AMD “Fiji” does not support HDMI 2.0

When Nvidia launched the Geforce GTX 970 and GTX 980 graphics cards, one of the innovations was support for the HDMI 2.0 video interface, which makes it possible to operate 4K UHD monitors with a 60 Hz refresh rate via the well-established connector. This is a feature many assumed would be in AMD’s latest Radeon family, something that now turns out not to be the case.

At the UK retailer Overclockers UK, a representative of AMD says that the Fiji graphics processor, which will be used in the Radeon R9 Fury X, R9 Fury, R9 Nano and a model with dual graphics processors, lacks support for the interface. AMD instead recommends Displayport 1.2a to drive 4K resolution at 60 Hz.

While most 4K UHD monitors for computers have access to Displayport, the same does not apply to TVs, where HDMI is still a dominant standard. In other words, this means that TVs in resolution together with AMD’s graphics cards are limited to 30 Hz, which may seem to go against the fact that the company hit the big drum for the living rooms with the new graphics cards.

The first graphics card with Fiji will be launched on June 24 under the alias Radeon R9 Fury X and will be followed shortly thereafter by the Radeon R9 Fury on July 14.