Radeon HD graphics cards tend to be more generously endowed than their Nvidia counterparts in the stream processor department, but AMD could take this trend to a whole new level with its next-generation RV770 graphics processor. According to a VR-Zone report that sources a Chinese website, the RV770 could be outfitted with a mind-blowing 800 stream processors spread out over five SP arrays. To put things in perspective, the RV670-based Radeon HD 3870 has "just" 320 SPs, and even the Radeon HD 3870 X2 only has a total of 640 SPs between its two GPUs.
This is only a rumor, of course. But another report—also by VR-Zone—suggests the RV770 graphics processor will have a die size of 250 mm˛. Since the upcoming GPU is said to be built using the same 55 nm process as the RV670, which measures just 192 mm˛, the RV770 may indeed end up with a substantial number of additional stream processors. Incidentally, VR-Zone points out that the rumored die size would still make the RV770 smaller than Nvidia's 334 mm˛ G92, and perhaps even smaller than a G92 chip shrunk down to 55 nm.
If recent rumors are to be trusted, the RV770 should show up some time next quarter as part of new Radeon HD 4000-series graphics cards (those same rumors peg the RV770's SP count at a somewhat more reasonable 480). Meanwhile, Nvidia is expected to counterattack with a die shrink of the G92 in a similar time frame.
