Before NVIDIA introduced their Kepler architecture, AMD was in a place of dominance within the GPU market. It was an enviable position and as a result we saw enthusiasts begin a headlong rush towards the HD 7970 and HD 7950. Unfortunately, AMD’s production of these $549 and $449 cards wasn’t able to keep up with demand and availability suffered. The GTX 680 rained on that parade in a big way by consistently beating the HD 7970 in performance benchmarks while retailing for “just” $499.
But right before NVIDIA’s momentous launch party something odd happened. After weeks of limited to no availability, AMD’s board partners suddenly –and some would say mysteriously- received large shipments of the Tahiti GPUs they were previously begging for. As a result, the HD 7970 is actually available these days while the GTX 680 consistently sells out in a matter of moments wherever stock can be found.
No price cuts for AMD Radeon HD 7970
Posted on Thursday, March 29 2012 @ 20:16 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck