AMD Navi GPUs: Rumors, Release Date, All We Know

[The AchieVer]

                                                                                               

 

Enthusiasts and PC gamers have been eager for AMD to make a comeback in the graphics card market, at least since the launch Vega in mid-2017 made it clear that Nvidia was to go unchallenged at the top of the GPU hierarchy stack. Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX 20-series and previous GTX 10-series graphics cards continue to dominate the gaming market. AMD's next generation of GPUs could be the kick the market needs to drive performance forward and prices down. At the very least, they should be an improvement over the company's re-tread Polaris-based parts like the Radeon RX 590.

AMD's forthcoming Radeon gaming graphics cards will be based on the new Navi GPU architecture. Multiple leaks suggest that Navi will be produced with TSMC's 7nm process node. AMD recently announced the world's first 7nm-based graphics cards in the form of the Radeon Instinct MI60 and MI50 accelerators for the data center, so it's not unrealistic to assume that Navi will come out of TSMC's 7nm oven as well.

The AdoredTV Leak

Jim Parker from AdoredTV released a controversial video recently where the Scottish Youtuber revealed the specifications for three purported upcoming Navi graphics cards. Jim's leaks have been accurate in the past, but as with any leaked information, you should take unverified information for what it is. This is far from confirmed info.

According to AdoredTV, AMD will reportedly use a new nomenclature for its future graphics cards. The first batch of Navi products will launch with the Radeon RX 3000 moniker as opposed to the RX 600-series naming scheme. From a marketing perspective, this would make a lot of sense. By claiming the 3000-series branding, AMD would effectively lock Nvidia out from using it for the successors of the GeForce RTX 20-series of gaming graphics cards, while also matching up with AMD's upcoming Ryzen 3000 CPUs. And given how much success AMD has had lately with its Ryzen CPUs, it makes sense from a branding perspective hitch its new graphics cards to the CPU wagon.

AMD Radeon RX 3000, A New Era Of Radeon Graphics Cards

According to the leak, the Radeon RX 3080, RX 3070, and RX 3060 will be the first graphics cards to compete with Nvidia's current GeForce RTX 20-series, and they'll come at pretty aggressive price points, too. The Radeon RX 3080 rivals the existing GeForce RTX 2070, while the Radeon RX 3070 and RX 3060 would tackle the future RTX 2060 and GTX 2050 models, respectively.

	Radeon RX 3080	Radeon RX 3070	Radeon RX 3060
Architecture (GPU)	Navi 10	Navi 12	Navi 12
Memory Capacity	8GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6	4GB GDDR6
TDP	150W	120W	75W (no 6-pin)
Pricing	$249.99	$199.99	$129.99
Competition	RTX 2070 / GTX 1080	RTX 2060 / GTX 1070	GTX 2050 / GTX 1060

The Radeon RX 3080 will supposedly employ AMD's Navi 10 silicon produced with TSMC's 7nm FinFET manufacturing process. It also comes equipped with 8GB of GDDR6 memory and a modest 150W TDP (thermal design power) rating. Performance-wise, the Radeon RX 3080 is believed to be 15 percent faster than AMD's current Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card. The Radeon RX 3080 is expected to carry a $249.99 (~£197.55) price tag.

Although the Radeon RX 3070 also comes with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, this model will purportedly use Navi 12 silicon instead. The graphics card's performance is claimed to be similar to the of the RX Vega 56 model, but with a 120W TDP. The estimated price for the Radeon RX 3070 is said to be $199.99 (~£158.08).

Much like its older sibling, the Radeon RX 3070, the Radeon RX 3060 makes use of AMD's Navi 12 die. However, the Radeon RX 3060 is the only model of the trio that comes with 4GB of GDDR6 memory. It features a 75W TDP and doesn't depend on a supplemental 6-pin PCIe power connector, drawing all the power it needs from the x16 slot. In terms of performance, the Radeon RX 3060 should perform similarly to the Radeon RX 580. The Radeon RX 3060 should cost around $129.99 (~£102.73).

Release Date?

Several leaked roadmaps point to a Navi launch in the first quarter of 2019. AMD launched its 7nm Radeon Instinct MI60 and MI50 data center graphics cards at Computex this year. With the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) coming up, it would make sense for AMD to launch Navi at a major event, or at least announce a release date for the new cards. Either way, we'll be at the venue, and we'll keep you updated here with the latest information about Navi as it becomes available.

 

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