14 DAY TRIAL // AMD used to have only one version of the Tahiti graphics processing unit (GPU for short), but the number grew to three over time and, now, it is about to grow again, to four.
For the Radeon HD 7950, we have the Tahiti Pro. For the Radeon HD 7970, AMD offers the Tahiti XT. Thirdly, for the Radeon HD 7970 GH Edition, the Tahiti XT2 is used.
According to HT4U.net, and confirming previous rumors, the Sunnyvale, California-based company is preparing a fourth chip.
It will be called Tahiti LE, will be a limited-edition item and it will never actually be sold by Advanced Micro Devices directly to customers.
AMD could launch a new reference video board, but it has reportedly decided against it this once.
That means that its OEM partners (original equipment manufacturers) will have to build the new adapters on their own, just like they did for the Radeon HD 7990 / 7970 X2 (dual-GPU video cards).
No exact pricing information was given, although the report did specify that, whatever the names of Tahiti LE cards end up being, the products would be positioned between the Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition and the Radeon HD 7950.
As a reminder, the former card is priced at $230-240, while the latter is sold, on average, for around $300-320.
The prices are of around 230 Euro and 300 Euro in Europe, according to online listings. Once again, it is proven that exchange rates do not reflect prices at all, but we digress.
Different OEMs demand less or more than the sums above, based on what exclusive cooling and stabilizing components they employ.
The first graphics cards powered by AMD's Tahiti LE GPU will become available, or at least up for pre-order, on November 27, 2012. As limited-edition products, they are obviously meant to score some extra sales during the winter holidays.