News AMD Radeon RX 6800 Series Unboxed

[Admin]

Here's an up-close look at AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series GPU.

AMD Radeon RX 6800 Series Unboxed : Read more

 

[Chris Fetters]

"The GDDR6 memory is the same 14Gbps"
Come on Jarred! The GDDR6 chips on ALL Navi 21 GPU's are 16Gbps over a 256-bit bus for 512GB/s of bandwidth, NOT 14Gbps for 448GB/s like we saw on Navi 10. Come on man! You at least gotta get this basic stuff right! facepalm -_-

 

[WarWolverineWarrior]

"The GDDR6 memory is the same 14Gbps"
Come on Jarred! The GDDR6 chips on ALL Navi 21 GPU's are 16Gbps over a 256-bit bus for 512GB/s of bandwidth, NOT 14Gbps for 448GB/s like we saw on Navi 10. Come on man! You at least gotta get this basic stuff right! facepalm -_-

Jarred likes flowers and pink ponies, He does not give AF about your RAM Chris! lmao

 

[Makaveli]

Jarred likes flowers and pink ponies, He does not give AF about your RAM Chris! lmao

I laughed more than I should have at this.

 

[JarredWaltonGPU]

Dangit! I meant that it's the same as the GDDR6 in the RX 6800, but put the wrong speed. Spread a bit thin right now...

 

[neojack]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

every radeon since the past years had 3 Display port , and one HDMI
i use the 3 DP for my eyefinity setup, and the HDMI for another small screen on the top / or the VR headset

that setup won't work now

i hope future custom PCBs fix this. (but i do custom WC too so ref design it is...)

 

[artk2219]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

every radeon since the past years had 3 Display port , and one HDMI
i use the 3 DP for my eyefinity setup, and the HDMI for another small screen on the top / or the VR headset

that setup won't work now

i hope future custom PCBs fix this. (but i do custom WC too so ref design it is...)

Just get a USB-C to DP adapter? I know its annoying to have to get an extra adapter, but its hardly a major issue unless you're getting these in volume, in which case its an annoyance.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matter...TSK3W6WM21X&psc=1&refRID=SRFWVKAXPTSK3W6WM21X

 

[JarredWaltonGPU]

Just get a USB-C to DP adapter? I know its annoying to have to get an extra adapter, but its hardly a major issue unless you're getting these in volume, in which case its an annoyance.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-Adapter-Supporting/dp/B01K51GM46/ref=pd_lpo_147_t_0/135-3746978-3435119?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01K51GM46&pd_rd_r=aebf7ce8-a705-46da-9fd0-018bdc17d15a&pd_rd_w=ZQosb&pd_rd_wg=H7nB1&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=SRFWVKAXPTSK3W6WM21X&psc=1&refRID=SRFWVKAXPTSK3W6WM21X

Here's the thing: Adapters suck, and the USB-C connector is not robust and secure -- secure as in "it's not going to accidentally fall out." Given the size of a DisplayPort connector and cable, I'd be hesitant and a bit skeptical of the long-term prospects of an adapter. The good news is that there will surely be a lot of third party cards that will have at least three DP outputs. And I'm sure there will be waterblocks for some of the Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI boards. I don't use multiple monitors (well, I use multiple monitors each connected to a separate PC, all running benchmarks!), but I definitely prefer HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort native connections over any adapter. Right now, DP still sits at the top for me, just because there aren't any HDMI 2.1 monitors that I know of. Now if I could finagle a way to use a 50-inch OLED LG TV as my monitor, maybe...

 

[sabarrab]

The RX 6800 is the smaller card, in that it's a strict 2-slot design. It has three 77nm custom fans with integrated rims that help > to improve static pressure and direct airflow into the radiator fins.

I'd be curious to see the 77nm custom fans, how much air do they move?

