AMD is set to end the trend of releasing re-branded graphics cards when they launch an entirely new GPU in August, assuming the latest rumor from VR-Zone holds true.
Codenamed 'Tonga', the new GPU will replace the aging 'Tahiti Pro' GPU, which is currently found in the Radeon R9 280 but dates way back to the HD 7950 that launched in January 2012. Tonga is expected to be manufactured using a 28nm process (or possibly 20nm, as a few reports claim), and rumors claim it will pack 2,048 stream processors alongside 128 TMUs, 32 ROPs and a 256-bit GDDR5 memory bus.
The first graphics card utilizing Tonga is reported to have 2 GB of memory, and could either fall into AMD's high-end or mid-range line-up, depending on how the chip performs. At this stage it's not known whether a Tonga-based graphics card will form a new series or be slotted into the existing Rx 200 line, or what the card will be named.
With very little to go on at this stage, we'll have to wait until next month for more information, when AMD is expected to launch the new GPU. As it's been under a year since the Radeon Rx 200 series launched, we'd expect the card to slot into the current line-up, likely in the $200-300 range currently occupied by the R9 280 and R9 280X.