Next-gen Radeon series to use new nomenclature

by Mark Tyson on 9 September 2013, 15:10

Tags: AMD (NYSE:AMD)

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It looks like we are going to have a new graphics card naming scheme foisted upon us by AMD, to coincide with the launch of the Volcanic Islands range of GPUs later this month. TechPowerUp reports that the current well known and understood nomenclature, introduced by AMD and used ever since its first DirectX 10 cards, is about to be replaced by the new scheme.

As most will know the current Radeon HD nomenclature is as follows:

Radeon HD

X

Y

Z

0 (zero)

M (option)

 

Generation

Market segment

Variant

Spare number...

If a mobile part

 

The new Radeon nomenclature will be as follows:

Radeon R

A

M (option)

B

C

X (option)

 

Market segment

If a mobile part

Generation

Two digit variant

Suffix for XT/Pro etc

 

Btarunr, writing on TechPowerUp gives an example of a new Radeon graphics card name as the “Radeon R9 280 X”. This graphics card would be a high end part, you can see that from the 9, from the second generation (2) of GPUs, and the 80 comes from the hierarchy within that variant denoting a full spec chip, mid range cards would get numbers around 50, 60 or 70 and the budget versions number below that. The X suffic gives room for further variation.

As an example of how the new naming scheme would operate now if applied to a current generation card let’s take the mid range Radeon HD 7850, (a better example than, say the HD 7770!). Using the new nomenclature this graphics card would be known as the Radeon R8 750. If there was a mobile part it would be the Radeon R8 M750. It is also thought that a suffix denoting XT or Pro chips might be added to the new names, like on Radeons of old, so you might get a graphics chip name like: Radeon R8 M750 XT.

A Radeon R8 750?

TechnPowerUp was alerted of this new naming scheme implementation as AMD graphics cards have started to show up in its GPU-Z Validation database over the last few days. All will become clearer with the prefixes and suffixes when the first range of Volcanic Islands cards launch.



HEXUS Forums :: 24 Comments

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Not hard to understand but needlessly complex IMO.

I'd have just shaved the “HD” and “0” off the of the ‘old’ nomenclature. e.g. Radeon HD7850 > Radeon 785, HD6450 > 645

Then add M, XT, Ultra, GT, GS, GTS, GTX, GTO & Pro as required.

EDIT: I know the old system is running out of generation numbers, the obvious solution is continue in base 11.
DDY
Not hard to understand but needlessly complex IMO.

I'd have just shaved the “HD” and “0” off the of the ‘old’ nomenclature. e.g. Radeon HD7850 > Radeon 785, HD6450 > 645

Then add M, XT, Ultra, GT, GS, GTS, GTX, GTO & Pro as required.

EDIT: I know the old system is running out of generation numbers, the obvious solution is continue in base 11.

Base 11? That only gives a single extra generation, the Radeon Axxx, then we're back to square 1.
Not a fan of suffixes but otherwise i think its decent. Why not just use the two digit variant, plenty of room for a full range of cards with 99 digits.
ill have 2 x R9 199 please
It's not like we weren't here about 8 years ago: the solution then was to go to X instead of 10 (X850), then jump to X1 (X1800), then drop the X.

tbh, I kind of like the idea of making the primary distinction between market segments, rather than generations. As long as we don't get some of the odd re-alignments of past generations it should work well (5870 -> 6870, anyone? ;) )…
Seriously, how hard is it just to think up a numbering where “bigger number = faster product”… they need to dump off all those stupid prefixes and suffixes and get a proper number together.

Even better if they could use combined ‘power’ rating using some universal low level benchmark as part of the model number, e.g.

D|M + Generation (nn) + “Non-Performance Related Market Segment Feature Set” + “-” + Benchmark

e.g.

D019-4000

Is a desktop SKU, generation 01 with market segment feature set 9 (high end) and 4000 on benchmark.

M015-2500

Is a mobile SKU, gen 01, feature set 5 (low-mid range) and 2500 on benchmark.


It would be brilliant to be able to tell from the model number than the second is 5/8 of the power of the first, without charts and graphs, and easily know if the next gen card is actually faster than the one you've got.

It'll never happen though, transparency ruins marketing bollocks when the low end card is a D011-0.0000000000000000001 but still allegedly capable of “photo-realistic mega immersive gaming that makes you feel like God”.