Radeon HD 2950 XTX coming in the third quarter

[Primitivus]

A small piece of news that I, for one, didn't like reading
http://www.techreport.com/onearticle.x/12424
I've been holding out for the R600 since... forever. But if something cheaper, faster, more efficient and less power hungry is just 3, maybe 4, months away, then what's the point of buying the 2900 which isn't even out yet?
I know that a card that's very good today will also be at least good enough in 3 months from now, I know that a high-end graphics card is not about value for money, or that I shouldn't expect any sort of return to my "investment", but, boy, talk about the "next big thing" being right around the corner!
I think I'll buy a 8800GTS 320MB tomorrow and go for the 2950 XTX come August
Oh yes... and I also know that it's only a rumour and perhaps the 2950 will also be delayed indefinitely but still, if you are prepared to dish out between 400 and 600 euros you don't want to be left feeling (even more) stupid...

 

[blade85]

and yet again, the original news seems to be coming from the fudzilla camp.

There could be 2 possibilities:

1- Fudzilla are talking crap and spreading crap.
2- They know too much for their own good. 8O

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

then what's the point of buying the 2900 which isn't even out yet?

What'sthe point in buying anythig before you know even what the HD2900s can do, let alone the HD2950s?

I think I'll buy a 8800GTS 320MB tomorrow and go for the 2950 XTX come August
Oh yes... and I also know that it's only a rumour and perhaps the 2950 will also be delayed indefinitely but still, if you are prepared to dish out between 400 and 600 euros you don't want to be left feeling (even more) stupid...

So the question is if 'st00pid avoidance' is what you're trying to do, why not at least wait until you know what the cards they are offering next week and what the prices of the GTS-640s will be?

Makes no sense to buy tomorrow versus next Monday. :?:

 

[Glacier]

I would say Fudzilla is talking crap again. Am I the only one who is getting sick of Fudzilla spitting out all this news, when everyone else is bound to silence by the non-disclosure agreements?

 

[Primitivus]

Apologies... it was rather hasty of me not to take that with a huge grain of salt. I'm just expressing my frustration for the R600 delays.

 

[cb62fcni]

It's not violating an NDA to speculate wildly, nor are there laws against producing news via your primary posterior orifice.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

I personally like fudzilla's "crap", but I have always wondered why they are allowed to break amd's nda, or have a different one

Actually Fudzilla, like the InQ, isn't bound by NDA so what they get is either from NDA breakers (whom they try to protect as sources of course), or from rumour sources. Basically they write each story as if it automatically opens in your browser with the following;

"So a little birdy told me......."

People who have rumours, tell the InQ and Fuad, and VR-Zone, etc.
Some are credible and pan out, others are FUD or someone wanting to see their rumour in the net tabloids, and others are real leaks, but by the time the product arrives it's been redesigned twice and it resembles the original concept in name only.

Basically anything from Fuad isn't under NDA, it's a collection of rumours, and also a dissemination point for rumours. He has well conected connections, and people wanting to leak stuff for PR reasonss (either for BUZZ or for FUD).

Always entertaining, but I'd never invest anything more than my time into the articles that come out of the InQ and FUDzilla.

 

[Primitivus]

What'sthe point in buying anythig before you know even what the HD2900s can do, let alone the HD2950s?

The point is that I know a 2900XT will be better than my X1600XT which was never any good anyway.
And I've been waiting for the ATI cards because:
1) Most of the games I play generally run better on ATI cards,
2) I prefer their drivers,
3) I have a Crossfire capable mobo and... you never know,
and
4) I'd like for my next purchase to get a DX10 part since I'm gradually moving to Vista

So the question is if 'st00pid avoidance' is what you're trying to do, why not at least wait until you know what the cards they are offering next week and what the prices of the GTS-640s will be?

Makes no sense to buy tomorrow versus next Monday.

