AMD Radeon RX 6000 and RX 700 series based on RDNA 2 and RDNA 3 GPU architectures have been benchmarked by folks over at ComputerBase. However, these weren't regular benchmarks of performance but rather power consumption. According to their latest results, they discovered that enabling Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) can lower the power consumption of AMD Radeon cards in idle. Using a 4K display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, ComputerBase benchmarked Radeon RX 6800/6700 XT and RX 7900 XT, both last-generation and current-generation graphics cards. The performance matrix also includes a comparison to Intel Arc A770, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3080, and RTX 4080.

Regarding performance figures, the tests compare desktop idle consumption, dual monitor power consumption, window movement, YouTube with SDR at 60 FPS, and YouTube with HDR at 60 FPS, all done on a 4K 144 Hz monitor setup. You can see the comparison below, with the most significant regression in power consumption being Radeon RX 7900 XTX using 81% less power in single and 71% less power in dual monitor setup.

Chips and Cheese published their very in-depth review of AMD's Radeon RX 7600 GPU last weekend - a team member (Jiray) took it upon themselves to actually buy the card, since a sample unit was not supplied for evaluation. The site's exploration of this graphics processing unit on an architectural level revealed a couple of positive aspects - which comes as a minor surprise since the Radeon RX 7600 received a generally lukewarm reception upon launch at the end of last month. Thanks to the Radeon RX 7600's Navi 33 XL GPU being a monolithic chip it seems to outpace—in terms of cache and memory latency performance—chiplet-based designs as featured in the vastly more powerful (and expensive) Radeon RX 7900-series cards.

Factoring in the smaller space that the RDNA 3 Navi 33 die occupies - it seems that it gains an advantage over the flagship card. Chips and Cheese reports that AMD's RX 7900 XTX takes up to 58% longer to access and pull data from its pool of Infinity Cache, when contrasted with the recently released sibling. The RX 7600 GPU exhibits 15% lower VRAM latencies compared to the RX 7900 XTX when retrieving data from the onboard GDDR6 VRAM chiplets. The review points to a greater disparity between current high-end and mid-range cards when looking back at equivalent models from the preceding generation: "The difference is especially large with RDNA 3. With RDNA 2, the RX 6900 XT had 151.57 ns of Infinity Cache latency compared to 130 ns on the RX 6600 XT, or a 16.5% latency penalty for the larger GPU." Chips and Cheese reckons that AMD's Navi 31's "chiplet configuration may be causing higher latency."

As we await the launch of AMD's remaining lineup of Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs like RX 7800 XT, RX 7700 XT, etc., AMD's marketing department is comparing last-generation products against each other. Sasa Marinkovic, Senior Director of Gaming Marketing at AMD, has posted a Tweet that initially claimed to compare AMD Radeon RX 6800 16 GB gaming performance versus NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB card in ray tracing and rasterization. However, the follow-up Tweet cleared that the chart is a comparison for rasterization performance only, and no ray tracing has been enabled. In an odd move to compare last-generation solutions, it is logical to do so from a price perspective, as both GPUs can be found at relatively the same price point at retailers like Newegg.

As far as the performance, the chart shows a comparison of the average FPS at 1440p. In titles like Valorant, Radeon RX 6800 can achieve 31% higher FPS. NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3070 was only faster in Metro Exodus, GTA V, and Dota 2, while the remaining titles benefitted Radeon RX 6800. You can check the chart below.

AMD is not only doing marketing slides and pulling the VRAM card against NVIDIA ahead of the GeForce RTX 4070 launch, but it is also apparently doing some discounts on its Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards, with the Radeon RX 6800 now selling for as low $469.99. As spotted by Tom's Hardware, both the Radeon RX 6800 XT and the Radeon RX 6800 has seen some discounts from various AIB partners earlier, ranging from $30 to $50, and are now selling at $110 below MSRP, making them a decent buy at $539 and $469. To make things even more interesting, these are pretty good custom versions, including the ASRock Radeon RX 6800 XT Phantom Gaming and the Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 Gaming OC WindForce 3X graphics cards.

Yesterday, the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT, which was the RDNA 2 flagship, was spotted discounted down to $609.99 by Kyle Bennet, and it was the Phantom Gaming Radeon RX 6950XT from ASRock. The deal is still available over at Newegg.com, and it is the lowest price for the Radeon RX 6950 XT, which is still a great card. The newly launched NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is still widely available and there are plenty of SKUs to choose from at the MSRP of $599.99.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear and systems for gamers, content creators, and PC enthusiasts, today announced the availability of the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 AMD Advantage Edition laptop from the CORSAIR webstore and distributors worldwide. Starting at an MSRP of $2,699.99, the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 features state-of-the-art AMD processor and graphics for mobile systems working in tandem using exclusive AMD smart technologies, alongside CORSAIR and Elgato software and technologies, to create a gaming and streaming experience like no other.

The CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 comes equipped with AMD's most advanced components to deliver high-end performance in an incredibly thin 19.8 mm form-factor. An 8-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS processor and AMD Radeon RX 6800M mobile graphics enable players to game at maximum settings while capturing gameplay at high frame rates, bolstered by AMD smart technologies such as AMD Smart Access Memory to get even more performance out of your top-of-the-line components. CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 SODIMM memory rounds out the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600's powerful hardware, delivering the incredibly high frequencies of the DDR5 platform.

