Sunday, April 8th 2018

AMD Readies Radeon RX 500X Series Graphics Cards

AMD is giving final touches to the new Radeon RX 500X-series graphics cards. Product page placeholders for RX 580X, RX 570X, RX 560X, and RX 550X surfaced on AMD website. The specifications tabs on these pages are blank, so there's no official information on what the "X" denotes. It's curious to see AMD give the extension to even lower-end SKUs such as the RX 560 and RX 550.

The company has, in the past, come up with extensions such as "D" to denote OEM-specific SKUs with different specifications than the retail-channel (AIB) products. Going by the convention of "X" denoting higher performance on certain AMD Ryzen processor SKUs, the RX 500X series could have one of several improvements - a new silicon fabrication process facilitating a clock-speed bump, or faster memory, or even some speed boosting feature similar to Ryzen XFR (extended frequency range). We'll know soon enough.
Source: Reddit
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87 Comments on AMD Readies Radeon RX 500X Series Graphics Cards

#26
IceScreamer
Gimme dat XFX RX580X XXX edition, that's 7 Xs, it must be amazing.
But seriously, if this is real, and has any solid improvements I'll gladly replace my 1050ti.
Posted on Reply
#27
londiste
evernessinceIt really depends if AMD was able to stick better memory compression on these, which is possible without having to change much hardware wise. It wouldn't be the first time AMD improved memory compression in the same generation like they did with Tonga. It's also entirely possible to use higher speed GDDR5 as well.
Generation is a fluid concept. Tonga formally came as part of 200 series but it was really AMD's first 3rd generation GCN GPU. Memory compresson on Tonga was purely a hardware change.

Edit.
And AMD has put the specs in most of the pages now:
570X - 32CU, 2048/??/??, 926/1206 MHz, 4GB GDDR5, 211GB/s. 150W.
560X - 16CU, 1024/??/??, 1090/1200 MHz, 2GB GDDR5, 112 GB/s. 60-80W.
550X - 8CU, 512/32/16, boost 1183 MHz. 50W.

Specs match the current lineup, clocks actually seem a bit lower.
I am assuming (hoping?) these are not final.
Posted on Reply
#28
Firedrops
londisteGeneration is a fluid concept. Tonga formally came as part of 200 series but it was really AMD's first 3rd generation GCN GPU. Memory compresson on Tonga was purely a hardware change.

Edit.
And AMD has put the specs in most of the pages now:
570X - 32CU, 2048/??/??, 926/1206 MHz, 4GB GDDR5, 211GB/s. 150W.
560X - 16CU, 1024/??/??, 1090/1200 MHz, 2GB GDDR5, 112 GB/s. 60-80W.
550X - 8CU, 512/32/16, boost 1183 MHz. 50W.

Specs match the current lineup, clocks actually seem a bit lower.
I am assuming (hoping?) these are not final.
Great catch there! I went in and compared them with their current 5** counterparts, everything is identical. I think they just copied the tables over as a template, and will go through them to update values later.

If not, AMD has truly gone mad.
Posted on Reply
#29
Vya Domus
I doubt AMD will be willing to waste money redesigning Polaris at this point. This will simply be a die shrink.
Posted on Reply
#30
Assimilator
AMD includes "TM" in their product URLs... what the actual f.

This "Polaris refresh" does not bode well for Navi. And even if they've managed to curb the horrific leakage, I doubt it's enough to allow GDDR5X with its higher power draw. But let us hope.
Posted on Reply
#31
Space Lynx
Astronaut
Cruise51Yes. Not everyone is a elite member of the master race like yourself.
A LOT of people on TPU game at 1440p high refresh... lol. but umm ok sure thing buddy.
ShurikNWho is we?
The vast majority of gamers are on 1080p.
According to steam hardware survey 1440p is at about 3.5%, FHD at 72%.
on this website? whom my post was referring to most? of us here at 1440p here or higher cause this is a niche website... so ummm sure thing mate.
Posted on Reply
#32
Vya Domus
AssimilatorThis "Polaris refresh" does not bode well for Navi.
I wonder how did you make the connection from this to Navi.
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#33
R0H1T
What if this has respun Vega cores with a few hardware features working, that were disabled at the initial launch?
Posted on Reply
#34
tvamos
lynx29A LOT of people on TPU game at 1440p high refresh... lol. but umm ok sure thing buddy.


