Articles - Does it make sense for ATI to launch Radeon HD 4890 X2?

[HEXUS]

We look at the pros and cons of such an approach.

Read more.

[0iD]

If it pwn'd in the benchmarks then it would have die-hard performance driven gamers salivating for it, even with the mahoosive power draw. I'll wait for Tarinder's verdict in the Hexus test dungeon.

[Michael H]

A more interesting question would be whether rv770 production has stopped now that rv790 is in production, and what kind of stockpiles are there of rv770?

[Tarinder]

A more interesting question would be whether rv770 production has stopped now that rv790 is in production, and what kind of stockpiles are there of rv770?

First question: nope.
Second question: plenty.

[scaryjim]

Perhaps we'll see a 4770 X3 instead? That *would* be interesting...

[Tattysnuc]

A more interesting question would be whether rv770 production has stopped now that rv790 is in production, and what kind of stockpiles are there of rv770?

I agree with this statement, but lets consider the wider picture.

Releasing a 4890 varient of the X2 will push down the price of the X2 marginally.

Also, a 4890 varient would have to go in at roughly the same price as the 295 GTX, probably just undercutting it if ATI's last few releases are a trend.

This means that in order for Nvidia to regain the top spot, which I'm sure they will go for, they would then have to reply quickly with the "next season" version of the GeForce model. I'm not sure that they are ready for that, so soon after the release of N275, N285 and N295.

If ATI do release an X2 varient it will be a short lived, short term win. I'm more surprised that they haven't released an upgraded version of the X2 with improved cooling.

Just a shame thsat they can't get a form of physics out there. It'd be nice to have some real tangible benefits....

[PeterStoba]

Ofcourse it makes sense, loads of people will buy them cos its new, expensive and the flagship card.

[shaithis]

Just a shame thsat they can't get a form of physics out there. It'd be nice to have some real tangible benefits....

It looks as if Physx may die a death soon anyway now that OpenCL seems to be picking up momentum.

Once OpenCL starts appearing in games and more applications, we will see it supported by both camps.

[Temi_D]

It makes some sense to me cos i saw a review of the 4890 CF on Techpowerup which beat the 295 in just about every single test and used less power than the 4870X2

[Brewster0101]

Ofcourse it makes sense, loads of people will buy them cos its new, expensive and the flagship card.

Loads of people!!

What percentage of graphic card sales do you think are the high end X2 cards from ATI and Nvidia...

The 4890 is a good step, but I wouldn't waste the manufacturing time in a 4890x2. ATI will save pennies and time and invest in the new generation.

48 series is rock solid, no point wasting investment time or money on it now, move on to the next project.

[Biscuit]

yeah i cant see it being worth it for them. I think the 4*** series especially the 4870 and the X2 put ATI ahead of the game for the first time in a while. The HD2*** series was disappointing at best and the 3*** where all pretty average performing. In its time the X2 was the fastest gaming card in the world and i think it really helped them get their fingers back in the pie... as it where lol.

[zephod]

If its simple to do then I should expect they will do it. Much like the GTX 295 I doubt there would ever be many of them on the shelves, but if it doesn't cost much in development, getting a handful of these into extreme system builder's rigs at shows would do a lot for AMD/ATi. Even if they do hit the retail shelves in any amount, these top end cards aren't really where these boys make their big money, but I think it would do a lot to shift 4xxx cards and create a buzz around their 40nm process releases. I can see them going for it even at 350W/card. They might get a backhander out of Enermax and the like for their troubles - mwa ha ha ha haaaa.

[TechHead]

I really think, keeping in mind the state of economic affairs, that the 4890 X2 would be a waste of money unless it was roughly 20-30% faster than the GTX 295 and if this were to happen ATI would run the risk of producing a card that was too fast - the HD 5xxx series would have real difficulty beating a last gen product and this would surely be bad for ATI at the launch of the 5 series. I still think a 4890 X2 would be pretty cool (not literally) for enthusiasts who want to brag... but I doubt there are enough enthusiasts at the moment to allow ATI to break even! The 40nm process would be essential.