Do you agree with AMD's new GPU naming scheme?

[W1zzard]

The Radeon HD 6800 Series marks a fundamental shift in AMD's approach to the market. Until now, the HD x800 series (such as HD 3800 series, HD 4800 series, and HD 5800 series) is regarded as that class of SKUs that give you the highest single-GPU performance possible for the prevalent architecture. But now, AMD has restructured its nomenclature in a big way.

When it came to light that Barts, oversimplistically a successor to the Juniper GPU (which makes up the Radeon HD 5700 series), is going to be branded under the HD 6800 series, it created quite some drama; with some users claiming it to be very gimmicky of AMD to release a series that isn't much of an upgrade option for existing users of HD 5800 series GPUs. That's not the case, because AMD made it adequately public through the press, its reasoning behind using the HD 6800 series as the "gamer's sweet spot" series, and consolidating all higher-end SKUs into the Radeon HD 6900 series, slated for next month. Besides, it's not like AMD is asking Radeon HD 5800 series kind of prices for today's GPUs. The main design ideology behind the HD 6800 series, as AMD put it, is to give you Radeon HD 5800 series performance at sweet-spot price.

What do you think?

 

[pantherx12]

I'm not fussed at all, was extremely easy to get used to.


x900 will now be enthusiast and dual gpu.

x800 will be "sweet spot" ( much like 4870 etc although they were atis top end they were comparatively not top end gpus )

 

[Wyverex]

Even though I voted "Products & pricing justify it" I don't really like the change; it is too similar to the old naming scheme so it's bound to confuse people, as we've all came to expect quite a jump from (X)800 to (X+1)800...

As an informed geek, I don't mind the name... they could call the models xzy, xzz, xxz, etc and I still wouldn't care, as long as they perform well and don't cost a lot

 

[Peter1986C]

I'm not fussed at all, was extremely easy to get used to.

x900 will now be enthusiast and dual gpu.

x800 will be "sweet spot" ( much like 4870 etc although they were atis top end they were comparatively not top end gpus )

That is what I think as well. x900 --> high-end, x800 --> "sweet spot".
nVidia's naming schemes are more "difficult", though Intel is the worst with their socket and processor naming imho.

 

[Deleted member 6693]

Well - like someone said before - names does nothing.
All enthusiasts knows what they are buying ... I would´nt blindly go out and buy a
graphics card only be the name...so IMO it´s okay with there naming scheme

 

[Black Panther]

It's confusing. I was expecting the 6870 to be a bit better than the 5870, not a bit worse...

The fact that the price justifies it, and that nvidia does it all the time is irrelevant...

 

[Frick]

I think it would not be smart to name a new generation of GPU's after the old generation, so I'm very OK with it.

 

[gumpty]

I don't have a problem with it, and can see the logic behind it.

Best GPU = highest identifier = #9##
Second-best GPU = second highest identifier = #8##

This is reflected in the price and performance of the products too.

 

[Mr McC]

No, I do not agree with the rebranding, these cards could just as easily have been called 6750/6770.

 

[Fourstaff]

I think its allright, but its a bit tricky for your average user that the 58xx are better than their 68xx counterparts. That might be a loophole waiting to be exploited, but it makes more sense calling the top end products x9xx and the dual GPU 6xxx X2 alá the 4000 series rather than the current 5970.

 

[mdsx1950]

No, I do not agree with the rebranding, these cards could just as easily have been called 6750/6770.

+1

People who don't keep up with tech news will easily get confused.

 

[Paintface]

If you bought a 5870 without reading any reviews or benchmarks for $400 a year ago

and buy a 6870 for $230 now without reading any reviews or benchmarks what so ever expecting a huge increase in performance

Then you are only yourself to blame, and where i come from stupidity is not rewarded.

AMD has explained it over and over how and why it was done, and it makes perfect sense with the 5770 already being down to $140 while having 4870 performance ( which still kicks butt ) to be rebranded cause there simply was no room to remake the series or to sell it as a 6670.

It takes 60 seconds to google a review, check the benchmarks, check the conclusion.

