AMD’s in a financial pickle – and it’s one that they’re going to have to fight incredibly hard to get out of. While it’s not just their GPU business that’s not as healthy as it should be, the release of their next series of cards could help stem the bleeding before the company’s a miserable, shrivelled corpse. And according to industry insiders, those cards are coming in June.
We already told you that AMD would likely release its cards to coincide with Computex in June, and that – according to insiders – is exactly when you can expect them. It may be a case of too little, too late though; many PC gamers are waiting for The Witcher 3 to hit before upgrading their machines, and when that game is out, the best value for money card that’ll be out will belong to Nvidia.
If you’re willing to wait until June, here are the higher end, R9 cards you can expect to find at retail (via Kitguru) :
- AMD Radeon R9 390/390X – Fiji Pro/Fiji XT graphics processing units featuring GCN 1.3 architecture with up to 4096 stream processors and 4096-bit interface to HBM memory. Price range: $649 and upwards.
- AMD Radeon R9 380/380X – Grenada Pro/Grenada XT graphics processing units featuring GCN 1.2 or GCN 1.3 architecture with up to 2816 stream processors and 512-bit interface to GDDR5 memory. Price range: $249 – $299 – $329. Since “Grenada” GPU is basically a revamped “Hawaii”, it is possible that instead of making a new GPU, AMD will simply use the old one under a new moniker.
- AMD Radeon R9 375X – Tonga XT graphics processing units featuring GCN 1.2 architecture with up to 2048 stream processors and 384-bit interface to GDDR5 memory. Price range: around $229.
- AMD Radeon R9 375 – Tonga Pro graphics processing units featuring GCN 1.2 architecture with up to 1792 stream processors and 256-bit interface to GDDR5 memory. Price range: around $199.
- AMD Radeon R9 370/370X – Trinidad Pro/Trinidad XT graphics processing units featuring GCN 1.3 architecture with up to 1536 stream processors and 256-bit interface to GDDR5 memory. Price range: $119 – $149.
On top of those, Fudzilla says you can expect a second Fiji-based card from Team Red; one that lumps two Fiji chips on a single board, and is intended for Virtual Reality use. AMD’s top-end card is expected to outpace Nvidia’s GTX 980, but not its ultra-enthusiast Titan card. Everything outside of the top end is built off of older, but retuned hardware. If you’re looking for the best price to performance, then it starting to look like Nvidia’s 970 may still be your best bet, even after AMD releases its cards.
AMD needs to do something though. A look at its most recent financial reports show that the company has made a sizeable US$180 million loss in the first quarter of this year – a significantly higher loss than the US$20 million in the same quarter last year.
There have been myriad rumours that the company would be bought out by Samsung – which I honestly think would be the best thing that could happen. With its diversifying markets and expendable R&D budgets, Samsung could keep AMD from tanking; a situation that would be a terrible one for gamers.
Last Updated: April 21, 2015
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:34
I saw an email earlier today about Witcher 2 being 85% off, but I cannot remember which site :/
It is not on GoG or HB though.
In any case, should you NOT have it and should it be 85% off, get it!
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:35
Supporting AMD these days is like supporting the Sharks, your heart says yes, the rest of you says no 😛
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:39
Maybe, I dunno, if you practiced rugby instead of doing this shit…
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:40
Like the Bulls are one to talk hahahaha
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:44
Well we can talk for now. Until they lose Pollard to an overseas club.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:46
He should take the opportunity, make plenty overseas bucks, and then buy properties, you can’t play rugby for ever
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:46
Agreed……no stay!
Splooshypooh
April 21, 2015 at 13:42
I consciously choose to skip those on Youtube… Rugbyginner? Really? WTF
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:39
Also you’d swear they’re playing go fish with all the cards dealt to them.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:40
Or some secret inside bet, he who gets suspended the longest wins the pot?
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:41
Bismarck gave it away…
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:43
Looks like Deysel is taking the cake.
Unless someone bites the ref I guess
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:43
That being said, it would be super funny!
