AMD users has already got there new year wish fulfilled by the introduction of the new Ryzen CPU’s and now the AMD based Gamers got their wish fulfilled as today AMD introduced the Radeon RX 500 series, a new line of graphics cards featuring a powerful combination of improved game performance, higher clock speeds, and a refined 2nd generation Polaris architecture, giving PC gamers the best reasons yet to upgrade their graphics.
Design and Architecture
The Radeon RX 500 series was designed specifically for system upgrades, catering to the 9 out of 10 PC gamers today who are hindered by outdated technology and aren’t able to enjoy optimal experiences in modern games, smooth VR experiences, or the latest display technologies. Radeon RX 500 series graphics cards feature a variety of the most compelling new technologies and features including:
- Optimized DirectX 12 and Vulkan gaming – The Radeon RX 500 series was engineered using the 2nd generation Polaris architecture. It was specifically designed to perform exceptionally well with low-level, next-generation APIs like DirectX 12 and Vulkan and it supports asynchronous compute for an outstanding game and VR experiences. Radeon RX 500 series GPUs have been further refined with higher clock speeds, improved idle and multi-monitor efficiency, and the fine-grained controls gamers need to fine-tune their hardware. Combined with Radeon FreeSync Technology, gamers can enjoy smooth framerates in virtually every game released, without the frustration of screen tearing and input lag.
- Improved response times, more efficiency, and cooler operation with Radeon Chill – Radeon Chill is an advanced framerate controller for the Radeon RX 500 series that works automatically in the background (when enabled) to dynamically regulate framerates in today’s most popular games based on the speed of mouse movements and the gamer’s activity in a scene.
- Awesome streaming, sharing, and gameplay capture with Radeon ReLive – The Radeon RX 500 series support the industry’s most revolutionary solution for capturing, customizing, and sharing gameplay. The Radeon ReLive software suite lets gamers enjoy smooth gaming and recording simultaneously, even on entry-level systems, with support for recording at 4K resolution at 30 and 60 FPS using HEVC and H.264 codecs. Radeon ReLive also integrates with the most popular game streaming platforms around the world.
From Radeon
“Radeon RX 500 series was built on the promise that PC gaming isn’t an elite club – that all gamers can enjoy the most advanced graphics technologies. Our launch today of the Radeon RX 500 series doubles down on that effort. With higher clock speeds, revolutionary gameplay capture software, latency-reduction technology, aggressive Day 0 driver support, open and affordable standards like Radeon FreeSync, and innovative features like Radeon Chill, we know gamers who have been patiently waiting to upgrade will have more than enough reasons to now,” said Scott Herkelman, corporate vice president and general manager, Radeon Technologies Group.
New Radeon Lineup
A wide range of Radeon RX 500 Series cards will be available to meet the needs of the overwhelming majority of gamers:
- Radeon RX 580: For smooth 1440p gaming – The Radeon RX 580 delivers up to an average of 57% better performance compared to the Radeon R9 380X in testing6, delivering smooth gaming in leading AAA games and VR experiences for an SEP of US$229 for the Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR 5 graphics card, and an SEP of US$199 for the Radeon RX 580 4GB GDDR5 graphics card.
- Radeon RX 570: For maximum 1080p gaming – With 4GB of GDDR5 memory, the Radeon RX 570 boasts up to an average of 2.3X better performance compared to the Radeon R7 3707 for a SEP of US$169.
- Radeon RX 560: For efficient 1080p gaming – With 2GB of GDDR5 memory, the Radeon RX 560 delivers up to an average 57% higher performance of the Radeon R7 3608 for a fluid and smooth gaming experience in the world’s most popular games at a SEP of US$99.
- Radeon RX 550: The doorway to PC gaming – Featuring 2GB GDDR5 memory, the Radeon RX 550 delivers up to an average 4X higher performance vs. competing integrated graphics, and up to an average of 1.7X the performance of the Radeon R7 250 at a SEP of US$79.9 The Radeon RX 550 is also ideal for home theater PCs with support for HDMI 4K60, 4K playback and HEVC content. It’s also HDR ready, supports Radeon FreeSync 2 technology for smooth, tear-free gaming, and ships in many low-profile designs ideal for small form factor cases 12.
What’s Compelling ???….Let’s See
1.> Improved performance and higher clock speeds compared with comparable Radeon RX 400 Series graphics cards
2.> PC gamer segmentation based on Steam Hardware Survey Feb 2017. Gamer upgrade estimate based on Steam peak daily users. 88% of users (approximately 9 out of 10 gamers), are gaming on Radeon R9 380X class GPUs or lower resulting in not being able to keep up in the latest games at 2560×1440 resolution including Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, For Honor, Doom, and Resident Evil resulting in tearing or being forced to move to lower settings; are unable to drive VR experiences by scoring higher than 6.0 on the SteamVR test; and are missing out on the latest display technologies including 160 FreeSync monitors, HDR, DisplayPort and HDMI advances, and game streaming in real-time at 4K resolution.
3.> Select Radeon RX 500 products are VR capable. Check with your PC or system manufacturer to confirm VR capabilities.
