AMD Radeon HD 7970 Single-GPU Graphics Card With Graphics Core Next Architecture And AMD CrossFire Technology Review | Product Summary
Friday, December 23, 2011

AMD Radeon HD 7970 Single-GPU Graphics Card With Graphics Core Next Architecture And AMD CrossFire Technology Review

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AMD announces next-gen Radeon HD 7970 for $549 and it's AMD's first 28nm GPU. This new card uses the Tahiti XT GPU, which aside from being built on 28nm process also uses the brand new AMD Graphics Core Next architecture and Graphics Core Next (GDC) is a revolutionary new architecture that eliminates the previous VLIW design for a non-VLIW SIMD engine. AMD Randon HD 7970 includes 768KB of L2 cache and eight render back-ends capable of pushing 32 color ROPs per clock and 128 Z/stencil ROPs per clock cycle. AMD hopes to make the card more practical than the dual-processor 6990 by bringing the card's power consumption down to less than 300W under load and a mere 3W in 'long idle' mode, and promising quieter cooling thanks to improved airflow and a bigger fan. We'll have to wait for benchmarks in January before we hand out any medals, but in the meantime NVIDIA's forthcoming 28nm Kepler GPU might want to step up its training schedule and each of AMD’s GCN Compute Units accesses a dedicated L1 read/write cache. Each group of four units shares a 16KB instruction cache and a 32KB scalar data cache.
AMD Radeon HD 7970 Single-GPU Graphics Card review

AMD launched the AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics card for desktop PCs, introducing the world's fastest single GPU graphics card and the only GPU based on 28nm production technology. With the arrival of the AMD Radeon HD 7970, AMD has unleashed its revolutionary new Graphics Core Next Architecture that enables new levels of gaming and compute capabilities – realizing an improvement of over 150% in performance/sq mm over the prior generation. Engineered with support for PCI Express 3.0 and AMD CrossFire technology, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics card arrives prepared for the next generation of gaming. "True to the adage, "never settle," AMD is once again aggressively advancing the state of the graphics industry – this time with the arrival of the world's fastest single GPU graphics card, the AMD Radeon HD 7970," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, GPU Division, AMD. ―"This graphics card represents a revolution in the graphics industry. To put it bluntly, at 28 nm the AMD Radeon HD 7970 changes everything!" AMD further extends its GPU leadership with the AMD Radeon HD 7970 through AMD App Acceleration, which enables exquisite high-definition video images and exceptional performance improvements for everyday applications. Ground-breaking advancements with AMD Eyefinity technology enable gamers and desktop enthusiasts to connect up to six displays to one graphics card, delivering immersive stereoscopic 3D experiences and astonishing 16k x 16k display resolutions. It's also armed with the latest PCI Express 3.0 standard to enable uncompromised image quality, and is additionally equipped with GDDR5 memory, enabling accelerated GPU performance. Through its intelligent AMD PowerTune and AMD ZeroCore Power technologies, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 enables higher performance levels while maximizing power efficiencies.


"The AMD Radeon HD 7970 is an awesome tool in any gamer's arsenal," said Johan Andersson, Rendering Architect at DICE. ―"We have worked closely with AMD during the development of the Frostbite 2 game engine to take full advantage of AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology and DirectX 11 for a more realistic, entertaining and visceral gaming experience in Battlefield 3." The AMD Radeon HD 7970 is available January 9, 2012 from retailers worldwide, with select models starting at $549 US SEP.


Efficient Architecture for Leading DirectX 11 Performance:

  • New architecture for greater performance: AMD has further enhanced its GPU design efficiency through the introduction of the 28nm process technology and Graphics Core Next Architecture, realizing an improvement of over 150% in performance/sq mm over the prior generation.
  • Refined AMD PowerTune technology: Designed with the most advanced power management features, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is equipped with the intelligence to convert unused power headroom into extra performance by dynamically controlling clock speeds, allowing gamers advanced performance inside of the power envelope they specify.
  • AMD ZeroCore Power Technology: Gamers asked, AMD delivered – the AMD ZeroCore Power technology found in the AMD Radeon HD 7970 ensures that no power is wasted when the graphics card is not in use, enabling lower idle power than any other currently available graphics card. With support for AMD CrossFire technology, AMD ZeroCore Power eliminates wasted power, as well as additional heat and noise from extra cards when you are not using them.
  • PCI Express 3.0: The AMD Radeon HD 7970 comes natively equipped with support for PCI Express 3.0. With world-class performance scaling, enthusiasts' GPU experience is maximized when paired with the latest platforms.
  • Discrete Digital Multi-Point (DDM) Audio: DDM Audio provides multiple independent audio streams for audio-capable displays via DisplayPort or HDMI signals. DDM Audio delivers unique experiences in cases where multi-display video conferencing, directional audio or multi-room entertainment hubs are being used.
  • Enhanced Multi-GPU Capabilities: AMD CrossFire technology is the ultimate multi-GPU performance gaming platform. Unlocking game-dominating power, AMD CrossFire technology, coupled with PCI Express 3.0, will allow for unprecedented bandwidth in TriFire and QuadFire configurations.

