http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1552585


not looking like much of a performance leap over current cards. Perhaps 69xx cards will be better.

Yeah it's all pretty crazy, being that the 6870 doesn't replace the 5870.

It's confusing for the masses, but for us in the know they are just numbers.

Snippy from translated Chinese.

AMD Radeon™ HD 6870 GPU Feature Summary:
 GDDR5 memory interface
 PCI Express® 2.1 x16 bus interface
 ―Eye-Definition‖ graphics
o Second generation graphics with full DirectX® 11 support
 Shader Model 5.0
 DirectCompute 11
 Programmable hardware tessellation unit
 Accelerated multi-threading
 HDR texture compression
 Order-independent transparency
o Image quality enhancement technology
 AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology1
 AMD EyeSpeed visual acceleration3
o AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology
 OpenCLSupport
 DirectCompute 11
 Accelerated video encoding, transcoding, and upscaling2
o UVD 3 dedicated video playback accelerator
o Enhanced Video Quality features
 Advanced post-processing and scaling
 Dynamic contrast enhancement and color correction
 Brighter whites processing (Blue Stretch)
 Independent video gamma control
 Dynamic video range control
 AMD HD3D technology
o Stereoscopic 3D display/glasses support
o Blu-ray 3D support
o Stereoscopic 3D gaming
o 3rd party Stereoscopic 3D middleware software support
 AMD CrossFireX™ multi-GPU technology5
o Dual GPU scaling3
 Cutting-edge integrated display support
o Integrated dual-link DVI output with HDCP
o Integrated DisplayPort 1.2 output
o Integrated HDMI 1.4a with support for stereoscopic 3D
o Integrated VGA output
 Integrated HD audio controller
o Output protected high bit rate 7.1 channel surround sound over HDMI with no additional cables required
o Supports AC-3, AAC, Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio formats
 AMD PowerPlay™ power management technology
o Dynamic power management with low power idle state
o Ultra-low power state support for multi-GPU configurations
 AMD Catalyst™ graphics and HD video configuration software
o Certified drivers for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
o AMD Catalyst™ Control Center - AMD Catalyst™ software application and user interface for setup, configuration, and accessing features of ATI Radeon products.
o Unified Graphics display driver - AMD Catalyst™ software enabling other PC programs and devices to use advanced graphics, video, and features of AMD Radeon™ products.


AMD Radeon™ HD 6850 GPU Feature Summary
 GDDR5 memory interface
 PCI Express 2.1 x16 bus interface
 ―Eye-Definition‖ graphics
o Second generation graphics with full DirectX® 11 support
 Shader Model 5.0
 DirectCompute 11
 Programmable hardware tessellation unit
 Accelerated multi-threading
 HDR texture compression
 Order-independent transparency
o Image quality enhancement technology
 AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology
 AMD EyeSpeed visual acceleration
o AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology
 OpenCLSupport
 DirectCompute 11
 Accelerated video encoding, transcoding, and upscaling
o UVD 3 dedicated video playback accelerator
o Enhanced Video Quality features
 Advanced post-processing and scaling
 Dynamic contrast enhancement and color correction
 Brighter whites processing (Blue Stretch)
 Independent video gamma control
 Dynamic video range control
 AMD HD3D technology
o Stereoscopic 3D display/glasses support
o Blu-ray 3D support
o Stereoscopic 3D gaming
o 3rd party Stereoscopic 3D middleware software support
 AMD CrossFireX™ multi-GPU technology3
o Dual GPU scaling
 Cutting-edge integrated display support
o Integrated dual-link DVI output with HDCP
o Integrated DisplayPort 1.2 output

Here is why with all the name changing 6870!=5870 stuffies.



Juniper LE = 5750 (and 6750)
Juniper XT = 5770 (and 6770)
Cypress Pro = 5850
Cypress XT = 5870
Hemlock = 5970

Barts Pro = 6850
Barts XT = 6870
Cayman Pro = 6950
Cayman XT = 6970
Antilles = 6990

Now:
5770 & 5750, 5850, 5870, 5970
End of October:
5770 & 5750, 6850, 6870, 5850, 5870, 5970
End of November:
6770 & 6750, 6850, 6870, 6950, 6970, 5970
December:
6770 & 6750, 6850, 6870, 6950, 6970, 6990

5770 & 5750 are just going to be rebadged (or not) to 6770 & 6750. Apparently the 5850, 5870 and 5970 are pin compatible with 6950, 6970 and 6990 they are being replaced with. Same card, newer (and better!) chips.

So ATi bascially stop(ped) making 5830/50/70 chips (same thing different binning) and started making the 6950/70 chips (different binning). 6990 is the new 5970.

It's not that confusing, anymore, unless it changes. We all find out on the 18th (or 22nd) or something.

With the 460GTX sandwiched in between the 6850 and 6870 in price, it's gonna hurt NV's bottom line. I think the 460 is still a smashing deal, so no reason for anyone to get rid of one, or even just go get another one for SLI.

The 6850 is the card to get right now. Hopefully this means a 6970 @ the 350$ price point. Maybe I'll even lose my mind and get a 6990 early next year.

Also those 6xxx cards better come with all sorts of dongles. I'm gonna be pissed if there's no miniDP->DP converter.

Also, I see no reason to upgrade if you already own a 5850. Only those with a 5770 or anything less than a 460 need apply.

AMD also seems to have "fixed" scaling with crossfire. Tesselation seems to be a little better, but it's implementation in any game is sketchy.
Temp, power, and price-points is where it matters.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/amds-radeon-6870-6850-renewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/3

And apparently there is a much less annoying mip-map blending now. They are also implementing MLAA as the defacto way they are doing AA now (like the consoles do it). So the jury's still out on how it will perform.

I don't see any reason for someone with a 5850/70 to "upgrade"

I am confused. How do the 6000's compare to the 5000's. So, whats the 5850's equivalent in the 6000's series. Why did AMD screw this shite up on us???

The 6870/6850 are basically cheap replacements for the 5850/5830, probably so they can better take on the GTX 460's price/performance. I guess if 5870/5850 users want to move up in the world, they have to wait for the 69** cards.

LOL @ steve-o

I was very much surprised at the pricing. I will be checking out some performance testing on a few websites before I bite.

I can't wait for the 5850 prices to drop off. I will Xfire it.

Id prolly sell mine and do up a 6 series.

I won't be able to find anyone to buy my 5870 at this rate lollerz.

Ya gotta sell before the next gen even hit's rumour stage. I'd of been killed if I hadn't offloaded that space heater 4870X2 before the 58** rumours hit. (That or baked in my own juices)