 

[artk2219]

Here's the thing: Adapters suck, and the USB-C connector is not robust and secure -- secure as in "it's not going to accidentally fall out." Given the size of a DisplayPort connector and cable, I'd be hesitant and a bit skeptical of the long-term prospects of an adapter. The good news is that there will surely be a lot of third party cards that will have at least three DP outputs. And I'm sure there will be waterblocks for some of the Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI boards. I don't use multiple monitors (well, I use multiple monitors each connected to a separate PC, all running benchmarks!), but I definitely prefer HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort native connections over any adapter. Right now, DP still sits at the top for me, just because there aren't any HDMI 2.1 monitors that I know of. Now if I could finagle a way to use a 50-inch OLED LG TV as my monitor, maybe...

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's ideal and that it isn't without its own reliability \ supported features \ resolution \ refresh rate issues, I would also prefer to not have to use an adapter. What I am saying though is that for most issues and users it's not the end of the world. Although I do hate usb-c's crummy mechanical tolerances, and depending on how often things are moved around, or if the cables at an angle, it could very much limit the lifetime of the port, and you're right in that it's not an issue you usually see with a full sized display port. But if you find yourself with a card with a usb-c port being your only option, you could do worse, and hopefully it breaks when it's under warranty (spoiler: it never breaks when it's under warranty :-( ).

 

[nofanneeded]

Things dont look good from outside ,

1- One of the exclusive things AMD GPU had was Infinity Eye (upto 6 display ports.) , Now they are giving us just 3 Total ports one HDMI and Two DP , BAD ...

2-The card does not seem to have any Heat pipes, Dont expect it to be silent/or with good thermals at full load. I really wish they release Frontier Edition of the card with AIO.

3- The card looks ugly compared the Frontier Edition with watercooling . three fans and bla bla , AMD has the best looking design already for 300 watts card.

4- No rear exhaust ... why? just open it , some hot air will get out just by air pressure .

it is clear that people are expected to prefer non reference cards over AMD one . unlike Nvidia .

 

[Conahl]

1- One of the exclusive things AMD GPU had was Infinity Eye (upto 6 display ports.) , Now they are giving us just 3 Total ports one HDMI and Two DP , BAD ...

i think you meant Eyefinity too bad no one ( that i could find at the time ) made monitors in the 24-27 inch range that had thin bezels on at least 3 sides to use this. i tried it with the 3 monitors i have here, and the gap between screens was almost 2 inches !!! IF i could of found a monitor with bezels that would total less then 1/4 of an inch, it could of worked. i have seen tvs that are like 43" with such bezels, but not a comp monitor.

 

[nofanneeded]

i think you meant Eyefinity too bad no one ( that i could find at the time ) made monitors in the 24-27 inch range that had thin bezels on at least 3 sides to use this. i tried it with the 3 monitors i have here, and the gap between screens was almost 2 inches !!! IF i could of found a monitor with bezels that would total less then 1/4 of an inch, it could of worked. i have seen tvs that are like 43" with such bezels, but not a comp monitor.

Look For monitors with "infinity display" , or "borderless"

somethinglike


https://www.amazon.com/LG-24MP88HV-S-24-Inch-Monitor-Infinity/dp/B01BX3FCJG

 

[neojack]

thantks for the suggestion on the USB-c to display adaptor, but this is in reality an external GPU powered by the USB. that won't work for VR or eyefinity.

i will wait for the custom cards and waterblocks i guess

 

[setx]

People, you just don't understand what Type-C port is there for. It's definitely not (just) for VR HMD .

First of all, many new monitors have Type-C connector so it's for native "modern" connection support.

But most important thing is: Type-C can also provide up to 100W of power and USB data. So potentially you can have single cable connection to your monitor and even get there USB ports for keyboard or wireless adapters.

When you do a review please test available power on that Type-C port.

 

[ph00ny]

Hopefully i can get my hands on one of these tomorrow morning

 

[TJ Hooker]

But most important thing is: Type-C can also provide up to 100W of power and USB data. So potentially you can have single cable connection to your monitor and even get there USB ports for keyboard or wireless adapters.

I really doubt a graphics card USB-C port would support UBS-PD. That would require an additional VRM for supplying a variable voltage (5 to 20V) just for the USB port.

 

[Conahl]

Look For monitors with "infinity display" , or "borderless"

somethinglike

ive seen monitors like that, while the bezel is a few millimeters thin, the screen itsself, still has a some blank space between where the bezel is, and where the screen actually displays, look at some tablets, my galaxy tab a, is a good example of this.