The Ultimate Immersive Gaming Experience and Innovative AMD Eyefinity 2.0 Technology:


  • Next Generation AMD Eyefinity technology: AMD Eyefinity 2.0 features all-new support for stereo 3D, universal bezel compensation, brand new display configurations and an expanded and more immersive field of view. This allows users with 2560x1600 monitors in an AMD Eyefinity 5x1 landscape configuration to achieve a horizontal resolution of 12,800 pixels, driving more than 20 million pixels of screen real estate. More than 70 game titles have been AMD Eyefinity- validated, while many are AMD Eyefinity-ready, and hundreds more are AMD Eyefinity-compatible.
  • DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4a: With full support for 3GHz HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 HBR2, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is set to drive next generation displays at up to 4K resolution.
  • 3D entertainment choices with AMD HD3D technology: With the arrival of the latest in stereo 3D technology, AMD continues to deliver an enhanced visual experience on stereo 3D-capable desktops and notebooks powered by AMD Radeon graphics. The AMD Radeon HD 7970 is backed by AMD's open 3D initiative for stereo 3D gaming and Blu-ray 3D movies.
  • Better Performance through AMD App Acceleration
  • AMD App Acceleration lets you do more, faster: Enthusiasts will enjoy improved GPGPU performance and new features in many top media, entertainment and everyday productivity applications with AMD App Acceleration.
  • Extensive support of industry standards: AMD Radeon HD 7970 fully supports DirectCompute and OpenCL technologies, enabling broad application support today and tomorrow.

Overview:

  • The world’s first 28nm GPU. The revolutionary new GCN Architecture. Ready for DirectX 11. PCI Express 3.0. The AMD Radeon HD 7970 is your personal checklist for ground-breaking technology.
  • The next generation of AMD Eyefinity technology is here, featuring all-new support for stereo 3D, universal bezel compensation and brand new display configurations. Face it: the best just got better.
  • Armed with the new PCI Express 3.0 standard, multi-GPU configurations with AMD CrossFire technology are just another way to obliterate the competition with the revolutionary AMD Radeon™ HD 7970.4,5
  • Leave no performance behind. Get higher clocks and faster gaming with AMD PowerTune technology on AMD Radeon HD 7970 Graphics.
  • Fold and mine faster than ever with AMD App Acceleration powered by the unprecedented 28nm GCN Architecture.
  • The market isn’t ready for 4k video, but Radeon is. With full support for 3GHz HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 HBR2, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is set for quad HD.

System Requirements:

  • PCI Express based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
  • 500W (or greater) power supply with one 150W 8-pin PCI Express power connector and one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended.
  • Certified power supplies are recommended. Refer to http://ati.amd.com/certifiedPSU for a list of Certified products
  • Minimum 1GB of system memory
  • Installation software requires CD-ROM drive, a keyboard, a mouse, and a display
  • DVD playback requires DVD drive and a DVD
  • Blu-ray playback requires Blu-ray drive and a Blu-ray disc
  • For an AMD CrossFire system, a second AMD Radeon HD 7970 Graphics card, an AMD CrossFire Ready motherboard and one AMD CrossFire Bridge Interconnect cable is required
  • Use of 3 or more displays with AMD Eyefinity technology requires a DisplayPort-capable panel or an AMD Eyefinity validated dongle. See http://www.amd.com/EyefinityDongles for a list of validated DisplayPort dongles