If you spend $400 and now $230 that easely without even knowing what you bought you are yourself to blame. And if you really think AMD did this to screw people over ..... then go buy nvidia, but that isnt an option now is it

 

[AsRock]

It's confusing. I was expecting the 6870 to be a bit better than the 5870, not a bit worse...

confusing no, but it does mess things up for new comers with questions and i guess that would lead to the confusion. But most on this site and other tech sites understand. I think it's more of a annoyance my self.

The fact that the price justifies it, and that nvidia does it all the time is irrelevant...

As i understand it the 5870 has 1600 ( 320 ) shader units and the 6870 has 1120 (280 )shader units. But the 68xx has 4D and not 5D like the 5870.

That allowed said to me it would not be as good but the release price makes it a better buy.

EDIT: maybe with the performance being a little lower than the 5870 the numbers should of been lower but i guess it could of been seen as silly calling them 6865 and 6855 huh..

 

[ComradeSader]

No, I do not agree with the rebranding, these cards could just as easily have been called 6750/6770.

This.

 

[Altered]

To me personally it makes no difference. As already stated almost everyone that is a member here is into the hardware at a higher level than the normal. But we are a fraction of the population. I have seen many just gamers (not tec gurus) who with past naming of cards were confused. No matter how it is explained or justified (AMD made it adequately public) it will still catch some of those walking into the store with cash in hand as a surprise as they buy on site not on knowledge.

By far I believe each generation should follow a standard sequence of some sort and stay with it for each generation.

This obviously is a naming issue. For good or bad, right or wrong, gimmicky or not, tec guys will generally be OK. The other 98% who the hell knows yet. Time will tell.

 

[Mussels]

No, I do not agree with the rebranding, these cards could just as easily have been called 6750/6770.

agreed.


do i care that they were rebranded? NOT AT ALL.


but having new cards with higher numbers implies newer/faster, not cheaper/slower

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Great, AMD is pulling an NVIDIA. Now who am I going to switch to?

 

[Thrackan]

No, I do not agree with the rebranding, these cards could just as easily have been called 6750/6770.

Agreed in full. Pulling the ATI name and confusing numbers, AMD is failing here.

 

[Completely Bonkers]

NVIDIA does it all the time

If you have to use these fool the customer and baiting tricks to sell your products, then, IMO, you either have a second class product or a second class marketing department.

 

[[Ion]]

I think it's terrible. I did not like what they did with the HD5970 being a HD5870X2, but I got over it. I think they would have been far better off calling it HD5870x2, but that was their decision.

Now, they're going to make their X900 cards be single GPU

That just doesn't make sense. If you're going to make your dual-GPU cards X900, stick with it. Because what this means is that now they've elevated the midrange HD57X0 to the HD6850. While I know that the HD6850 is slower than a HD5850, as I'm sure the rest of you do, the average consumer won't. I know that there are going to be people who buy a HD6850 thinking it's an upgrade for their HD5850

That being said, I think that the HD6850 is an absolutely amazing card, and I wouldn't hesitate for one moment before buying one.

 

[caleb]

Pure bs if its a "sweet spot" it should be named 6800 and nobody would whine.

 

[HXL492]

Great, AMD is pulling an NVIDIA. Now who am I going to switch to?

Swap to intel intergrated

besides i don't really mind the naming scheme. however, i do believe that they shouldn't have implemented the new naming scheme

 

[Arska]

If ATI (=AMD but I prefer the brand ATI so I'll keep using it) thought using 67xx numbers was not possible, at least they should have named them 6840/6860 or 6830/6850. The latter ones would probably have been honest enough for almost everyone.

 

[dir_d]

I think it was a good name change. To me i feel that the 68xx series was just a refresh of cypress that made it affordable for all. Now the 69xx series will up the ante and will give the enthusiasts pure power cards.

 

[cadaveca]

As i understand it the 5870 has 1600 ( 320 ) shader units and the 6870 has 1120 (280 )shader units. But the 68xx has 4D and not 5D like the 5870.

That allowed said to me it would not be as good but the release price makes it a better buy.

EDIT: maybe with the performance being a little lower than the 5870 the numbers should of been lower but i guess it could of been seen as silly calling them 6865 and 6855 huh..

:shadedshu

It's NOT 4-D. Go check out any review. If they don't make that point plain, best bitch at them for not being clear...it's still most definately 5D.