Upcoming ATI Radeon 5000 Series Refresh info [Wiki]

[mattlef]

check it out...
According to a chart found on another forum linked from Wiki, it looks like Q1-Q2 Ati will could have an answer to Fermi with 28nm processes as soon as Q1....

5830, 5890's planned for Q1
with a 5860 planned for Q2.....???




And to counter those who say 28nm in Q1? what
SemiAccurate :: Global Foundries 28nm wafer spotted

[FiXT]

More info here: ATI?s New-Generation Graphics Processors on Track for the Second Half of 2010 ? AMD?s CEO - X-bit labs



I don't doubt the potential of a refresh, however I don't think they will replace the entire line, ESPECIALLY not basing it on the 28nm process. I suspect it will be more likely we will see a few improvements and the introduction of something like the HD 4890"
As noted here TSMC has said they will start focusing on 28nm near the end of this year and I can't forsee yields and processing to be refined enough to completely restructure it on such fresh technology.


A 32nm half-node step would be far easier to jump to from 40nm and pose far less risk and no major redesigns. A full node jump would seem far more likely for an entirely new product line.
With AMD pushing their GlobalFoundries fabs to become a major ATI chip producer, and GF has yet to announce 32nm officially launched/complete (though expected in a few months) sounds like decent timing for a refresh.


But I have been wrong a time or two :P

And to counter those who say 28nm in Q1? what
SemiAccurate :: Global Foundries 28nm wafer spotted

I saw this..... I also see this: by Charlie Demerjian
I rest my case

[SKYMTL]

That 28nm wafer does NOT contain GPUs. No matter what Charlie would like you to think.

And the HD 5830 nor any HD 5x90 card is considered a "refresh".

GolbalFoundries' 28nm volume production line isn't even up an running so there won't be any cards based off of that until at LEAST Q4 2010. They are in high-risk, test volumes right now with 28nm.

Don't believe everything on Wikipedia...

[Sushi Warrior]

Umm, is that a chart off wikipedia? I know they aren't bad but it's hardly a reliable source....

EDIT: Also, the chart thinks adding 300 core units will equal LESS transistors.... don't think a 28nm shrink will do that and it doesn't seem anything like 4890, 4890 was an OC'd 4870 without any more core units.

[mattlef]

to be fair, i should have put a "?" in the thread topic as the sources are loose.
However, it is a rumor none the less....

-edit-
can a mod please put a ? in the title for me..... to make it much more accurate then a newsworthy statement. Thanks in advance.

[FiXT]

In matt's defense I believe he just used Wikipedia as a quick source to showcase all the rumoured products.

Many major news websites are reporting the info, traced back to Xbit Labs and Fudzilla. See my link above.

I just am questioning the reliability of the information and accuracy - We will see if we can get some clarification on the statement that sparked the rumours:

"“We are ramping the ATI Radeon HD 5000 series now and look forward to refreshing the entire lineup in the second half of next year*,” said Dirk Meyer, chief executive officer of AMD, during quarterly conference call with financial analysts."

[SKYMTL]

Original source was an investor conference call with Dirk Meyer talking about a "refresh in H2 2010". Once again, judging from the most ambitious estimates of GlobalFoundries, GPU's based on their 28nm process won't see the light of day until Q4 2010 at the earliest. Remember, 28nm is something totally new for GF which means there could be issues.

Basically, all these sites just took a half dozen words from AMD and painted in essays of supposition without looking at the facts.

[mattlef]

I understand that the 5830 and 5890 will not be refreshes and could launch as soon as feb 5th (5830)

However, would it be fair to assume that the "refreshes" listed (5860, etc...) could be 3/4Q 2010 using 28nm process?

[Sushi Warrior]

Originally Posted by SKYMTL

Original source was an investor conference call with Dirk Meyer talking about a "refresh in H2 2010". Once again, judging from the most ambitious estimates of GlobalFoundries, GPU's based on their 28nm process won't see the light of day until Q4 2010 at the earliest. Remember, 28nm is something totally new for GF which means there could be issues.

Basically, all these sites just took a half dozen words from AMD and painted in essays of supposition without looking at the facts.

And wikipedia came up with all the specs too

[SKYMTL]

Originally Posted by mattlef

I understand that the 5830 and 5890 will not be refreshes and could launch as soon as feb 5th (5830)

However, would it be fair to assume that the "refreshes" listed (5860, etc...) could be 3/4Q 2010 using 28nm process?

Anything is possible. However, I expect AMD to take the safe and smart route as they have done in the past. Basically, test out the manufacturing process on a mid-tier GPU before making the jump with a new architecture. They did this with the HD 4770 + 40nm which proved to be a good proving ground.

You can't put all your eggs in one basket and AMD knows that. Imagine using an immature 28nm manufacturing process for an entire line of new GPUs without testing the process first. That would be a recipe for disaster IMO. AMD is MUCH smarter than that.