
You can construct a quite poor sentence and our brains will take care of it, I can't find the example now but it's quite funny (only the first and last letters need to be correct in a word, the middle ones you can throw around any way you like...)
 
Some confusing reports are surfacing regarding the pricing of the 1GB variants of the 6970 and 6950. The price for the new 6950 is being reported by Fudzilla and Hardware Canucks as $279, or basically the same price as this article says the 1GB 6970 will sell for. This correction posted by Hardware Canucks is even more confusing:

[Update [01/18/2010] As a result of some miscommunication, the original report by online sources claiming that AMD would be launching a 6970 1GB at $279 are in fact, false. In our contact with AMD, the company confirmed the product it actually intends to release, will be a Radeon HD 6950 1GB, priced at $279.

Guess we'll find out soon enough which is right, but either the 6950 needs to sell for less or the 6970 for more :confused:
 
They might end up taking market share from their own 6870 and 6850 cards if the price reductions on the 1GB 6900 series are too aggressive. AMD has probably given up on taking the single GPU crown from Nvidia.
 
Generally speaking, if a word starts with a vowel sound (in this case, 'Em'), 'an' is acceptable or preferred, still depending on the word of course.
This is wrong on so many levels. "M" is a consonant. The only time it carries the short "E" sound, is when it is called by it's name. This is because no consonant can be spoken by itself, without the addition of a vowel sound.

So, there is no "M", when "manufacturer" is spoken, and consequently it requires the use of the "A" article, not the "AN"...!

The rule is; "AN" is used before a word that begins with a vowel*, (A,E,I,O,U( and sometimes "Y"), and "A" is used before words beginning in a consonant..! ("consonants", would be the other 21 letters, or 20 letters, again depending on the context of the "Y").

The only prominent exception to this rule is the word "historic". "An historic event", is the generally accepted grammatical form. (This is a very limited exception, since you don't go to, "an history class").

Thus ends the 5th grade English lesson. Now why doesn't everybody go back to texting in class, and we'll pretend this never happened. (For all the good it will do, it might as well not have). :rolleyes:


In any event, (historic or other), I don't care about this video card, I'll never buy one, I don't need one, and I don't want one. Therefore, if I'm going to not bother with any form of this card whatsoever, I choose to ignore the 2GB memory version, and disavow the existence of the 1GB version altogether.

never been too sure about my a's and an's BUT:

"which has a MRSP of $300. "

I think an would flow better.
Right you are! And since a question answered correctly by accident, is a question answered correctly nonetheless, you still get the points.
 
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