on this website? whom my post was referring to most? of us here at 1440p here or higher cause this is a niche website... so ummm sure thing mate.
Can we have TPU survey, please, I wonder if I'm part of minority, and if I should upgrade to be "trendy". Seriously though, I don't see myself upgrading before 32 or 35inch 4k is really cheap. So my 1080p is staying for at least 4 more years
Posted on Reply
#35
londiste
R0H1TWhat if this has respun Vega cores with a few hardware features working, that were disabled at the initial launch?
This is not Vega, this is quite clearly Polaris. In addition to technical details, AMD would most definitely call them something new if these were Vega.
Posted on Reply
#36
R0H1T
londisteThis is not Vega, this is quite clearly Polaris. In addition to technical details, AMD would most definitely call them something new if these were Vega.
Why, they've already released Vega? A GDDR5(x) version doesn't need another series bump (to 600) although one would hope that if this is Polaris ~ it's on 12nm (like Pinnacle Ridge) or a more refined version, perhaps with GDDR5x.
Posted on Reply
#37
ShurikN
lynx29on this website? whom my post was referring to most? of us here at 1440p here or higher cause this is a niche website... so ummm sure thing mate.
This is Techpowerup, not 1440p+ Glorious PCMR forum. Next time please speak for yourself, and not for every user.
What disappoints me the most is that you forgot to mention minimum FPS in both of your posts.
Posted on Reply
#38
Space Lynx
Astronaut
ShurikNThis is Techpowerup, not 1440p+ Glorious PCMR forum. Next time please speak for yourself, and not for every user.
What disappoints me the most is that you forgot to mention minimum FPS in both of your posts.
I would argue the majority of people on TPU, OCN, GamersNexus, and other niche forums are using 1440p+... 51% majority is still majority. We are a niche community on these forums and when I look at system specs under anyones name here, I often see 1440p or higher... so I am guessing right I am pretty sure. You are the minority here, correct.
Posted on Reply
#39
Ferrum Master
lynx29I would argue the majority of people on TPU, OCN, GamersNexus, and other niche forums are using 1440p+... 51% majority is still majority. We are a niche community on these forums and when I look at system specs under anyones name here, I often see 1440p or higher... so I am guessing right I am pretty sure. You are the minority here, correct.
Could you mind your attitude? There are plenty of all resolution players here. Do I need to poke steam HW statistics in your face to calm down?

Low power 1080P part is really a good thing.
Posted on Reply
#40
Space Lynx
Astronaut
Ferrum MasterCould you mind your attitude? There are plenty of all resolution players here. Do I need to poke steam HW statistics in your face to calm down?

Low power 1080P part is really a good thing.
I'm not upset at all... Steam stats have nothing to do with my comment, my original comment was that these cards do not matter for the majority of TPU users who use either 1080p high refresh, or 1440p plus, which AMD cards can not compete in, at least until Vega 2. I'm only upset that everyone is ignoring the context of my comments, I am well aware majority of people in world use 1080p, not on niche sites like this though, and my comment was towards FordGT90 who I know games at 1440p... I literally quoted his post and people attack me... I wasn't referring to the minority of people in TPU... I was referring the majority and FordGT90
Posted on Reply
#41
INSTG8R
Vanguard Beta Tester
Ferrum MasterCould you mind your attitude? There are plenty of all resolution players here. Do I need to poke steam HW statistics in your face to calm down?

Low power 1080P part is really a good thing.
Thank you! I’m a 1440 gamer but I’m certainly not in the majority or throw it around like it is...
Posted on Reply
#42
Vayra86
lynx29I would argue the majority of people on TPU, OCN, GamersNexus, and other niche forums are using 1440p+... 51% majority is still majority. We are a niche community on these forums and when I look at system specs under anyones name here, I often see 1440p or higher... so I am guessing right I am pretty sure. You are the minority here, correct.
I think you're seeing what you want to see.

1080p here... and it still is the mainstream res, 1440p is the 'odd one out' res that does not scale well either to 1080p (you're down to 720p if you want any kind of decent pixel mapping), which is a reason for many to skip it altogether and jump to 4K straight up. Then there is another pretty significant 'niche' of high refresh rate gamers @ 1080p like myself...

Regardless, the comment of any card like a 1060 / 580 being 'uninteresting' for a vast majority here is simply false. I cannot count the number of threads where people are considering a 1050ti versus a 1060 3GB and/or 6GB.

The point really is that on these forums people with top end cards are the frequenters who make a lot of noise about their top-end rig, because how else are you going to show off... Making a lot of noise doesn't make the tiniest segment in gaming GPUs a majority though - not even on this forum. That's perception.

All you do with pushing the top-end and early adopting higher resolutions is massively increase the cost of gaming at decent FPS and settings, with questionable returns because we're still talking about moving images that only benefit in a small way from higher resolutions, and the higher you go, the smaller the benefit. Early adopters are always a niche and thus, so are you.
Posted on Reply
#43
Ferrum Master
Here are the numbers. 2K users are a 3.5% minority. Nvidia and AMD has a point of making mid tier cards for sure... where really the money is.

Posted on Reply
#44
Space Lynx
Astronaut
Vayra86I think you're seeing what you want to see.

