There is already a rumor of a 8970 refresh, ready for Kepler.
I found it
HERE
Quote:
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The 2nd generation Graphic Core Next architecture is rumored to improve in the number of Stream Processors ( increased to 2304SPs ) faster Core Clock of 1225MHz and increased Memory Bandwidth but with a possible release date of this year!
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If you read the thread, this is why the 7970s overclock so well. Could also explain Sapphire's leaked paper.