AMD unveiled two new graphics chipsets based on the RDNA 3 architecture on the 3rd (US time), the Radeon RX 7900XTX and the Radeon RX 7900XT. It has been two years since the RX 6000 series was revealed in October 2020.
The top tier product, the RX 7900XTX, improves performance by up to 1.7 times compared to its predecessor when running 4K games and has 24GB of GDDR6 memory. The computational performance has been improved to 61 teraflops, and it supports the latest video standard DisplayPort 2.1 and AV1 compression / playback, an open source codec.
AMD set the recommended price for a graphics card with the Radeon RX 7900XTX, the top product, at $999 (about 1.43 million won), and the recommended price for a graphics card with a Radeon RX 7900XT with 20GB of GDDR6 memory is set at $899 (about 1.29 million won).
■ Adopting a chip structure for the first time among graphics chipsets for PC
Unlike its predecessor, the RX 6000 series, the Radeon RX 7000 series has a chiplet structure that combines graphics chipsets and memory caches in different processes. This is the first case of applying a chip structure to a graphics chipset.
The graphics computing die (GPU), including shaders, display engines, and media engines, uses the TSMC N5 process (class 5-nano). The cache memory that can be incorporated up to 96MB and the GDDR6 memory controller uses the TSMC N6 process (class 6-nano).
The cache memory, which does not require the latest process, was produced in the N6 process, and the GPU, which requires many transistors, was produced in the N5 process. The N6 process is an improvement on the TSMC N7 process (7-nano class) and has advantages in terms of yield, power consumption and production cost.
■ Aiming at Nvidia “We don’t need a conversion cable”
AMD CEO Lisa Su said, “The Radeon RX 7900XTX graphics chipset has a total of 58 billion transistors, including GPU and cache memory, and through this, maximum performance was achieved.”
The top-tier product, the RX 7900 XTX, has a built-in 24GB GDDR6 memory and has improved performance by up to 1.7 times compared to its predecessor. The maximum power consumption is 355W, and only two PCI Express 8-pin ports, widely used today, can handle this.
“Our products can only be used with a separate conversion cable or existing power supply,” said Scott Heckelman, senior vice president of AMD’s graphics division. Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, which is a competing product, uses up to 600W of power, and some products are aimed at overheating the power supply.
■ Added DisplayPort 2.1·AV1 codec support
The Radeon RX 7900XTX graphics card supports DisplayPort 2.1, the latest video output standard, as well as HDMI 2.1. Video output bandwidth is up to 54Gbps, and an 8K 165Hz monitor or a 4K 480Hz monitor can be connected.
AMD explained, “As graphics card performance improves, the maximum frame rate of games as well as the maximum refresh rate set in the video output standard will often be exceeded in the future, and DisplayPort 1.4, the current mainstream, satisfy this.”
The media engine built into the RX 7000 series adds a compression/playback function according to AV1, the latest open source video codec along with H.264/265 (HEVC).
AV1 is a codec whose use cases are increasing focusing on online services such as OBS, Twitch, YouTube, and Netflix because it can implement the same image quality as the current codec with a lower capacity.
■ Highest product factory price ‘RX 7900XTX’ won 1.43 million
AMD has been aggressively pricing its Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards.
The recommended price for a graphics card with the highest tier Radeon RX 7900XTX is $ 999 (about 1.43 million won), which is the same as the RX 6900XT released two years ago. Compared to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card ($1,499), the price has been reduced by more than 1 million won.
Related articles
Due to the domestic circumstances of the sharp rise in the dollar-earning exchange rate, the advantages of such valuation are largely diluted. However, considering that a new high output power supply unit and 12VHPWR cable are not required, the incidental cost is reduced, the price is competitive enough.
From December 13, AMD plans to supply Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards to the world, including Korea, through major graphics card manufacturers such as Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte.
