HardOCP comments on RadeonHD 58xx series availability
By
Father Xmas,
Posted on: 2009-11-10 19:03 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
Sort of old news but not mentioned here before.
Most reviews of the HD 57xx series mention the price/performance inequity with the older HD 48xx series. Right now ATI chooses to charge for the privileged of Dx11 support.
The HD 58xx shortages reminds me a bit of the problem they had with the HD 4770. Great review, limited availability due to production problems. Since this is at the beginning of the HD 5xxx series production, they have the time to work out the problems but unlikely before the gift giving holidays.
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In several I want to make a Going Rogue capable machine this Christmas threads I've stated that if you are buying now, buy RadeonHD 5x00 series. Doesn't matter which one, they all are stellar. However, actually finding one of the high end 5850 or 5870 cards in the retail market is a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Given the number of people wanting one of the cards, HardOCP asked AMD just what the availability was: http://hardocp.com/article/2009/11/1...refor_art_thou
Well, there is good news / bad news. The good news is, TSMC is cranking out new chips on a daily basis, and that Add-in-board partners are air-freighting cards out as soon as they get manufactured. The bad news is that TSMC seems to be running at full capacity on their 40nm process... and it's just not enough. TSMC has some new 40nm machines in shop, but apparently there still are some issues to be worked out.
The other good news is that 57xx cards are also entering the channel... but there is a bit of a issue here.
While the 5750 is a good match for the older RadeonHD 4850, the card that according to Ghost Falcon is the baseline for Going Rogue, the 5770 doesn't exactly have a better price / performance ratio compared to the RadeonHD 4870...
And while a 5770 wil set you back around $170, a good 4870 can be had for around $150. If you do some careful shopping you'll also find a 4890 within the $170 price-point as well.
Unless you desperately need / want DirectX 11 / OpenGL 3.2 support in your graphics card, which won't be needed for Going Rogue, and your are buying right now, if your between the $150-$200 mark purchase mark, it might be better to look at the current RadeonHD 4x00 series.
If you decide to wait until Going Rouge actually launches, or until the Ultra-Mode hits, if it arrives separately from the expansion, it might be better to save up and grab one of the 58xx cards when stocks improve.