PowerColoration AMD RX 590 overview: the quickest sub-$300 graphics card and a sensible play by crew Radeon

AMD’s first new gaming graphics card in over a 12 months is right here, and it’s kind of simply an overclocked model of its greatest two year-old GPU from the Polaris vary. But, whereas the AMD RX 590 won’t sound significantly spectacular on paper, it nonetheless represents a sensible play by crew Radeon in the one sector of the graphics card market it will probably actually make a distinction.

With Nvidia not trying to pull a mainstream GPU out of its newest 20-series, Turing-based hat till properly into subsequent 12 months, the GTX 1060 stands alone as the one sub-$300 GeForce GPU round. And that’s the phase of the market the place the AMD vs. Nvidia debate rages hardest, with the AMD RX 580 going toe-to-toe with Nvidia’s GTX 1060. Right now the RX 580 is on prime resulting from its fashionable API superiority and decrease sticker worth, however AMD is trying to double down on that modest benefit with a brand new take by itself tech.

It has due to this fact launched the Radeon RX 590. A card primarily based on the identical Polaris graphics silicon because the RX 580 – and sporting virtually the identical specs record – however with a little bit additional headroom due to a barely up to date course of node from GlobalFoundries.

Yes, we’re lastly getting the refreshed Polaris graphics playing cards we thought have been going to reach across the identical time because the second-gen Ryzen chips earlier this 12 months. With the Ryzen CPUs being shrunk down to suit the 12nm manufacturing course of, we anticipated AMD would take the identical steps with its RX 580 and RX 570 playing cards, shifting them down from 14nm to 12nm.

That didn’t occur then – presumably as a result of mining demand was nonetheless so excessive for its 14nm chips it didn’t must do something new – nevertheless it appears AMD now needs to reap the benefits of the advantages of a GPU die shrink and have a model new graphics card prepared for the Black Friday / vacation interval consumergasm.

AMD Radeon RX 590 specs

As much less of an entire new GPU technology and extra of a light refresh, the RX 590 is a partner-based launch. That means there are not any reference playing cards for us to check on launch and so we have now to make do with the playing cards which can be really going to be bought within the wild. Here which means a PowerColoration RX 590 Red Devil, which is a barely overclocked model, although nonetheless provides us an concept about how the reference-clocked variations will carry out due to its secondary silent mode.

The MSRP of AMD’s RX 590 reference-clocked playing cards is ready to be $279 (£250), however I anticipate we’re more likely to see quite a lot of comparatively expensive overclocked playing cards earlier than the reference GPUs ever see the sunshine of day. That mentioned, we have now heard stories the Red Devil can be retailing at MSRP at the very least on launch day, which places this spectacular card at £250 within the UK, and hopefully $279 within the US.

But, at its coronary heart, continues to be the identical GPU that can be pumping pixels round any and each RX 590 launched this 12 months. The ‘new’ Polaris GPU is constructed utilizing GlobalFoundries 12nm course of node, whereas actually every little thing else is saved in place from the unique RX 580 design. So a lot so, in reality, that AMD acknowledged in a latest briefing it’s solely doable the RX 590 GPU might be utterly pin-compatible with outdated RX 580 boards.

Certainly many of the RX 590 coolers appear to have been stripped from every firm’s current RX 580 playing cards, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the precise boards themselves being handled in the identical method. There is a few thought wanted to be given to the brand new chip, nonetheless, because it does have a fairly hefty clockspeed bump over the outdated RX 580 GPU.

The reality the 12nm course of and the GPU structure itself has matured during the last couple of years implies that AMD ought to have the ability to obtain excessive chip yields out of GlobalFoundries’ manufacturing. It additionally means it ought to have the ability to get extra high-functioning silicon working at larger speeds than was doable when the 14nm Polaris chips first appeared. This is actually the place that 12nm course of node turns out to be useful, providing sufficient headroom for AMD to provide a Polaris 30 GPU that’s at the very least 205MHz quicker than its predecessor. And on this chunky Red Devil trim that’s pushed to 236MHz quicker out of the field.

Elsewhere it’s all very a lot a recognized amount. The identical 36 Compute Units, and due to this fact the identical 2,304 Graphcs Core Next (GCN) stream processors, are in attendance. And that additionally means you get the identical core configuration by way of 144 texture models and 32 render output models (ROPs) because the ol’ RX 580.

On the reminiscence aspect nothing has modified both. There’s simply one other 8GB of GDDR5 video reminiscence on the board, working throughout an aggregated 256-bit reminiscence bus. AMD isn’t going to be dropping a 4GB model into the market this time, nonetheless, preferring to go away that to the RX 570.

Admittedly that’s all a quite far cry from what AMD initially had pegged for an RX x90 card. When Polaris was first launched we have been initially promised the RX 400-series would include the usual RX 480, 470, and 460, with the vary finally prime and tailed by and RX 490 and RX 450.

That RX 490 was presupposed to be a 4K-capable GPU with a reminiscence bus above the 256-bit mark, which clearly by no means got here to move. And the RX 590 isn’t actually that both, that is each bit as mainstream a GPU because the RX 580 earlier than it. But sadly AMD couldn’t merely name it an RX 580X (which might have made extra sense) because it’s already shot its load on that nomenclature by permitting OEMs to make use of it for the graphics playing cards packed into their 2018 spring releases.

