14 DAY TRIAL // Prior to and during this year's Computex show in Taipei, Taiwan, there were a series of rumors regarding the launch of AMD's next-generation graphics processors, which would enable users to take advantage of new features, such as DirectX 11, support for Windows 7 and a new 40nm manufacturing process. A number of speculations have been made regarding the naming scheme of these new cards, with most rumors pointing to a new HD 5000-series, which would deliver performance increases as well as a more energy-efficient solution for graphics enthusiasts.
Although the release date of AMD's next-generation GPUs should be around the same time as the launch of Microsoft's much-hyped Windows 7 operating system, there are still a number of speculations regarding the naming scheme the Sunnyvale, California-based chip maker plans to adopt. According to a recent post on the company's CatalystMaker Twitter account, the HD 5000-series is a name that AMD isn't necessarily familiar with. The post also says that said series will not be on sale around the Windows 7 release.
These new-generation graphics chips are part of the company's mid-range and entry-level models, codenamed 'Evergreen' RV8xx, which feature a more flexible architecture, reports on the Internet indicate. The new line of GPUs should deliver a better performance in GPGPU applications and provide users with an updated UVD processor. The Evergreen chips should make a debut in the third quarter of this year and should be built using TSMC's 40nm manufacturing node. This is still one of the main issues with the new cards, given TSMC's problems with the 40nm process.
As far as NVIDIA is concerned, the Santa Clara, California-based chip maker is also expected to update its line of desktop GPUs, with the introduction of a new microarchitecture, presumably called GT300, which will also make use of TSMC's 40nm manufacturing node.