James
MyGaming Alumnus
AMD's new GPU naming scheme explained
AMD’s next generation of GPUs gives it the chance for a name change.
AMD’s next generation of GPUs gives it the chance for a name change.
R7 R8 R9 - i3 i5 i7That is going to be confusing very quickly.
Sigh, I can't figure out if I think this less confusing because its the 1st time i've seen there naming standards explained or just as bad as their old way of naming.
Its going to get around that whole fiasco with the Radeon HD6870. It wasn't the equal of the HD5870, but AMD had nowhere to put it and resorted to explaining to people where on earth the card fit in comparison. They eventually just told everyone that the HD6000 series was one tier lower than the HD5000 series in the mid-range segment. It was really messy.
This way they could have multiple SKUs in different tiers but relate their performance better. For example:
HD5870 = R8 570 XT
HD6870 = R5 670 XT
So long as they limit the SKUs that appear in the next-gen lineup, this could make identifying what parts you have and how powerful they are very easily. Similar numbers, but noticeably belonging in different tiers.
Their are much more simpler ways of indicating which product is better. I think they must be smoking crack if this is the most logical way they could come up with. Its actually the main reason I've never bought a Radeon, I could never figure out what I was buying.
Its the same system as Intel. We have the Celeron, Pentium and Core i3, i5 and i7 families. Picture this scenario: you want the new Crysis but don't know if your system is ready. The game box details tell you that the minimum specs are a Core i3 processor and a Radeon R3 GPU. Because you have a Pentium processor with a Radeon R2 GPU, you know you're gonna have a bad time.
Conversely, the maximum specs may need a Core i7 and a Radeon R9 GPU - you'll know that any Core i7 will work nicely and any Radeon R9 GPU will be powerful enough for max settings. It makes sense to me and you have a clear indication of what you're buying. Take BMW, for example - the 100-series is the cheaper, lower-class offering while the 700-series is their flagship.
I kind of get it but jeez there's too many flippin numbers for names with these things. Im horrendous at maths.