14 DAY TRIAL // In the past couple of weeks, we have seen a considerable number of articles on AMD's much-anticipated, next-generation line of desktop graphics cards, presumably part of the chip maker's upcoming ATI Radeon HD 5000 series of GPUs, but, as we are approaching an alleged release date, the rumors just keep coming. According to the most recent details that have leaked on the Internet, the Sunnyvale, California-based chip maker plans to launch three new cards this September, all of which will be able to support Microsoft's upcoming DirectX 11 API. In addition, it appears that, for the first time, we now have the price points of the said cards.
According to a recent news article on the Bright Side of News, the AMD next-generation DirectX 11 lineup will include three new cards, allegedly called Radeon 5850, 5870 and 5870X2. The naming scheme is somewhat explainable, as it will continue the company's current line of GPUs, in the HD 4000 series, providing users with an increased performance and new features. What is of importance is that the article includes the launch prices of the said cards, which should give users a pretty general idea of what to expect from the chip maker.
Apparently, AMD plans to launch the top-of-the-line Radeon HD 5800 series at prices between US$279 to US$599, with the Radeon HD 5850 and the HD 5870X2 being at both ends of that range. The company's flagship Radeon HD 5870X2, boasting a single-PCB, dual-GPU configuration, will be available for US$599, while the lower-end, HD 5850 coming for between US$279-US$299. In the middle of the two, AMD will set the single-GPU Radeon HD 5870, which will apparently cost US$379-US$399.
Unfortunately, until proven otherwise, these are pretty much rumors, but, given the increasing number of such articles, it's clear that an official release isn't that far down the line.