 

[neojack]

this black space seems like only a few mm though, on the pictures on amazon.

i play everyday on a eyefinity setup. bezels are not a problem. or else nobody would be able to drive a car. or wear glasses. humain brain is very good for ignoring fixed obstacles in the field of view.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10PNJBfpiTvuJQPDxAZL6zOqY8lBWauVo/view?usp=sharing

^
it's awesome

 

[Conahl]

Neo Jack
with that monitor, maybe, would need to see in person. but the ones i have found side by side they would equal about an inch.
i tried that with the monitors i have, found it annoying, but thats also almost 2 inches. the 43" tvs i have seen, i think the bezes are maybe 1/4 of an inch quite the difference.

or else nobody would be able to drive a car. or wear glasses

thats a quite a but different, as i have both

 

[cryoburner]

Things dont look good from outside ,

1- One of the exclusive things AMD GPU had was Infinity Eye (upto 6 display ports.) , Now they are giving us just 3 Total ports one HDMI and Two DP , BAD ...

2-The card does not seem to have any Heat pipes, Dont expect it to be silent/or with good thermals at full load. I really wish they release Frontier Edition of the card with AIO.

3- The card looks ugly compared the Frontier Edition with watercooling . three fans and bla bla , AMD has the best looking design already for 300 watts card.

4- No rear exhaust ... why? just open it , some hot air will get out just by air pressure .

it is clear that people are expected to prefer non reference cards over AMD one . unlike Nvidia .

1) As has already been pointed out, the USB-C connection is also a port for general video output. For monitors that don't support USB-C video, an inexpensive adapter or adapter cable may take care of that. USB-C daisy-chaining for multiple displays might potentially be possible off that one port as well, though I don't think the specifics of AMD's implementation of the port have been mentioned yet.

2) Of course it has heatpipes. Otherwise how would heat get to the outer fins? A long cooler like that wouldn't even be functional for a ~300 watt card without heatpipes. Most likely, it's designed along the lines of the Radeon VII's cooler, which featured a large vapor chamber around the GPU area with a number of flattened heatpipes extending the length of the card, as can be seen here...
https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3436-amd-radeon-vii-tear-down-disassembly-graphite-pad

3) Looks are subjective, but an AIO cooler would likely be less reliable in the long-term, along with being more expensive. As such, it probably doesn't make that much sense for a reference card. The liquid-cooled Vega Frontier Edition workstation card cost $500 more than the air-cooled version at launch ($1500 vs $1000), and even the more consumer-oriented Vega 64 Liquid was priced $200 higher than the standard version at launch ($700 vs $500). While the liquid-cooled Vega 64 gained an extra 10% or so performance making it generally faster than the GTX 1080, at that price it was competing more with the 1080 Ti, a card that was significantly faster still. I don't think it was actually widely available on the market for long either (though mining may have played a part in that).

4) The fins are arranged in the other direction, with air directed out the front and back edges, not the ends, so vents in the IO shield might not help temperatures that much, even if they weren't blocked by fins. Removing PCI slot covers below the card is always an option though.

In any case, even if you consider any of these things to be an actual concern, they only pertain to the reference models. Lots of manufacturers have already been showing off their own custom designs, with different coolers and in some cases the USB-C port swapped for something else, so it probably won't be long before custom designs are available.

 

[nofanneeded]

1) As has already been pointed out, the USB-C connection is also a port for general video output. For monitors that don't support USB-C video, an inexpensive adapter or adapter cable may take care of that. USB-C daisy-chaining for multiple displays might potentially be possible off that one port as well, though I don't think the specifics of AMD's implementation of the port have been mentioned yet.

I was not talking about the USBC at all but the lack of more Displayports.

2) Of course it has heatpipes. Otherwise how would heat get to the outer fins? A long cooler like that wouldn't even be functional for a ~300 watt card without heatpipes. Most likely, it's designed along the lines of the Radeon VII's cooler, which featured a large vapor chamber around the GPU area with a number of flattened heatpipes extending the length of the card, as can be seen here...

Sorry , you are totally wrong . and I dont know why you brought Radeon VII to talk about RX 6800XT ?

anyways , here is gamer nexus tear down , as I said no heat pipes.

View: https://youtu.be/0s7bOaa6X9E?t=908


Quote : 16:15 "and there is no heat pipes design at all , zero heat pipes in this"

3) Looks are subjective, but an AIO cooler would likely be less reliable in the long-term

I still have a Frontier card working 100% , and I dont think that you know better than AMD R&D when they released MANY AIO cards models.

4) The fins are arranged in the other direction, with air directed out the front and back edges, not the ends, so vents in the IO shield might not help temperatures that much,

You are mistaken , in compact cases and SFF cases any vents helps alot. ANYTHING that will help air flow and hot air escapes the compact case helps. alot.

as I said , Air pressure will make the air get out from the case from any opening around . and most three fans cards open that ...

for real , you just critic for the joy ? All the points I mentioned you did not agree to ANY of them ? and you either replied out of context like the USBC port , or wrong by brining a Different card like the Radeon VII (also you failed) ..etc ?

 

[cryoburner]

I was not talking about the USBC at all but the lack of more Displayports.

That USB-C port is DisplayPort, and should be usable as such with a simple USB-C to DP cable. Or, for USB-C displays, it can also deliver up to 27 watts of power and provide additional data connections over a single cable.

Sorry , you are totally wrong . and I dont know why you brought Radeon VII to talk about RX 6800XT ?

anyways , here is gamer nexus tear down , as I said no heat pipes.

Quote : 16:15 "and there is no heat pipes design at all , zero heat pipes in this"

I brought up the Radeon VII because the coolers are fairly similar in design, and as of when I posted that, they still had not put up a teardown video for the 6800 XT yet. In any case, the only reason there are technically no heatpipes is because they replaced them with a much larger vapor chamber covering the entire length of the cooler this time around. That entire side of the heatsink acts like one massive 2-dimensional heatpipe to efficiently transfer heat across the cooling fins. It's an effective design, and the assertion that it would not be quiet or have good thermals has been proven wrong by reviews.

I still have a Frontier card working 100% , and I dont think that you know better than AMD R&D when they released MANY AIO cards models.

I'm not saying they're "unreliable", just inherently less reliable than an air cooler, as they have moving parts (in addition to the fans) that are more likely to wear out eventually, and might be difficult to replace. My main point was about the cost though, and that's probably why they didn't bother with liquid cooling this time around, or for the Radeon VII from a couple years back. And as previously stated, their reference cooler seems to be rather effective, making it largely unnecessary. If one wants liquid cooling, there should be partner cards available with that option, as I know at least Asus was working on one.

You are mistaken , in compact cases and SFF cases any vents helps alot. ANYTHING that will help air flow and hot air escapes the compact case helps. alot.

as I said , Air pressure will make the air get out from the case from any opening around . and most three fans cards open that ...

Near the beginning of the video you linked above, he addressed that, saying they tested it and that the lack of vents "didn't really affect things", since the fins are facing in the other direction. And if a small-form-factor case has room for a large 2.5 slot card, it likely has at least another PCI slot cover below the card that could be removed. If one really wants to put a high-end, 300 watt card in their system, and is concerned about optimal cooling, maybe they should rethink going with a tiny case with limited airflow.

Most cards with fins oriented in that direction do add some small vents there, but those cards typically have a more open design under the fins, whereas this cooler has a giant vapor chamber directing air through the fins and out the sides of the card. Sure, they could have designed it to leave some space there and add some vents like with the Radeon VII, and some heat would undoubtedly be exhausted, but the amount would be quite small compared to what would be exiting the case through even a single case fan.

for real , you just critic for the joy ? All the points I mentioned you did not agree to ANY of them ? and you either replied out of context like the USBC port , or wrong by brining a Different card like the Radeon VII (also you failed) ..etc ?

I just feel it's best to correct not-entirely-accurate information when I see it, and when someone provides a bullet-point list of not-entirely-accurate information to dismiss a product, it's something I feel should probably be addressed. : P

 

[nofanneeded]

That USB-C port is DisplayPort, and should be usable as such with a simple USB-C to DP cable. Or, for USB-C displays, it can also deliver up to 27 watts of power and provide additional data connections over a single cable.

Sorry , I dont want to use adapters. and I dont want to be forced to use USB-C Displays

less DP is a LESS DP no matter what.

I brought up the Radeon VII because the coolers are fairly similar in design, and as of when I posted that, they still had not put up a teardown video for the 6800 XT yet. In any case, the only reason there are technically no heatpipes is because they replaced them with a much larger vapor chamber covering the entire length of the cooler this time around. That entire side of the heatsink acts like one massive 2-dimensional heatpipe to efficiently transfer heat across the cooling fins. It's an effective design, and the assertion that it would not be quiet or have good thermals has been proven wrong by reviews.

I dont care about te larger Vampor chamber , you said there are heat pipes and you were wrong.

When I saw the fins in the unboxing I knew that there is no heat pipes even before tear down from the design of the fins and the top View . If you dont have such experience ,learn from others.

I'm not saying they're "unreliable", just inherently less reliable than an air cooler, as they have moving parts (in addition to the fans) that are more likely to wear out eventually, and might be difficult to replace.

sorry you are wrong , AIO cooler are used now in servers 24/7 servers. they are reliable. and good enough.

Near the beginning of the video you linked above, he addressed that, saying they tested it and that the lack of vents "didn't really affect things", since the fins are facing in the other direction. And if a small-form-factor case has room for a large 2.5 slot card, it likely has at least another PCI slot cover below the card that could be removed. If one really wants to put a high-end, 300 watt card in their system, and is concerned about optimal cooling, maybe they should rethink going with a tiny case with limited airflow.

Most cards with fins oriented in that direction do add some small vents there, but those cards typically have a more open design under the fins, whereas this cooler has a giant vapor chamber directing air through the fins and out the sides of the card. Sure, they could have designed it to leave some space there and add some vents like with the Radeon VII, and some heat would undoubtedly be exhausted, but the amount would be quite small compared to what would be exiting the case through even a single case fan.

meh , as I said any ventilation is welcomed in a compact cases and SFF cases ... it is not about cooling the card alone , it is about giving more vents for the case hot aie to get out (again in SFF you need that more than regular tower)

I just feel it's best to correct not-entirely-accurate information when I see it,

Sorry, it is your replies that turned out not accurate.

 

[cryoburner]

Sorry , I dont want to use adapters. and I dont want to be forced to use USB-C Displays

less DP is a LESS DP no matter what.

The USB-C port features DisplayPort alternate mode, so just like with any of Nvidia's 20-series cards that included a VirtualLink port, you should be able to connect it to a DisplayPort monitor using an adapter or adapter cable. Not wanting to doesn't change the fact that it's another video port capable of outputting a DisplayPort signal.

I dont care about the larger Vampor chamber , you said there are heat pipes and you were wrong.

When I saw the fins in the unboxing I knew that there is no heat pipes even before tear down from the design of the fins and the top View . If you dont have such experience ,learn from others.

A vapor chamber and a heat pipe are basically the same thing. It may not be in the shape of a pipe, but both work the same way, using a liquid that changes phase to a gas and condenses elsewhere, carrying heat to another location. Going with a large vapor chamber tends to be a more expensive but better-performing solution than running a handful of pipes across a card, and it should allow heat to spread across the fins more evenly. Nvidia's 2080 and 2080 Ti similarly featured a reference cooler with "no heat pipes" or rather, a large vapor chamber taking the place of individual heat pipes to cool more effectively.

sorry you are wrong , AIO cooler are used now in servers 24/7 servers. they are reliable. and good enough.

A server cooling system built with redundancy in mind and an AIO in a desktop PC are a bit different. A server farm has hardware on hand to replace a failed component quickly, so if a pump fails they can have it replaced right away. A home system could potentially be shut down for days or weeks waiting for replacement hardware to arrive. Again, I wasn't saying that it's "unreliable", just that having a cooling system be dependent on a pump adds additional points of potential failure. And again, increased cost is probably the main reason they avoided it, since adding a couple hundred dollars to the cost of a card tends to make for kind of a niche product, especially now that their reference air cooler appears to be much improved.