While AMD’s desktop CPU division hasn’t been doing so hot lately with their Bulldozer line of CPUs getting outpaced by Intel’s Sandy Bridge CPUs, they’ve actually been quite successful with their Radeon HD 7000 series graphics up until the recent release of Nvidia’s new GeForce GTX 680 graphics card. With the GeForce GTX 680 being more power efficient and able to perform similarly or better to the Radeon HD 7970 at a lower price, it’s almost a no brainer that most gamers out there are opting to go with Nvidia’s newest offering. (Or waiting for them to come in stock)
Well, it’s been weeks since the release of the GTX 680, and it finally seems like AMD has their answer – price cuts. According to a recent tip KitGuru received from an insider, AMD will be cutting prices on the Radeon HD 7970 by $60, the Radeon HD 7950 by $55 and the Radeon HD 7770 by ~$15. This puts the Radeon HD 7970 at ~$480-$500, the Radeon HD 7950 at ~$380-$400, and the Radeon HD 7770 at ~$140-$160. While the new prices aren’t set in stone and they haven’t been reflected on any of our favorite retailer’s websites yet, they should happen in the next couple weeks as AIB partners start cutting prices.
If these rumors hold true, AMD’s offerings – especially the HD 7950 looks pretty compelling. The HD 7950, which in many benchmarks perform quite close to the HD 7970, is now in the sub-$400 category and is only around a mere $50 more than the HD 7870. Considering rumors are currently pegging the unveiling of the GTX 670 and GTX 670 Ti in May and availability is questionable at this point, it might not be such a bad idea to grab a HD 7950 at the reduced price point.
Source: KitGuru