Specifications:
  • Up to 925MHz Engine Clock
  • 3GB GDDR5 Memory
  • 1375MHz Memory Clock (5.5Gbps GDDR5)
  • 264GB/s memory bandwidth (maximum)
  • 3.79 TFLOPs Single Precision compute power
  • 947 GFLOPs Double Precision compute power
  • GCN Architecture
    • 32 compute units (2048 Stream Processors)
    • 128 Texture Units
    • 128 Z/Stencil ROP Units
    • 32 Color ROP Units
    • Dual Geometry Engines
    • Dual Asynchronous Compute Engines (ACE)
  • PCI Express 3.0 x16 bus interface
  • DirectX 11-capable graphics
    • 9th generation programmable hardware tessellation units
    • Shader Model 5.0
    • DirectCompute 11
    • Accelerated multi-threading
    • HDR texture compression
    • Order-independent transparency
  • OpenGL 4.2 support
    • Partially Resident Textures (PRT)
      • Ultra-high resolution texture streaming
  • Image quality enhancement technology
    • Up to 24x multi-sample and super-sample anti-aliasing modes
    • Adaptive anti-aliasing
    • Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA)
    • DirectX® 10/11 Super-Sample Anti-Aliasing (SSAA)
    • 16x angle independent anisotropic texture filtering
    • 128-bit floating point HDR rendering
  • AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology
    • Up to 6 displays supported with DisplayPort 1.2 Multi-Stream Transport
    • Independent resolutions, refresh rates, color controls, and video overlays
    • Display grouping
      • Combine multiple displays to behave like a single large display
  • AMD App Acceleration
    • OpenCL 1.2 Support
    • Microsoft C++ AMP
    • DirectCompute 11
    • Double Precision Floating Point
    • AMD HD Media Accelerator
      • Universal Video Decoder (UVD)
        • H.264
        • VC-1
        • MPEG-2 (SD & HD)
        • MVC (Blu-ray 3D)
        • MPEG-4 Part 2 (DivX/Xvid)
        • Adobe Flash
        • DXVA 1.0 & 2.0 support
      • Enhanced Video Quality features
        • Advanced post-processing and scaling
          • Deblocking
          • Denoising
          • Automatic deinterlacing
          • Mosquito noise reduction
          • Edge enhancement
          • 3:2 pulldown detection
        • Advanced video color correction
          • Brighter whites processing (Blue Stretch)
          • Independent video gamma control
          • Flesh tone correction
          • Color vibrance control
          • Dynamic contrast
          • Dynamic video range control
  • AMD HD3D technology
    • Stereoscopic 3D display/glasses support
    • Blu-ray 3D support
    • Stereoscopic 3D gaming
    • 3rd party Stereoscopic 3D middleware software support
  • AMD CrossFire multi-GPU technology
    • Dual, triple or quad-GPU scaling
  • Cutting-edge integrated display support
    • DisplayPort 1.2
      • Max resolution: 4096x2160 per display
      • Multi-Stream Transport
      • 21.6 Gbps bandwidth
      • High bit-rate audio
      • Quad HD/4k video support
    • 3GHz HDMI 1.4a with Stereoscopic 3D Frame Packing Format, Deep Color, xvYCC wide gamut support, and high bit-rate audio
      • Max resolution: 4096x3112
      • 1080p60 Stereoscopic 3D
      • Quad HD/4k video support
    • Dual-link DVI with HDCP
      • Max resolution: 2560x1600
    • VGA
      • Max resolution: 2048x1536
  • Integrated HD audio controller
    • Output protected high bit rate 7.1 channel surround sound over HDMI with no additional cables required
    • Supports AC-3, AAC, Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio formats
  • AMD PowerPlay power management technology
    • Automatic power management with low power idle states
  • AMD PowerTune technology
    • Intelligent TDP management technology
    • Dynamic clockspeed/performance enhancement for games
  • AMD ZeroCore Power
    • Ultra-low idle power when the system’s display is off
    • Secondary GPUs in an AMD CrossFire configuration power down when unneeded
  • AMD Catalyst graphics and HD video configuration software
    • Software support for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
    • AMD Catalyst Control Center - AMD Catalyst software application and user interface for setup, configuration, and accessing features of AMD Radeon products
    • Unified Graphics display driver - AMD Catalyst software enabling other PC programs and devices to use advanced graphics, video, and features of AMD Radeon products

Architecture Pictures:

AMD Architecture Pictures

AMD Graphics Card Architecture Pictures

amd graphics Architecture Pictures

AMD Radeon HD 7970 Video Review:

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