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 13:44
Thanks
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:46
Have you done this? Or do you agree with the comedy?
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:47
I saw someone stab a refs cars tires at club rugby game once.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:51
*ref’s
*car’s
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:58
Two things the Sharks cant buy?
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:00
*can’t
And yes, we don’t pay off refs.
I do believe the Bulls get tax write offs for all those ref payments
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:01
Thats how we can afford our players salaries
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:04
*Cheetahs player’s salaries
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:06
XD
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 13:57
The comedy, had to explain why I’m laughing.
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:43
You singed Mike Tyson to play for you?
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:44
*sign
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:44
Fixed
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 13:46
If AMD were like the Sharks I’d pull every AMD component out of my PC & burn them.
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:47
Yeah, red card right there.
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 13:47
It hides the blood.
Ranting Raptor
April 21, 2015 at 14:53
Please do not compare crappy AMD tech to awesome Sharks
Darren Peach
April 21, 2015 at 13:39
How very very sad. Competition is healthy.
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 13:45
All good things come to those who wait.
Just look at Province.
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:47
Still waiting. Oh you mean Currie Cup 😛
Skoobaz
April 21, 2015 at 15:00
Shurrup you! You wait n see! That is all!
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 15:03
XD Getting closer and closer…
Skoobaz
April 21, 2015 at 15:13
Did I misunderstand Hammersteyn, do you support the Stormers?
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 15:27
No not at all, but you have to be realistic. They have the most set squad that has played together for four season or so. Plus they beat the Waratahs by a bonus point on the road which was impressive including the Force they managed two wins on the road and they’ll be a handful back home. They should end first in the SA conference but as always how the fare in the playoffs is always an issue for some reason.
Deceased
April 21, 2015 at 13:47
What the shit is up with all the rugby comments?! O.O
Am I on the wrong site?
I came here to see if someone else is on the bandwagon of:
“OMFG I cannot wait for the 390X”
C’mon guys, stop disappointing me!!!
( fucking sports comments, wtf?! )
— rant over …
😐
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:48
At least we’re not talking Afrikaans again.
Deceased
April 21, 2015 at 13:53
I could live with the Afrikaans, didn’t bother me at all
Wonder whether it’s an age gap thing
( I’ve noticed that the “mature” men all watch rugby in SA )
— Also don’t even suggest talking about Soccer/Football or Golf – or any sport
I’ll suggest a better topic:
GTAV vs The Witcher 3 … GO!!!
( I’m waiting for The Witcher 3 )
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:55
http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/a1AD8oR_460sa.gif
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 13:57
This gif though
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:55
Some people really loses it when we break out in Afrikaans.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:59
Only the soulless
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:02
Especially him
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 13:57
“Mature” LOL
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:58
I’m old(er) but not nearly mature
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 13:59
Age and Maturity have nothing to do with one another. I think @disqus_9cSvSQWBZf:disqus was trying to be nice
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:02
I’m not being mean. More honest about myself really. Sorry if it came out wrong…
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 14:05
I’m not offended at all, from what I’ve seen on here I might be considered a baby still.
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:11
O_o we’re not that bad….are we?
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:11
You, perhaps….
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 14:12
I’m 24.
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:13
28
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:13
O_o not on the calender….
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:14
*Calendar
I’m sure we can find reference on the Mayan calendar. 😛
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:15
hahaha
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:13
Do your parents know you’re commenting here? *run*
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:14
O_O
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 14:21
Why that face though? It’s not like I said I’m a 12 year old
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:22
To him you are.
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:22
*compared to him you are. Fixed!
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 14:25
Soooo?
*refresh
Mossel
April 21, 2015 at 14:24
Yeah I’m 25, very close.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:35
I know, hence why I FLY, and you are a passenger!
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:13
I’m not even gonna comment further on this.
