R9 vs HD

[DesiPower]

Is R9 series successor of HD series? It does not seem so... its predecessor was R7? I see they started with 260 a while back and they are now upto 290. Simultaneously, they are continuing with the HD series with 78XX, 79XX... If R series was the successor of HD then HD would have phased out by now, but that does not look like to be the case.

So what's the difference between R7/9 and HD? are they build for different applications? Both of they are marketed for gaming... benchmarks and specs look same, why do they have two series? I am confused, please enlighten me.

 

[Tuna-Fish]

Is R9 series successor of HD series? It does not seem so... its predecessor was R7? I see they started with 260 a while back and they are now upto 290. Simultaneously, they are continuing with the HD series with 78XX, 79XX... If R series was the successor of HD then HD would have phased out by now, but that does not look like to be the case.

So what's the difference between R7/9 and HD? are they build for different applications? Both of they are marketed for gaming... benchmarks and specs look same, why do they have two series? I am confused, please enlighten me.

They are purely different marketing naming schemes. In fact, a lot of the R7 cards are simply renamed HD7000 cards.

 

[Tuna-Fish]

For a better understanding of what the cards actually are, study this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...ng_units#Volcanic_Islands_.28Rx_200.29_Series

Note how many of the cards have the same chips as the 7000 series.

 

[Bateluer]

Is R9 series successor of HD series? It does not seem so... its predecessor was R7? I see they started with 260 a while back and they are now upto 290. Simultaneously, they are continuing with the HD series with 78XX, 79XX... If R series was the successor of HD then HD would have phased out by now, but that does not look like to be the case.

So what's the difference between R7/9 and HD? are they build for different applications? Both of they are marketed for gaming... benchmarks and specs look same, why do they have two series? I am confused, please enlighten me.

Every R7 and R9 card, save for the 290(X), is a renamed HD7000 part. A 7970Ghz is identical to an R9 280X, and probably a little cheaper. They renamed them in order to continue selling them while they wait for TSMC's 22nm process.

 

[Techhog]

It's the successor. R7 and R9 are the same series, both replace HD, and HD is being phased out (the 7000 series cards you mentioned are 2 years old and no longer in production).

This thread proves that this branding change is super confusing.

 

[Bateluer]

It's the successor. R7 and R9 are the same series, both replace HD, and HD is being phased out (the 7000 series cards you mentioned are 2 years old and no longer in production).

This thread proves that this branding change is super confusing.

Err, you are mistaken. The only new production GPUs are the 290 and 290X. The entire R7 line and remaining R9s are simply rebranded HD7000 GPUs, with identical stream processors, ROPs, etc. No difference other than a name change. The silicon is still in production, just labeled differently. Nothing more.

 

[Techhog]

Err, you are mistaken. The only new production GPUs are the 290 and 290X. The entire R7 line and remaining R9s are simply rebranded HD7000 GPUs, with identical stream processors, ROPs, etc. No difference other than a name change. The silicon is still in production, just labeled differently. Nothing more.

I'm not mistaken. I know exactly what they are, but it's easier to explain it this way to someone who clearly isn't well-versed in this stuff. Besides that, his question is specifically about the branding and if R7/9 replaces HD. It does. When AMD moves to 20nm, their next series will be the R7/9 300 series. There won't be any more Radeon HD cards, and the current cards branded "Radeon HD" are out of production and branded as "Radeon R7/9" now. This answers the OP's question. If he were asking about what card to get, I'd have mentioned the rebrands, but in the contest of the question at hand mentioning the rebrands will just confuse the OP further. Thus, I felt that I had to clarify that the "Radeon HD" branding is dead.

Also, I believe that the 260X is considered a new card because it has True Audio.

 

[Bateluer]

I'm not mistaken. I know exactly what they are, but it's easier to explain it this way to someone who clearly isn't well-versed in this stuff. Besides that, his question is specifically about the branding and if R7/9 replaces HD. It does. When AMD moves to 20nm, their next series will be the R7/9 300 series. There won't be any more Radeon HD cards, and the current cards branded "Radeon HD" are out of production and branded as "Radeon R7/9" now. This answers the OP's question. If he were asking about what card to get, I'd have mentioned the rebrands, but in the contest of the question at hand mentioning the rebrands will just confuse the OP further. Thus, I felt that I had to clarify that the "Radeon HD" branding is dead.

Also, I believe that the 260X is considered a new card because it has True Audio.

No, you are quite incorrect. The R7/9, aside from the 290/X, are simply renamed HD7000 parts.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7457/the-radeon-r9-290x-review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7503/the-amd-radeon-r9-270x-270-review-feat-asus-his

An R9 280X = Radeon 7970 Ghz Edition. R9 280 = Radeon 7950B. R7 270X = Radeon 7870. They are architectural the exact same GPU with a different stick on the cooler and box. Nothing more.

Yes, the R7/9 branding replaces the HD7000 branding, but there is no difference whatsoever between the GPUs.

 

[Techhog]

No, you are quite incorrect. The R7/9, aside from the 290/X, are simply renamed HD7000 parts.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7457/the-radeon-r9-290x-review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7503/the-amd-radeon-r9-270x-270-review-feat-asus-his

An R9 280X = Radeon 7970 Ghz Edition. R9 280 = Radeon 7950B. R7 270X = Radeon 7870. They are architectural the exact same GPU with a different stick on the cooler and box. Nothing more.

Yes, the R7/9 branding replaces the HD7000 branding, but there is no difference whatsoever between the GPUs.

I know this. I just said that I know it. Did you even read my post? Said that i was referring to the branding and basically trying to "dumb iot down" to make answering the OP's question a bit more clear.