1080p here... and it still is the mainstream res, 1440p is the 'odd one out' res that does not scale well either to 1080p (you're down to 720p if you want any kind of decent pixel mapping), which is a reason for many to skip it altogether and jump to 4K straight up. Then there is another pretty significant 'niche' of high refresh rate gamers @ 1080p like myself...

Regardless, the comment of any card like a 1060 / 580 being 'uninteresting' for a vast majority here is simply false. I cannot count the number of threads where people are considering a 1050ti versus a 1060 3GB and/or 6GB.

The point really is that on these forums people with top end cards are the frequenters who make a lot of noise about their top-end rig, because how else are you going to show off... Making a lot of noise doesn't make the tiniest segment in gaming GPUs a majority though - not even on this forum. That's perception.
I misunderstood then, I assumed TPU/OCN was a niche community with 51% at least majority of hardcore users. I will try to avoid assuming in the future, I will not post anymore here, my apologies. Take care mates.
Posted on Reply
#45
Vayra86
lynx29I misunderstood then, I assumed TPU/OCN was a niche community with 51% at least majority of hardcore users. I will try to avoid assuming in the future, I will not post anymore here, my apologies. Take care mates.
Is it really 'hardcore' to overspend on computer components? If that has to be the definition of a tech enthusiast, my, that is a TINY world to live in.

Food for thought perhaps
Posted on Reply
#46
the54thvoid
Intoxicated Moderator
Vayra86Is it really 'hardcore' to overspend on computer components? If that has to be the definition of a tech enthusiast, my, that is a TINY world to live in.

Food for thought perhaps
People are free to spend as they please. It's just as narrow minded to suggest paying a high price is not 'techy' as it is to suggest not buying cutting edge is.
TPU has a wide range of experience but it seems our tech prowess is shown by those who crunch, mine, self build, water cool, (very few sub zero guys), networkers, coders etc.
Actual hardware itself does not make anyone a tech guy, it's what they do to improve or mod it that makes us techy. So, whether you salvage from a skip or buy a Titan Volta, it's how you work with it that defines you.
Posted on Reply
#47
Assimilator
Vya DomusI wonder how did you make the connection from this to Navi.
Because... Navi is supposed to be the next GPU architecture from AMD? And you don't do a refresh of an existing arch when you have an upcoming arch - particularly if the existing arch is already crap - unless the upcoming arch is also crap, or late, or...
R0H1TWhy, they've already released Vega? A GDDR5(x) version doesn't need another series bump (to 600) although one would hope that if this is Polaris ~ it's on 12nm (like Pinnacle Ridge) or a more refined version, perhaps with GDDR5x.
If you can rework Vega's on-die HBM2 design to work with off-die GDDR5/X in a reasonable amount of time, I'm sure AMD would love to hire you. Except for the fact that Vega was deliberately designed to NOT use GDDR because it's a power-hungry chip and GDDR is power-hungry memory, so there is literally zero chance they would bother. Oh, and the fact that Vega is a dead-end architecture...
Posted on Reply
#48
Fluffmeister
Anyway, this will probably just be an OEM requested rebrand.
Posted on Reply
#49
Xzibit
lynx29I'm not upset at all... Steam stats have nothing to do with my comment, my original comment was that these cards do not matter for the majority of TPU users who use either 1080p high refresh, or 1440p plus, which AMD cards can not compete in, at least until Vega 2. I'm only upset that everyone is ignoring the context of my comments, I am well aware majority of people in world use 1080p, not on niche sites like this though, and my comment was towards FordGT90 who I know games at 1440p... I literally quoted his post and people attack me... I wasn't referring to the minority of people in TPU... I was referring the majority and FordGT90
I does come off funny. One reads your post
lynx29Does it matter? We game at 1440p +, I doubt any of these cards are meant for us, as before AMD can only ask for 1080p market. Unless you like mediocre frames in high rez high refresh gaming of course.
Look at FordGT90 system specs "Samsung SyncMaster T240 24" LCD (1920x1200 HDMI) + Samsung SyncMaster 906BW 19" LCD (1440x900 DVI)"
Posted on Reply
#50
Vya Domus
AssimilatorBecause... Navi is supposed to be the next GPU architecture from AMD? And you don't do a refresh of an existing arch when you have an upcoming arch
No , you can do a refresh precisely because of that , it's cheap and effective and it doesn't interfere much with the development of your next product. In case you didn't notice this refresh is only up to the 580X part , in other words the high-end is still open for something else , presumably Vega on 12nm or Navi.

There is absolutely no connection between this and Navi , you are making it up despite having no evidence just so you can get to say this :
Assimilator- particularly if the existing arch is already crap - unless the upcoming arch is also crap, or late, or...
It's astonishing how people turn baseless assumptions into facts just so they can speculate about something bad in the future with regards to their not so favorite color.
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