The days of 250 WATT ATI and NVidia cards are numbered...

[SUBMAN1]

I told you that I was skipping the 8800 line and the x2900 line. 250 Watts of power draw is just crazy!

Anyway, the test boards from ATI for the new RV670 is drawing only half that - about similar to a x1900 XTX again:

-S

RV670 clocks are not yet defined

And at the third stroke it'll be 800MHz, or thereabouts

By Theo Valich: Tuesday, 02 October 2007, 11:00 AM


AS WE PREVIOUSLY disclosed in this article, RV670 is a vastly improved R600 chip. And if you are wondering how a chip with 256-bit memory controller can outdo a 512-bit one, the answer can be found by looking at the clocks.


As it stands right now, neither the clocks not the TDP have been finalised, and this will not happen for the next couple of weeks, until the final round of speed binning completes and ATI issues a final production BIOS for the card.


However, partners now have physical prototype cards that work on different clocks, and we can now say that from one side, we have RV670XT, followed by cheaper RV670Pro.



Prototype board with RV670XT markings, that was leaked by several vendors sported a TDP of 132 Watts, and had GPU clocked all the way to 825 MHz, with GDDR4 memory working at 1.2 GHz (2.4 GT/s), while RV670 Pro prototype came with GPU clocked at 750 MHz, and GDDR3 memory was working at 900 MHz (1.8 GT/s). This board has TDP of around 104W.


As you know, original Radeon HD 2900XT had GPU clocked at 743MHz, with GDDR3 memory clocked at 826MHz. Now, even the RV670Pro has higher GPU and memory clock, so you can imagine the performance difference. We have to remind you that specs are not final, and the clocks of Gemini board (two RV670 GPUs on single PCB) and final clocks of XT/Pro are not set in stone. Same applies for overclocked version of RV670 with 2-slot cooling. GPU clock of 900MHz or 940MHz should not be unreachable, and when put under water, you should expect quite stellar results.


Both boards are PCI Express 2.0, but in order to keep the compatibility with 1.0 and 1.1 boards, both boards carry 6-pin PEG connector. There have been some issues with PCIe 2.0 boards when plugged in 1.1 motherboards (read: did not work), so Daamit is playing it safe and RV670 does not surpass the 75W draw from the PCIe slot - as required by 1st gen PCIe x16 electrical spec.


Several readers came back to us after the original article and asked about video capabilities. Unlike R600 and the whole soggy affair about R600 has UVD on several marketing slides (in fact, it did not), RV670 had enough room on a wafer to put full video encoding/decoding engine known to the world as UVD or Universal Video Decode.


We hope we managed to shed some light in this situation. Nevertheless, our standard disclosure applies: RV670 is a living and breathing project, with nothing being set in stone. Yet. µ

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...clocks-defined

[Skybird]

About time for such signals. Building PCs with 1.000 W (and more) power supplies is just crazy.

there was a calculation mentioned some days ago, saying that the dramatic rise in power consummation due to the existence of the internet has overtaken all global air traffic in CO2 pollution of the atmosphere. Not wanting to raise a new ecological debate here, but the picture of this comparison is impressive.

So is the yearly bill for electrical power in a given household these days. It is very expensive in Germany, due to the monopoles and absence of any true competition.

strange. when I was 20, half a life ago, I was able to secure my living (daily living costs) with around 40% of the money I need today to care for the same needs. I do not even think about eventual raises in said needs, or additional items on the list. Life's becoming pretty expensive. and no, I do no yearly holidays in exotic places and trips to tourist ressorts around the world, and I do not own a car or any fancy stuff.

[antikristuseke]

I dont have much trust in Theinqurer, especialy when it comes to hardware. But a scaling back in power consumption for GFX cards has been long overdue.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

I dont have much trust in Theinqurer, especialy when it comes to hardware. But a scaling back in power consumption for GFX cards has been long overdue.

You are probably mixing them up with someone else. They are an excellent source for system information of the future variety. If you need alternate sources, it is easy to find backup to whatever they claim, since anything written there rarely originated there. They just gather from all sorts of news sources.

-S

[JSLTIGER]

I find that DailyTech is a bit more reliable than the Inquirer...

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

You are probably mixing them up with someone else. They are an excellent source for system information of the future variety. If you need alternate sources, it is easy to find backup to whatever they claim, since anything written there rarely originated there. They just gather from all sorts of news sources.

-S

Oh no they are not, they have made lots of bull**** claims in the past, as far as i know they are widely knowns as the least reliable source for info about future hardware.

[elite_hunter_sh3]

THG is pretty biased too... primarily towards intel since intel sends them many "gifts" to review

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

Oh no they are not, they have made lots of bull**** claims in the past, as far as i know they are widely knowns as the least reliable source for info about future hardware.

I don't agree. Been reading them for over 10 to 12 years. THey make jokes yes, but complete BS, I have yet to see. Show me an example. Go onto their site, find an article that is complete BS (ANd of course, not meant to pull your leg) and see if it can't be backed up. Everything they report on is linked offsite as well and can be verified.

-S

[The WosMan]

Originally Posted by Skybird

About time for such signals. Building PCs with 1.000 W (and more) power supplies is just crazy.

there was a calculation mentioned some days ago, saying that the dramatic rise in power consummation due to the existence of the internet has overtaken all global air traffic in CO2 pollution of the atmosphere. Not wanting to raise a new ecological debate here, but the picture of this comparison is impressive.

So is the yearly bill for electrical power in a given household these days. It is very expensive in Germany, due to the monopoles and absence of any true competition.

strange. when I was 20, half a life ago, I was able to secure my living (daily living costs) with around 40% of the money I need today to care for the same needs. I do not even think about eventual raises in said needs, or additional items on the list. Life's becoming pretty expensive. and no, I do no yearly holidays in exotic places and trips to tourist ressorts around the world, and I do not own a car or any fancy stuff.

I find that the people who think that are the ones who always have to outdo their neighbors or can't distinguish between wants and needs. I think to myself, you people are the ones that will be selling your homes to me very cheap next year when you are in foreclosure and I seek investment properties.

I am simply glad that maybe with my next PC I build I won't need to buy a 1,000+ watt powersupply. They make my electric bill too high and they make my room too hot in the summer and then I have to run the A/C higher to compensate which in turn uses more power.

[SUBMAN1]

You forgot about people who have excess resources available and don't really care about beating their neighbor, and simply treat it as a hobby.

Besides, if you put a 1000 Watt PSU in your system and only use 200 Watts power, well, that is what you will pay for - 200 Watts.

-S

[The WosMan]

The problem is I don't use just 200 watts. I like my videogames.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by The WosMan

The problem is I don't use just 200 watts. I like my videogames.

Seems I will be getting a good deal when you forclose on your property!

-S

[The WosMan]

HAHAAAA, the difference is I can afford it.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by The WosMan

HAHAAAA, the difference is I can afford it.

Well that makes two of us, and I still want you propety too! :p

-S