http://www.nordichardware.com/news,7327.html
excerption

I wonder if they are still going to make the rumoured 4 core performance version (1 core for entry-level, 2 for mainstream) and if that 50% is core vs core kind of comparison. That would make one hellishly fast gard. (is that even a word )


first thread I started on toms forums yay!

If I'd have known that R770 was allegedly only 4-5 months away, then I would have held off buying a 3870x2. I'd thought an incrementally improved R700 was six months away and R770 multicore GPU was a year away.

I bought the MSI overclocked version and their tech support asked me to send them photos of the PCIe adapters included, because I can't get any video from the card with only the 6 pin PCIe. Since overclocking a 3870x2 requires an 8 pin PCIe as well, I bet the factory overclocked version needs it too.

Well, my Antec Neo 550 only has 2 six pin PCIe and MSI only included two "2 molex to 1 six pin PCIe" but they did not include an 8 pin PCIe adapter. If worse comes to worse, I'll get a 1000 watt Antec that has an 8 pin connector next Friday.

Well, once I get it working, it will still be a good card. The 3870x2 is about 46% faster than the 3870, so a 50% faster R770 won't be all that much better by itself, but it might be worth getting a 790 board for Crossfire. For that, I will need a 1000 watt Antec.

i wouldn't hold your breath, also, last i checked gpu's just expand, they do nto add cores, multi gpu yes, multicores no. i think what is meant byut the cores thing is that since gpu's are symetrical in nature to an extent they can just disable different quadrants of the gpu if they are defective and then sell them as low cost parts.

also, why so much power needed or is it just for connections?

personally think multi cores are a good idea.

Having low powered multi chips on a PCB is the future.

I'm glad ATI's coming back up. Might even go with ATI if this keeps up.

Pffft, I rushed my order for two 3870x2 and still unable to crossfire them. I don't care about the RV770, hurry up with a working quadfire driver lol. March is too far away, the aka 8.3 driver should have been released with the 3870x2.

Well it looks like I need to get an Antec PSU that has a 6+2 pin PCIe adapter, because, though the Antec Neo 550 is listed as a single card solution from ATI, it doesn't have that. MSI should have included the adapters and I bet they did on some boxes.

Here's my technical support post to MSI and their response. My first request is at the bottom:

There's no way I'm taking a 15% restocking fee at Newegg, so I'll just get a new power supply. I do not think that MSI should sell overclocked cards if they can't include an adapter for the situations where people have AMD rated power supplies that meet MSI's requirements, but do not have the 8 pin PCIe.

Sigh, no 20" monitor for me next week! It will be a $199 Antec TPQ 1000!

You could just buy a 8-pin adapter.

I'd rather get a 1000 watt PSU so that when the R770 arrives, then I can go Crossfire with one dual GPU and one multi-GPU. This 690V board is a stopgap because the older Nvidia board had "chipset limitations" that prevented the use of ATI cards. I'd really wanted to get a 790 board, but the way Phenom's going, I'll get a Q6600 and a Crossfire board. So, I might as well get the $199 PSU next week so I don't have to spend more in June.

I still think MSI should have made it clear that their card needed an 8 pin power connector. I'd suspected it did, because it's factory overclocked, but I'd assumed they'd include the adapter. They did list two power connectors under included items, but who'd have guessed it would be just two regular PCIe?

Sneaky weren't they?

Yes GPUs are highly parallel processing units, however, multiple GPU cores in the same die/package could scale much better than multiple GPU processors with the proper architecture and logic built into the GPU multi-core. This might also require less driver optimization. This is where AMD's processor division can aid in the evolution of the GPU and we all know that multi core GPUs are part of their path to 'fusion'.

Lets hope the high end RV770 (xt?) is really a 4 core offering. I think 2 cores are more likely.

$5 on BFG's site

Probably the same at Fry's or Newegg, but buying a thousand watt PSU is more fun. I still think that MSI should include the adapter if they're going to factory overclock. Still might get one for this week, but I don't have too many molex's left. It would have to use just two like the 6 pin they included that I don't need.

Multicore GPU's will be interesting. If they do one quad core GPU for the $499 enthusiast, then all they need to do is sell upper mainstream, mainstream and entry level as triple, dual and single cores. Alternatively, the enthusiast part could be two dual core GPU's, with one mainstream dual core and a single core entry level.

I don't see any $600 parts in this list. ATI has pretty much aimed at the best performance they can tweak out of a design at what is, for Nvidia, an upper mainstream part. Nvidia will have to go multicore GPU too, but will they be hurt by not having a processor division?

When is Intel expected in the discrete GPU business?

From everything I heard, the r700 won't be out until early 2009. Hope I am wrong!

I'd heard the R700 in six months and R770 in early 2009 with Swift (fusion of one GPU core with three CPU) in late 2009. Maybe AMD's trying to make up for all the missed deadlines in 2008?

Waiting for news on the successor to R670/680 almost makes me want to make up names for unannounced cards like the people waiting for an Nvidia 9800gtx. How does the HD 4200 sound? It's fun to mimic the other company's past generation success.

hmm, i ain't knowledgeable enough to answer it but i don't like the term multicore being used with GPU's, cpu's need multicore to be able to do more things at once, gpu's do not, they can already do it far better than cpu's, it has been explained before i am sure but i'm sure they would not need to use cpu methods to acheive what is being discussed.

Well its all if this is this fast then that needs to be this at the min.
Dont know how good nordic are but i wouldnt hold my breath until some more previews etc start to surface.
Right up front i want to say that this isnt aimed at Stranger but he isnt the only one i have seen posting that seems to be having a hard time accepting the whole multi GPU thing, The X2 is reported as a transitional product so it seems that multi GPU is the logical thing they are working to.
I know its from Wicki but here is a link that would seem to sugest that they do intend to go multi core in a big way.
mactronix
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R700

Pardon my scepticism on this, but a couple things seem to be getting overlooked. This card is supposed to be "up to" 50% faster. That doesn't mean that it will be 50% faster, only that in particular cases it might be 50% faster. It also might only be 5% faster. We won't know for sure what the numbers actually are until one gets out and is benched.

The other potential problem is that we used to hear how great the Phenom was going to be, how it was supposed to be 40% faster then the previous chip. Well, we know how that turned out. So again, pardon my scepticism, but I'll believe it when I see actual benches that show it.

Don't compare the Phenom to R770. Different divisions of the same recently merged company. ATI has delivered great products for far longer than AMD delivered good XP and X2 processors. I trust ATI right now more than AMD, even though "AMD" is on the chipsets and "ATI" is now just a marketing designation.

The stock 3870x2 performs, on average, 46% faster than a single 3870. In The Witcher, it provides 46 fps over a single 3870's 30 fps. I see no problems with R770 equaling that with one multicore GPU. I can't wait to set up the 3870x2 that's just waiting for a PSU, as the Antec Neo 550 does not have a 6+2 connector for 8 pin power.