I meant that if I'm not going to get the 2900 (if the rumour about the 2950 is true) why not get the GTS-320 which is already available? And if I've made up my mind to get an nVidia card why not tomorrow first thing in the morning? (I was talking about the 320MB version, not the 640MB one)
(Also note that those are big if's)

 

[cb62fcni]

Save some salt for Fudzilla too then. They seem to have gotten worse over these last few weeks with posting and then posting something completely contradictory to the first. It's a fertile market though, with all the rumors swirling around. At least Tom's owes them, as much as this stuff winds up in these forums.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

The main point is, the consideration that the 'IFs' in you statements, could also be;

What IF the GTS-640 drops to near the price of the GTS-320 next week?

What IF the HD2900SE or whatever is the same price as the GTS-320 only more performant?

Neither of which I would bet on, but by the same token getting close to either is a possability.

I just dont see the wisedom in getting even the attractive GTS-320 now instead of first thing next week, considering that the price isn't about to go up, so the only downside would be losing 5 days of gameplay in order to make an informed decision. Seems to be the logical route regardless of whether you end up with the GTS-320 or not.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Well Fuad was lead graphics guy for the InQwhen he worked for them, now I wouldn't say he's any more credible than he was when he had their nameplate on his desk.

I'd say they're both 50/50 in the reliability market, bu tthey're also both entertaining. I wouldn't call either more/less reliable.

 

[cb62fcni]

Change what fast? Did I miss something?

 

[cb62fcni]

Oh, right, I was really just referring to last week's: R600 needs at least 750W;R600 is fine on 500W, R600 cooler hits 100C; R600 gets up to 82C series....

 

[cb62fcni]

I know, I know, it's just that I, for one, would prefer a short wait for the actual test and real data.

 

[No1sFanboy]

Unfortunately Fuad is about the the most prevalent information out there re. the r600's. AMD has created the situation where Fuad can flourish.

Two choices; you can read and discuss the rumours and unverified info or wait for the NDA's to expire. For those who are "angered" and "sick" of the pre NDA discussions why participate?

One thing I like about Fuad over the Inquirer is he very briefly reports what he has found. Sure it is unverified and may be taken out of context but I do believe his reports have come from somewhere other than his imagination. For example the 750 watt thing, it appears he received ATI material with the recommended specs but his source did not put it into the proper context which in that case was crossfire requirements.

The Inquirer on the other hand has to spin everything, for example they can't report that MS purchased a new pencil without some long anti MS rant.

Now let me stick my neck out here. Once the r600 has been released I would hazard a guess that if you go back over Fudzilla's reports you will see that though not all reliable it was still one of the best sources of early info.

 

[audiosupernova]

I won't be one bit surprised if DAAMIT does release an HD2950XTX in Q3. Anyone remember the X1800? :roll:

They released the X1800 cards, then months later the X1900 cards...because the X1800 cards underperformed, whereas the X1900 cards have had great success and is a great product. I would guess they're doing it again.

 

[Primitivus]

But I still don't get what's so special about the hd2950xtx, isn't just a better version of the r600xtx? Supposedly 65nm done right?

It's the card they should be releasing now, instead of Q3 and instead of the underperforming 2900 (again if rumours are correct)

 

[Primitivus]

The main point is, the consideration that the 'IFs' in you statements, could also be;

What IF the GTS-640 drops to near the price of the GTS-320 next week?

What IF the HD2900SE or whatever is the same price as the GTS-320 only more performant?

Neither of which I would bet on, but by the same token getting close to either is a possability.

I just dont see the wisedom in getting even the attractive GTS-320 now instead of first thing next week, considering that the price isn't about to go up, so the only downside would be losing 5 days of gameplay in order to make an informed decision. Seems to be the logical route regardless of whether you end up with the GTS-320 or not.

The truth is that since I've waited so long I'm not going to "break" just days before the R600 release, I'm not that st00pid. I was just making a point about the frustration I've felt over the delays and the fact that we hear such a rumour so close to the actual launch of the 2900.
And if the 2900 performs better than the GTS and is comparable in price, of course I'll opt for it, no matter what's in store for Q3.