Deceased
April 21, 2015 at 14:08
“Mature” in the sense that they’ve outgrown toys/gadgets/technology/etc and have become part of the…
“I get drunk every weekend, yell at the TV as if the crowd and the Ref can hear me”
… herd.
ai, seems the rant was not over 🙁
( I loathe sport for the fact that as “entertainers” they make more money than someone who studied 8 years to treat people from life-threatening diseases or situations )
Sgt. M
April 21, 2015 at 14:09
Ou ballies in other words?
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:10
If it’s on I’ll watch as I walk past. Other than that it’s much more fun yelling at lag. 😛
Geoffrey Tim
April 21, 2015 at 14:10
“I loathe sport for the fact that as “entertainers” they make more money than someone who studied 8 years to treat people from life-threatening diseases or situations”
That’s pretty much how I feel about sport..and entertainment in general.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:11
Yeah I hardly watch any sperts tbh, I’d rather shoot something in the face from 500m away
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:12
I’m in 100% agreement with you when it comes to what entertainers are paid. There’s fair compensation for work, then there’s obscene. Soccer players are the best example.
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:13
I’m not mature at all then…
Mossel
April 21, 2015 at 14:18
It’s called capitalism. They are good at sport and thus capitalize on that. That being said, being the best in sport continuously is just as difficult as being a Nobel Prize winner for science. Of course some of them get paid way more then they should, but so does government officials.
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
April 21, 2015 at 14:28
I am well over 30 and still enjoy my little pony and playing with my Commander Shepard Action figure.
Just BTW. He would definitely approve your post. 🙂
Also bring back He-Man and Dino Riders!
Greylingad
April 21, 2015 at 14:30
This is why I like rallying, a lifetime of training, driving at high speeds to pursue a championship, where most sports require one ball to play, rally requires two…
Skoobaz
April 21, 2015 at 15:04
Or 3 if one goes flat!
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:59
W3
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 13:48
You support the Cheetahs, don’t you? 😀
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:48
XD
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:48
His name says it all.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:49
Hahahaha
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:00
What’s wrong with that? 🙁
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:01
I like the Cheetahs, they are a bunch of good okes, they just constantly get nailed because other guys poach their players and they have a terrible budget 🙁
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 14:02
The only thing that really needs to change there is the management.
The pool to pick from is more than large enough, but due to management most players leave.
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:06
True. Then Brussow goes & breaks his arm.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:07
IKR? WTF is up with that. I really hoped ol dumbass picked him for the WC, that oukie is a legend!
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:08
He’s so damn good, yet “too small”. Such BS.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:11
Look at ol’ nr15 of the Stormers, Colby, man, what a guy!
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:14
His feet is faster than the Flash
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:15
Speaking of Flash, the latest episode spoiled 3 plot arcs for me in Arrow.
I was SO mad!
Stopping Flash and only watching Arrow now, finally started with S2
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:17
I’d rather have players who weigh 5kg less & can think on their feet than ones who can only run into other players because they think they’ll run through them… and then lose the ball.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:18
That being said, when Willem Alberts collided with that poor nr9 of the Lions…
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:19
Was it last year Bismark bounced off Etzebeth like he was a tennis ball hitting a wall? The lulz.
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:25
*Nr. 11 – Mark Richards
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:49
He saw 9×11 stars
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 14:57
hahaha
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:50
I would not mind a GFX upgrade, and yes, I’m still TeamRed
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:51
TeamRed Card? 😛 Okay I’ll stop, but I’m with you all the way.
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 13:51
lol
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 13:51
Well played…said no one about the Bulls, ever
Hammersteyn
April 21, 2015 at 13:57
Especially in 2007…
Geoffrey Tim
April 21, 2015 at 13:55
While I expect the R390X to kick some serious ass, Nvidia’s next cycle is coming soon thereafter. The Maxwell cards weren’t released to be powerhouses, they were actually part of the efficiency cycle. That they’re insanely powerful is really just a bonus. Nvidia’s next series of cards will likely be hella beefy; with far more R&D budget behind them.
I hope, hope, HOPE that the 300 series picks AMD up out of the doldrums though. If AMD goes down, we all lose.