4.> Radeon Chill is compatible with Radeon consumer graphics products in supported DirectX9 and DirectX11 games for Windows 7/8.1/10. For more details and a whitelist of supported games, see http://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/radeonsoftware/gaming/radeon-chill. GD-115
5.> AMD FreeSync technology is designed to eliminate stuttering and/or tearing in games and videos by locking a display’s refresh rate to the framerate of the graphics card. Check with your component or system manufacturer for specific capabilities. AMD FreeSync technology compatible monitor, AMD Radeon Graphics and/or AMD A-series APU compliant with DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync required. AMD Catalyst 15.2 Beta (or newer) required. Adaptive refresh rates vary by the display; check with your monitor manufacturer for specific capabilities. A list of supported hardware and compatible monitors is available at www.amd.com/freesync. GRT-2
6.> Radeon FreeSync 2 does not require HDR capable monitors; the driver can set monitor in native mode when FreeSync 2 supported HDR content is detected. Otherwise, HDR content requires that the system is configured with a fully HDR-ready content chain, including the graphics card, graphics driver, and application. Video content must be graded in HDR and viewed with an HDR-ready player. Windowed mode content requires operating system support. GD-105
7.> HEVC acceleration is subject to inclusion/installation of compatible HEVC players. GD-81
8.> Testing is done by AMD Performance Labs March 15, 2017, using an Intel Core i7 5960X (@3.0GHz), 16GB DDR4-2666 MHz memory, AMD display driver 17.10, and Windows 10 (64bit). PC manufacturers may vary configurations yielding different results. The following games were tested at 1440p: Battlefield 1 (Ultra Presets, DX12), Overwatch (Ultra Preset, DX11), Resident Evil 7 (Ultra Presets, DX11), DOOM (Ultra Presets, Vulkan), and Hitman (Ultra Presets, DX11). The MSI Radeon RX 580 (8GB) scored 69.4, 80.7, 76.4, 77.5 and 66 fps respectively. The Radeon RX 380X scored 46.4, 47.5, 47.1, 52.2, and 42 respectively. All scores in average FPS and are an average of 3 runs with the same settings. Performance may vary based on the use of latest drivers. RX-111
9.> Testing is done by AMD Performance Labs March 9, 2017, using an Intel Core i7 5960X (@3.0GHz), 16GB DDR4-2666 MHz memory, AMD display driver 17.10 and Windows 10 (64bit). PC manufacturers may vary configurations yielding different results. The following games were tested at 1080p: DOOM (Ultra Presets, Vulkan), Resident Evil 7 (Ultra Presets, DX11), Battlefield 1 (Ultra Presets, DX12), Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (High Quality, DX11), and Sniper Elite 4 (High Presets, DX12). The RadeonTM RX 570 (4GB) scored 92.4, 102.9, 79.5, 81.6 and 68.5 respectively. The RadeonTM R7 370 (4GB) scored 39.9, 37.6, 42.4, 37.5 and 28.4 respectively. All scores in average FPS and are an average of 3 runs with the same settings. Performance may vary based on the use of latest drivers. RX-95
10.> Testing is done by AMD Performance Labs March 9, 2017, using an Intel Core i7 6700K (@4.0GHz), 2x4GB DDR4-2667 MHz memory, AMD web driver 17.1.1 and Windows 10 (64bit). PC manufacturers may vary configurations yielding different results. The following games were tested at 1080p: Civilization 6 (Medium Presets, DX12), DOOM (Medium Presets, Vulkan), Battlefield 1 (Medium Quality, DX12), Hitman (Medium Presets, DX12), Resident Evil 7 and Overwatch (Epic Settings, DX11). The RadeonTM RX 560 (4GB) scored 64.5, 67.5, 69.8, 62.5, 65.4 and 109.7 respectively. The RadeonTM R7 360 scored 43.5, 35.3, 32.1, 46.2, 47.9 and 74.1 respectively. All scores in average FPS and are an average of 3 runs with the same settings. Performance may vary based on the use of latest drivers. RX-97
11.> Testing is done by AMD Performance Labs March 2nd, 2017 using an Intel Core i7 6700K (@4.0GHz), 1x8GB DDR4-2667 MHz memory, AMD web driver 17.1.1, Intel Display Driver 20.19.15.4590 and Windows 10 (64bit). PC manufacturers may vary configurations yielding different results. The following games were tested at 1080p: Counter Strike: Global Offensive (Ultra Presets, DX9), DOTA 2 (Best Looking Preset, DX9), Overwatch (Medium Presets, DX11), Rocket League (High Presets, DX9), World of Warships (High Presets, DX9). The RadeonTM RX 550 (2GB) scored 96.5, 84.2, 98.0, 81.5 and 71.2 respectively. The RadeonTM R7 250 scored 59.0, 46.4, 44.4, 56.1 and 43.3 respectively. Intel HD 530 IGP scored 23.8, 23, 18.4, 18.5 and 24.7 respectively. All scores in average FPS and are an average of 3 runs with the same settings. Performance may vary based on the use of latest drivers. RX-98
12.> HDR content requires that the system is configured with a fully HDR-ready content chain, including the graphics card, monitor/TV, graphics driver, and application. Video content must be graded in HDR and viewed with an HDR-ready player. Windowed mode content requires operating system support. GD-96
Radeon RX 580 and 570 graphics cards from major AIB partners are available from retailers and entailers around the world starting today, and the Radeon RX 550 graphics card is expected to be available April 20th. Radeon RX 560 graphics cards are planned for release in early May. For more information on where to buy, visit https://www.amd.com/en/where-to-buy/radeon-rx500 .
