The possibilities of a cheaper variant of AMD's upcoming HD 4870 X2, 2 GB behemoth, emerged today, according to this report from Fudzilla.

Rumours allege that AMD will allow its AIBs to offer a GDDR3 iteration of the upcoming R700, sporting 1 GB of memory, together with a compliment of two RV770PRO GPUs onboard.

Fudzilla surmises that some SKU differentiation may take place, as with AIBs allowed to build these parts, cooling solutions may receive some star treatment.

A Q4 2008 launch would be expected for the GDDR3 variant, yet the limelight will of course be on the 2 GB GDDR5 part, which is making good progress for its supposed August launch.

Meanwhile, some tantalising images of the HD 4870 X2 have found their way on to the Internet, courtesy of CHIPHELL.

The part takes on a suave persona, with its striking black PCB and cooling solution, whilst the 1 x 8 pin and 1 x 6 pin power connectors, merely hint at the power requirements that the R700 will require.

The rear of the PCB, perhaps conveys the sheer size of the HD 4870 X2, with the two onboard GPUs clearly accentuating their respective presence.

AMD's claimed decision to launch a deemed 'mid-range' version of the HD 4870 X2 only reinforces the company's determination to attack all market segments.