First pictures of the AMD Radeon 7970

It’s starting to tighten up ahead of a new generation of 28-nanometer graphics cards and AMD looks to catch up first with the Radeon HD 7000 series. However, as so many times before, it is difficult to keep secrets in the information age. A user on Beyond3D is leaking images that are said to represent nothing less than the flagship Radeon HD 7970, known by the code name Tahiti XT.

The pictures show two Crossfire-connected graphics cards. First and foremost, the power supply is noticeable via 6 + 8-pin PCI Express connectors, but there are also soldering points for 8 + 8-pins. It allows a maximum socket of standard-friendly 300 or 375 W, if the remaining pins are connected.

Around the area around the graphics processor, it is also possible to include solder points for twelve memory capsules. This means that AMD has probably upgraded the memory bus from 256 to 384 bits, which provides significantly higher memory bandwidth than today’s models in the Radeon HD 6900 series.

Finally, Crossfire connectors for up to four graphics cards in tandem can also be seen, as well as a slightly redesigned cooler that looks to cover the entire top of the themed red circuit board. Whether the pictures are genuine or not will be revealed in about a month. According to the latest information, AMD plans to release the Radeon HD 7970 in the second week of January.