Both AMD and Nvidia are taking advantage of CES to introduce new graphics cards. There will be new desktop models but laptops are not forgotten either.
At CES, AMD and Nvidia are screening new graphics cards. Nvidia is showing off a new top-of-the-line model, while AMD is revamping its broader portfolio. The announcement of the new cards comes against the backdrop of the introduction of proprietary graphics cards from Intel, which with Alchemist is bringing its first Intel Arc GPUs to laptops and desktops this quarter.
Nvidia RTX 3090 Ti
Nvidia is highlighting the RTX 3090 Ti at CES. This is a modest but palpable upgrade from the existing RTX 3090. Ampere continues to serve the architecture, and like the regular RTX 3090, the RTX 3090 Ti is built around the GA102 chip.
At 24 GB of GDDR6X, the RTX 3090 Ti gets as much memory as its 2020 predecessor, but that memory is clocked 7.7 percent faster. Both 4K gaming and AI workloads should benefit. Nvidia communicates few other details about the card, but does reveal that it will generally perform 11 percent faster than the RTX 3090 with a computing power of 40 teraflops instead of 36 teraflops. Information on availability and price also remains out for now.
AMD RX 6500 for the desktop
AMD has more to say. For the desktop, the chip specialist is introducing a new entry-level model with the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT. That card is aimed at FHD gaming and comes with a suggested retail price of $199. The lighter RX 6400 is a variant that will not go on sale separately, but will find its way to the market via desktop manufacturers.
The RX 6500 XT was supposed to offer 5.77 TFLOPs of single precision computing power, the RX 6400 keeps it at 3.57 TFLOPs. Both cards show AMD’s ambition to serve the lower end of the market, but are not as interesting to professionals.
AMD GPUs in the laptop
AMD announced at the launch of its new Ryzen 6000 Mobile processors that the RDNA2 architecture will now vouch for the chips’ graphics capabilities. These should support FHD gaming without additional GPU power, but AMD is simultaneously launching discrete GPUs for laptops that want to deliver additional graphics horsepower.
That takes the form of new scions in two series of mobile GPUs: AMD Radeon RX 6000M and AMD Radeon RX 6000S. Top model is the RX 6850M XT that supports 1440p gaming. It is said to be 7 percent faster than the current RX 6800M.
With the S-Series, AMD wants to bring GPU power to thinner devices. The GPUs should appear in laptops weighing less than 2 kg. At the top of that lineup is the Radeon RX 6800S: a 100-watt chip built for high-end FHD gaming.
Availability
The first laptops with the new AMD chips should still appear this quarter. In principle, the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is still coming to the market in January. It is notable that AMD is mainly targeting gamers with its offerings. Nvidia also develops cards like the RTX 3090 with gaming in mind, but the company chooses not to forget about professionals as well. Indeed, the manufacturer’s Studio drivers allow you to use the GPUs for creative or AI workloads. For AMD, a similar professional angle is missing.