Sorting the 4890 wheat from the 4890 chaff.
There have been a lot of rumours flying around about the upcoming ATI 4890 board, and few if any of them are true. The fevered speculation of a few has gotten almost to the point of silly, so lets set the record straight.
The 4890 is not a new ASIC, it may or may not be a new stepping of the R770, but it is not a new part. It is not 40nm either. On top of that, there is no R790 in the works at all. The new board is called the 4890, and it is simply a much higher clocked 4870.
It will be at least 20 per cent faster than the 4870, a real kick in the pants, but will take a bit more power. The added power will require five-phase voltage regulation, so there will be a new board layout, quite likely lining up with a new downcosted 4870 board as well.
End result, faster card. No new chip, no more shaders, nothing huge, just better. Anyone saying anything else is full of it.
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Issue: 133 | February, 2012