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:01
You and me both brother
Deceased
April 21, 2015 at 14:01
I agree, from a non-biased perspective, the competition between the two is what caused progress, hence I want TeamRed to survive.
I mean take the HBM for example, AMD were maybe lacking in other aspects, so they’ve investigated a new route where nVidia just packs in more memory, higher bus bandwidth, more transistors, etc. to stay on top – sure they’re doing great and obviously improving on architecture and other bits, but the general feel of TeamGreen cards for me feels ‘stale’.
Geoffrey Tim
April 21, 2015 at 14:06
Nvidia’s 2016 Pascal cards will also be implementing stacked VRAM; they’re just waiting for the tech to mature a little, where AMD is jumping on it straight away. AMD will be using 2nd gen stacked VRAM and FinFET in its Arctic Islands gpus…profived they stick around :/
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 14:07
*provided
Skoobaz
April 21, 2015 at 15:07
Wow. teh grammar nazis are strong like roaches in a dark, damp corner today
Admiral Chief asked for this
April 21, 2015 at 15:40
*The
*spelling
*Nazi’s
XD
HvR
April 21, 2015 at 15:50
also no full stop at the end
Deceased
April 21, 2015 at 14:09
They HAVE to stick around!!! :'(
We need this!!!
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 13:54
I’m disappointed because I wanted to build a new PC before touching Witcher 3, but I’ll wait. I want to see what these cards are like & how they’re priced before deciding, plus there’s always a good discount on existing gfx cards when a new bunch are released.
Lord Chaos
April 21, 2015 at 13:59
My PC will laugh at Geralt’s corpse.
Waiting for Star Citizen before upgrading.
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 21, 2015 at 14:02
I’m seriously looking forward to S42.
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
April 21, 2015 at 14:29
I upgraded so I can watch Star Citizen youtube clips in 4HD. 🙂
Skoobaz
April 21, 2015 at 15:08
FTW!
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
April 21, 2015 at 14:20
If Samsung buys AMD I am packing it up and exclusively playing mobile games on a HTC.
AMD drivers “streamlined” with 8gb memory crunching bloatware that cripples your machine and no one asked for.
Greylingad
April 21, 2015 at 14:39
You know, I’m quite surprised that even though the article had a reference to The Witcher 3, there was no RyanZa references…Or is it still coming?
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
April 21, 2015 at 14:40
AFK?
Greylingad
April 21, 2015 at 14:42
Do you mean:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFK
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
April 21, 2015 at 14:46
Like this
Greylingad
April 21, 2015 at 14:50
AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrghhhhh!! Dear Lawd no!
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
April 21, 2015 at 14:51
Sorry my bad. Here is a palate cleanser.
Marcel
April 21, 2015 at 14:48
We know they got the rights to supply Sony’s PS4 systems with GPUs, with that being said, how can the be in trouble knowing that they would have shipped more than 10 million units?
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
April 21, 2015 at 14:50
Also Xbox Ones. The problem is is other departments just like Sony is still in a rather bad financial situation due to other parts of the company and not its entertainment division.
Geoffrey Tim
April 21, 2015 at 15:15
“The Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment had a year-over-year revenue decrease of 7%, and a quarter-over-quarter decrease of 14%, with Q1 2015 coming in at $498 million. The quarterly drop is due to a seasonal decrease in semi-custom SoC sales (read: Consoles had a ramp up for the holidays and are now back to lower sales) and the yearly decrease is due to lower numbers of server processors being sold.”
Peter Pan
April 22, 2015 at 08:26
Regardless of whether AMD is about to go under or not, I personally hope Samsung does buy them out. If that happens, Nvidia should definitely sit up and take notice.Samsung is a technological powerhouse of note! But one would think the fact that they provide Sony and MS consoles with components that they should be at least pulling some profit, unless Sony and MS entered into a deal with AMD that sees the company making a very limited profit on the sale of the components.
stormwatch
April 22, 2015 at 11:04
AMD Should have done something serious about Intel’s domination in CPU business since 2006. a looooong time ago. Now even the low low end of Intel CPU’s cost around 200 Euro.