Every time a high-end graphics card is announced or hits the market, the specialized press leaves no square millimeter unexplored. But the benefits of new architectures and instruction sets eventually trickle down to cards we might call mid-range or low-end, even if those labels don't do them justice. Two good examples are the AMD Radeon RX 470 and RX 460, based on the Polaris GPU, which represents the fourth version of the Graphics Core Next architecture.
With the launch of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the need to upgrade hardware in our computers gained some momentum. Looking at the minimum requirements of both headsets, it's clear that many users are stuck in a kind of generational gap, where hardware is «enough» to play the latest titles but falls short when seeking a high-quality virtual reality experience. Needless to say, the graphics card is a key component of VR, and we recently saw what the so-called «high-end» has on offer. Now, what about the rest? What about all those users who simply want more graphical power without burning their pockets or giving in to virtual reality's whims? With 1080p resolution becoming something of a «standard», any computer a couple of years old can benefit enormously from a simple SSD and the right graphics card. That brings us to AMD, which introduced two new sisters to the RX family: the Radeon RX 470 and the Radeon RX 460.
Radeon RX 470: Polaris 10, Reused
At first glance, the Radeon RX 470 is a clear example of reusing the Polaris 10 GPU seen in the RX 480 (already on the market). Both the 256-bit bus and the minimum 4GB GDDR5 memory (the RX 480 has an 8GB variant) and the number of ROPs (32) remain the same, but the Radeon RX 470 shows a reduction in stream processors, texture units, and frequencies in general (926 MHz, with a boost of 1.206 GHz). Of course, these details allow it to consume less power, and its official TDP is 120 watts. Despite the «cuts», the RX 470's final performance is estimated to land between 80 and 85 percent of the RX 480, which doesn't sound bad at all.
Radeon RX 460: The Little Sister That Could
Personally, I find the Radeon RX 460 even more interesting, the smallest member of the Polaris family. While its bus is reduced to 128 bits and OEMs will sell 2GB and 4GB editions, AMD tries to compensate with a higher GPU frequency (1.090 GHz) and a boost almost identical to the RX 470 (1.200 GHz). AMD seeks to tempt that group of users focused on e-sports, environments that don't demand 4K video and are more tolerant visually, but need speed and good response. Another very positive aspect of the RX 460 is its TDP: AMD has said it won't exceed 75 watts, thus avoiding the need for an auxiliary power connector. Its small size and all the new benefits of the architecture make it a solid candidate for HTPCs and those users who have extended the life of their low-end cards a bit longer than usual. In summary, the Radeon RX 470 (August 4) is positioned as a direct replacement for the R7 370 and the R9 270X, while the Radeon RX 460 (August 8) plans to do the same with the R7 360 and the R7 260X. Prices? Not officially confirmed, but talk is of $149 for the RX 470, and just $99 in the case of the RX 460.
Source: AnandTech