 

[bullaRh]

why dont you just wait for the dx10 games and see what card will be best at that time? ati or nvidia. and buy a gts now probably wouldnt be stupid, its a nice card.
but im gonna wait and see who's the best performer.. i wonder what 8900 will do

 

[cherie22984]

Why is this so bad?
I still use my 7900GT0 The games I play still average 100+/- FPS.
I have NO NEED for a new 8800 or 2900 just yet. I, and many others are willing to upgrade after there is some real competition between the green/red teams, cause we all know that competition= lower prices. Why the hell would I buy a 8800ultra now for 700+ $$ now when my current card still performs like a champ. I guess only record breakers want it the day it comes out. I'm not looking for the top 3DMark spot.

Edit: 7900GTO

 

[Primitivus]

Why is this so bad?
I still use my 7900GT0 The games I play still average 100+/- FPS.
I have NO NEED for a new 8800 or 2900 just yet. I, and many others are willing to upgrade after there is some real competition between the green/red teams, cause we all know that competition= lower prices. Why the hell would I buy a 8800ultra now for 700+ $$ now when my current card still performs like a champ. I guess only record breakers want it the day it comes out. I'm not looking for the top 3DMark spot

It's not that I need the best and fastest as soon as it's available, it's just that my current card (X1600XT) does not perform like a champ especially considering that I'm using a 24" screen with a native resolution of 1920x1200. I can't run ANY of the games I play at that rez with that card. So I've wanted to upgrade since I got this monitor, a few months ago, and it seemed like the logical thing to go for a next gen part that could handle 19x12 and HD stuff with ease.
I've already mentioned why I would rather get an ATI part so you can understand why I'm so eager for them to come out.
And with the possibility of such an imminent release of the "refresh" product (ie R650) it feels like ATI is telling us that the GPU they should be releasing now is still a few months away and in the mean time we can have sth that's good but not that good yet.
Bear in mind though that I'm pressing the point only because the R650 release seems so imminent

 

[Glacier]

Why is this so bad?
I still use my 7900GT0 The games I play still average 100+/- FPS.
I have NO NEED for a new 8800 or 2900 just yet. I, and many others are willing to upgrade after there is some real competition between the green/red teams, cause we all know that competition= lower prices. Why the hell would I buy a 8800ultra now for 700+ $$ now when my current card still performs like a champ. I guess only record breakers want it the day it comes out. I'm not looking for the top 3DMark spot.

Agreed, I'm going to be using my 7950gt until next year. I still don't see why anyone would want the 8800 Ultra period, unless they are looking for a status symbol. The 8800 GTX is cheaper, and comes close to the 8800 Ultra.

 

[Heyyou27]

I still use my 7900GT0 The games I play still average 100+/- FPS.

I'm thinking more - than +.

The 7900GTO is still a great card, but I wanted an 8800GTX to really boost my Oblivion performance. :twisted:

 

[Vash-HT]

Why is this so bad?
I still use my 7900GT0 The games I play still average 100+/- FPS.
I have NO NEED for a new 8800 or 2900 just yet. I, and many others are willing to upgrade after there is some real competition between the green/red teams, cause we all know that competition= lower prices. Why the hell would I buy a 8800ultra now for 700+ $$ now when my current card still performs like a champ. I guess only record breakers want it the day it comes out. I'm not looking for the top 3DMark spot.

Edit: 7900GTO

Honestly you could get away with using a really crappy card for a long time if you continually lower the settings, but eventually you get sick of games that can look good looking like crap, especially if you have the money to upgrade. This situation is bad because people who have been waiting for an upgrade for a long time might end up being kinda screwed if they buy a 2900 and then a superior 2950 comes out shortly afterwards. Either way they'll get a nice upgrade, but honestly if I had bought a X1800 when they launched I would've been kinda mad that they released new cards so soon.

 

[tamalero]

well, for people like me, with a X850XT, a 2900Hd will do way fine, because of the shader 3 and shader 4 support, if you all remember
x850Xt doesnt support shader 3 D: