AMD “Big Navi” with RDNA 2 will be real graphics cards

In addition to launching a new generation of desktop computers in the form of the Ryzen 4000 “Verneer” later this year, AMD is also working on a new generation of high-performance graphics cards. The graphics card goes by the code name “Big Navi” and is based on the architecture RDNA 2. AMD’s CEO Lisa Su has previously confirmed that “Big Navi” will be launched this year, and according to new information, the graphics cards justify the code name.

The information comes from the member AquariusZi (via KOMACHI_ENSAKA) from the Taiwanese Technology Forum PC Shipping, which on several occasions reported accurate data on upcoming hardware. The report states three different RDNA 2 circuits, where Navi 21 is the largest with a circuit area of ​​505 mm². Compared to AMD’s current top card Radeon RX 5700 XT and its circuit area of ​​251 mm², it’s a duplication.

* Speculative specifications based on leaked data.

In terms of size alone, the Navi 21 has enough space to accommodate 80 computing units (CU), double up from 40 CU units in the Radeon RX 5700 XT, which would provide 5,120 stream processors. However, this does not cover the hardware support ray tracing in mind, which occupies an unknown number of transistors per CU and can thus limit how much of the circuit area can be used for stream processors.

In addition to the big sibling, two smaller sibling circles are revealed. Navi 22 and Navi 23 will have a circuit area of ​​340 and 240 mm² respectively, where Navi 23 is expected to be the RDNA 2-based replacement for the Radeon RX 5700 XT. The report indicates a margin of error of 5 mm², which places the Navi 23 close to the size of its predecessor’s circuit area of ​​251 mm².

Previous reports indicate that RDNA 2 provides 50 percent increased performance per watt, which paints a promising performance potential for “Big Navi”. The flagship, which is said to be named Radeon RX 5950 XT, is expected to be launched sometime in 2020, and will then take up the fight with the graphics cards in Nvidia’s Ampere family.

Read more about AMD “Big Navi”: