AMD's Mobility HD4800 in early 2009

Fudzilla reports that AMD's latest mobile high-end videochip -based on the RV770- is ready for production. The new mobile graphics card will be called the HD4870 and like the desktop version it will feature 800 shaders and GDDR5 memory. The chip has the codename M98 and will be produced at 55nm. Later on, a slower version -codenamed M97- will also be introduced. This card will have a slightly lower amount of shaders and slower GDDR3 memory.

To limit the heat production, the clockspeeds of the mobile HD4870 have been significantly decreased. The core is clocked at 500 MHz, the GDDR5 memory runs at 700 MHz (2800 MHz effectively). This means that the core has a clock frequency that is 33% lower than the desktop version, while the memory has a clockspeed just over 20% lower. The first notebooks based on this new Mobility HD4870 are expected in early 2009.

There has been little information revealed on the other videochip, the M97. This chip is likely to feature less shaders, while its core will be equally clocked at 500 MHz. The memory used on this card will be GDDR3, clocked at 850 MHz. Fudzilla claims that is is even possible that the M97 will be based on the RV740, AMD's first 40nm videochip. This seems unlikely because the first desktop RV740 just recently had its first tape-out. Still, it shouldn't be ruled out because AMD did announce that 40nm graphics cards will be introduced in the first half of 2009.

author : Mark Mothaan