New data confirms doubled capacity for AMD “Big Navi”

The year 2020 looks to be an unusually interesting one for those who are interested in graphics cards and computer gaming. In addition to Intel returning to the graphics card market with the Xe family, reigning rivals AMD and Nvidia are also ready to introduce a new generation of graphics hardware. Nvidia’s release is called Ampere, which has so far been unveiled for data centers, while AMD is ready to introduce a range of products based on the Radeon DNA 2 (RDNA 2) architecture.

A new report from the diligent hardware leaker _rogame (via Hardware Leaks) reveals details about the graphics circuit Navi 21, which will form the basis for four different graphics cards in the performance segment. The most capable configuration of this circuit is equipped with 80 computing units (CU), which provides a total of 5,120 stream processors. The graphics circuit is also stated to measure in at a total of 505 mm², which is consistent with previous reports that “Big Navi” justifies its code name.

Compared to its predecessor Navi 10, which is the basis for, among other things, the Radeon RX 5700 XT, this is a doubling in capacity and size. The Radeon RX 5700 XT has a circuit area of ​​251 mm² that houses 40 computing units and 2,560 stream processors. In addition to upgrading capacity, Navi 21 is also said to offer 50 percent better performance per watt, again in accordance with previous data. Navi 21 is segmented into four graphics cards that correspond to today’s set based on Navi 10.

The Navi 21 XT is said to correspond to today’s Radeon RX 5700 XT, while the Navi 21 XL and Navi 21 XE correspond to the RX 5700 and RX 5600 XT respectively in today’s Radeon family. The interesting member of the lineup is the Navi 21 XTX, whose role is somewhat unclear. It could be a variant of the Navi 21 XT with higher clock frequencies and higher energy consumption, which could take up the fight against the highest-performing member of Nvidia’s performance card in the Ampere family.

In addition to the high-performance segment, AMD is also said to be approaching the middle and entry-level segment with two circuits. Navi 23 introduces the RDNA 2 architecture on circuit boards that are said to correspond to today’s Navi 10 cards, which has the potential to provide a major performance step and possibly support for ray tracing in the middle segment graphics card. AMD is also said to revive the Navi 10 with TSMC’s refined 7-nanometer technology, where these cover the budget to mid-range segment.

AMD’s CEO Lisa Su has on several occasions confirmed that the high – performance graphics cards with the code name “Big Navi” will be launched sometime in 2020. It remains to be seen how many of the above configurations will accompany the performance cards.

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