AMD Radeon “Fiji” becomes a halo product for luxury players and enthusiasts

Anyone looking forward to a new generation of graphics cards from AMD must be prepared for the fact that there will not be much news. The upcoming Radeon 300 series mostly consists of older circuits in a new version, where, for example, tuned versions of today’s Hawaii are said to be the Radeon R9 390 and 390X. Many therefore put their hopes in the new worsting Fiji.

According to information to SweClockers, it looks like AMD is changing its plans and not using the famous Fiji graphics processor for the regular 300 series. Instead, the lavish circle should be the basis for one or more “haloproducts”, that is, rather unique creations whose main purpose is to create attention.

The strategy is broadly similar to Nvidia’s approach with Geforce GTX Titan. The most powerful graphics processor in a new generation is initially used for a very expensive graphics card for enthusiasts, with performance in the worst class and a strikingly high price tag. It is thus not a matter of selling in large editions, but of creating a model that above all strengthens its own brand.

In the case of Fiji, it may also be the only option. The new graphics processor is first out with stacked memories or High Bandwith Memory, a type of memory that is not yet produced in any larger volumes and is probably significantly more expensive than regular GDDR5 memory. The prospects of picking up a popular price point and squeezing in with a bestseller can thus be limited to say the least.

AMD is expected to present the Radeon 300 series at the Computex trade fair in early June. Those who are curious about Fiji, on the other hand, will have to hold out for another couple of weeks as AMD looks set to save the worst model for the E3 gaming fair, which begins in the middle of the same month.