AMD Radeon RX 590 benchmarks

AMD Radeon RX 590 efficiency

The PowerColoration Red Devil permits us to simply see how the reference-clocked playing cards carry out, in addition to this reasonably overclocked model. There is a change on the board which lets you shift from OC Mode to Silent Mode. One runs the GPU at 1,576MHz below load and the opposite on the RX 590’s normal enhance clock of 1,545MHz. And, to be trustworthy, there’s not quite a lot of distinction between them, which isn’t shocking given the paltry 31MHz frequency delta.

Perhaps extra shocking, nonetheless, is that there’s not quite a lot of distinction between the RX 590 and the outdated RX 580. We may need anticipated extra of a efficiency hole on condition that fairly sizable additional clock velocity bump, however with our testing the 8GB RX 580 is just ever a number of fps on common behind. In reality it’s solely within the DX12-based variations of the final two Tomb Raider games the place there’s any noticeable body price distinction between the 2 Polaris GPUs.

Which additionally means there isn’t the prolonged efficiency lead over Nvidia’s competing GTX 1060 card we have been anticipating given the early benchmarking leaks of the final couple of weeks. There continues to be the identical slight general body price lead for the Radeon card over the GeForce GPU, nevertheless it hasn’t actually modified an entire lot. For probably the most half graphical efficiency continues to be break up down API traces, with the Nvidia card typically performing higher, or as properly, in DirectX 11 games, and the AMD card taking the lead in DirectX 12 titles.

The additional AMD efficiency is most noticeable once you’re speaking about larger resolutions, the place the bigger pool of video reminiscence and wider reminiscence bus, actually comes into play.

Where the GTX 1060 positively has a wholesome lead is within the energy division. The 120W TDP of the mainstream GeForce card outstrips the ability draw of even the smaller 12nm GPU node AMD has used for the RX 590’s Polaris GPU. AMD has given a 225W TDP for the brand new RX 590, however whereas the RX 580 has a decrease 185W TDP the RX 590 calls for much less general energy even in PowerColoration’s overclocked trim. Though each playing cards are nonetheless much more thirsty than the Nvidia card.

But the RX 590, significantly this Red Devil model, is lots cooler than the reference model of Nvidia’s GTX 1060. The followers solely spin up once they completely must, and even once they do they’re remarkably quiet, leaving solely the telltale AMD coil whine squealing within the wind. Or no matter that teeth-tingling electrical noise really is…

AMD Radeon RX 590 verdict

The RX 590 is probably the most highly effective mainstream, sub-$300 graphics card available in the market proper now. AMD has up to date its prime Polaris card with probably the most minor of upgrades and that’s sufficient to only about push it forward of the competitors. Admittedly that competitors is generally from its personal predecessor, the RX 580, nevertheless it additionally ensures the GTX 1060 is pushed additional down the record.

That mentioned, it’s not the cardboard we’d really advocate you purchase from that mainstream GPU phase. That privilege nonetheless belongs to the RX 580 – proper now the 14nm Polaris is retailing for lower than its unique sticker worth for the primary time for the reason that mining increase. At $210, or £195, the RX 580 is a implausible graphics card, typically outperforming the GTX 1060 and undercutting it in worth too. And, regardless of its far larger clock velocity, the RX 590 isn’t really that a lot faster than the ol’ RX 580.

The solely sticking level may be that the RX 580’s days are numbered, with the RX 590 more likely to finally change it. Until then inventory continues to be robust for the RX 580, and costs pleasingly low. Of course there’s the tantalising prospect of the 7nm Navi GPUs within the first half of 2019 as the following GPU technology to completely change Polaris.

If you’re not determined for a brand new GPU proper now there’s an argument for holding off shopping for a brand new graphics card solely to see how the Navi vs mainstream Turing debate goes down subsequent 12 months.

You may possibly argue the RX 590 is a little bit of a waste of time then. But by releasing a brand new, minimum-effort Polaris GPU AMD has bought individuals speaking about this finish of the market once more at doubtlessly the busiest time of the 12 months. There’s no new mainstream Nvidia 20-series GPU hitting anytime quickly, and so AMD can seize the eye of anybody searching for a graphics card buy within the sub-$300 market.

And it doesn’t actually matter to crew Radeon if these individuals merely have to have the latest factor, and go for this new RX 590, or make the sensible play and decide up an outdated RX 580. Either method it’s a win for AMD, and a misplaced GTX 1060 sale for Nvidia.

Sure, the inexperienced crew has bought GP104-powered GTX 1060 playing cards filtering out, utilising spare GDDR5X reminiscence, all left over from no matter silicon stock it had ready to enter now-unnecessary GTX 1080s, however by all accounts these playing cards don’t carry out any higher than the basic GP106 GTX 1060. And in some instances appear to carry out worse.

The RX 590 won’t be the mainstream card we’d essentially advocate, nonetheless highly effective this PowerColoration Red Devil model is, nevertheless it’s nonetheless reminding individuals how good the RX 580 is.

So it’s all arising AMD then, at the very least at this quantity finish of the market. And at this spend-happy time of the 12 months, it’s a sensible play for AMD to spend a little bit technical cash on manufacturing a ‘new’ 12nm GPU, and throw just a bit advertising and marketing money into getting the phrase out that Polaris continues to be your greatest wager for a mainstream gaming graphics card.