Clear pictures of AMD’s Radeon HD 7970 emerge

Coming out today from PCINLIFE are some new pictures of the Radeon HD 7970, this time with some clearer shots of a stripped down version. This version is an engineering sample with a red PCB, the final product will feature an all black PCB.

Revealed in the picture is the provision for two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, although this sample is equipped with two 6-pin connectors while previous pictures did show 8 + 6 pin arrangements. Staying within the power distribution of the card we can see that unlike previously thought, a digital-PWM power design is used, with what appears to be CPL-made single-phase PWM chokes as well as Volterra-made regulators. However, closer observation reveals that not all power domains seem to have digital-PWM.  Additionally, we can also find a 5+1+1 phase VRM along with some miscellaneous analog power domains.

The design of this GPU is new from AMD, starting with it looking larger than the Cayman as well as having the die oriented at a 45 degree angle and a sturdy brace around it to reduce and stabilize the pressure applied by the cooling assembly.

As previously noted, twelve memory chips are featured around the GPU, benefiting a 384-bit wide memory interface, allowing almost 50% higher memory bandwidth compared to previous generation.

The 7970 is also equipped with a redundant BIOS loaded into two separate EEPROM chips that can be switched thanks to a 2-way switch near the CrossFire connectors.

As for connectivity, it features one DVI, one HDMI and two mini DisplayPort connectors.

Also noted is a slight change from a more rectangular design to a curvy design when it comes to the cooler. This change however is more aesthetic than functional.

As for the price, while it is supposed to come out around  €540 in the European market, an Asus product that was spotted on a Dutch online store was a priced at  €625, way over what was announced.

Source