Lenovo announced today its latest generation of stylish and savage gaming laptops: the Lenovo Legion 7i and 7 (16", 7) portable powerhouses, and the thin and light Lenovo Legion Slim 7 and 7i (16", 7) laptops. Sitting at the apex of gaming performance, the new Lenovo Legion 7i and 7 are now the world's most powerful 16-inch gaming laptops. And joining the 16-inch QHD gaming category are Lenovo Legion's thinnest and lightest gaming laptops yet - the new Lenovo Legion Slim 7i and 7 - now available in a taller 16:10 display for when productivity meets play. The new Lenovo Legion 7 series laptops exceed expectations with a number of innovation firsts that adapt to and balance the multi-dimensional needs of modern gamers and professional players. These new devices not only have the world's largest battery capacity on a 16-inch gaming laptop, they also reign as the world's first 16-inch gaming laptops with FHD webcams for better streaming, and as the first 16-inch WQXGA (2560×1600) gaming laptops. The Windows 11 laptops' minimalist design, long battery life, and whisper-quiet artificial intelligence (A.I.) tuned thermals are purpose-built for those who want performance and mobility.

"Lenovo Legion has always occupied a place at the pinnacle of gaming performance, complementing gamers' personal and professional lives to adapt to wherever they go, whether it's a tournament stadium, classroom, or boardroom," said Ouyang Jun, Lenovo's vice president and general manager of the Consumer Business Segment, Intelligent Devices Group. "More stylish and savage than ever before, Lenovo's new Legion 7 series laptops are leveling up to push the limits of smarter, high-performance gaming."

Alphacool today presents the Eiswolf 2 "All-in-One" solution for Geforce RTX 3080/3090 Gigabyte Aorus Master/Xtreme and Radeon RX 6800XT/6900XT Sapphire Nitro+graphics cards. The Eiswolf 2 uses the Alphacool 360 mm NexXxoS ST30 full copper radiator. For the fans, we use the 120 mm Alphacool Aurora Rise. This impressive fan with a max. static pressure of 3.17 mm/H2O, offers a max. air flow of 119.8m³/h. The speed range of the fan, from 0-2500rpm, is adjustable via PWM. The AIO is completed by the Eisblock Aurora water cooler. This not only cools the GPU chip, but actively cools all relevant components such as the memory and VRAM. It also has brilliant aRGB lighting.

All components used (radiator, fan, cooler, DC-LT 2 pump) including fittings and tubing are part of the Alphacool DIY range and are therefore available separately. The combination of all components results in a solution that is as easy to install as an AIO, but offers the performance of a pre-assembled and pre-filled custom loop. Only the pump housing for the DC-LT 2 pump is a custom-made item that is only part of the scope of delivery of the AIO solution and is therefore not available separately.

Watercool today released the HEATKILLER V watercooling block, now made compatible with the latest and greatest from AMD - the RX 6800, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6900 XT graphics cards. Due to the increased performance profile (and heat output) on AMD's latest-gen RDNA 2 graphics cards, the company has redesigned the base plate's channel routing, and improved the cooling structure along the Z axis - higher heat dissipation area means that watercooling now has more ways to transfer heat from the card to your radiator of choice, The company has also redesigned the backplate, adding a curved design that helps in hiding all the electronic bits and pieces that are usually visible in AMD's cards, further streamlining users' builds.

The baseplate is built out of nickel-plated electrolytic copper, while the cover is made of the generally abundant plexiglas. The cover itself is built out of annealed stainless steel, improving rigidity and resistance of the overall block, while the connection terminal is built out of the also usual Acetal. The block makes use of the standard 4x G ¼ inch sockets. Dimensions of the block stand at 270 mm length, 128 mm width (including the connection terminal) and 28.5 mm height (including the backplate). The HEATKILLER V is available in black and light metal gray for €164,95.

EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is launching the new EK-Quantum Vector Red Devil water block made for the PowerColor Red Devil version of the AMD Radeon RX 6800, RX 6800 XT, and 6900 XT graphics cards. This 2nd-generation EK-Quantum Vector water block implements an Open Split-Flow cooling engine design, which proved to be a superior solution for GPU water blocks. It is characterized by low hydraulic flow restriction, meaning it can be used with weaker water pumps or pumps running on low-speed settings and still achieve top performance. The jet plate and the fin structure geometry have been optimized to provide even flow distribution with minimal losses and optimal performance when used in any given coolant flow orientation, unlike some currently available products on the market.

The base of the block is CNC-machined out of nickel-plated electrolytic copper, while its top is CNC-machined either out of glass-like cast acrylic or durable black POM acetal. The watertight seal is ensured by high-quality EPDM O-rings, while brass standoffs are already pre-installed and allow for a safe and easy installation procedure.

The German media outlet, 3D Center, has today published an updated report for July, measuring graphics card pricing in Germany and Austria, showing some pretty interesting results. The report is only measuring the pricing index of these two countries and their retailers, so it does not apply to other regions. An interesting discovery is that GPU prices have now hit the lowest point since February of this year when the sharp price incline started. At the time of reporting, GPU prices are exaggerated by around 53% over the MSRP listed prices. Not only did the prices drop, but the supply of GPUs like AMD Radeon RX 6800, Radeon RX 6800 XT, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti became much better, as consumers can get their hands on these now.

When looking at the graph below, note that MSRP is listed as 100%, and the percentage shown is the increase over that MSRP. When it comes to complete price reduction to the MSRP, 3D Center expects it to happen in 3-4 weeks possibly. If current data is to be believed, MSRP is slowly decreasing and supply is increasing rapidly. For more details and per-card pricing situation, head over to 3D Center website here. Here is an important statement from 3D Center about the current situation:

3D Center (translated from German)Of course, this means that current street prices for graphics cards are (mostly) still exaggerated - and above all that this is the worst possible time to buy a graphics card. Because the (now clearly verifiable) tendency points to clearly lower graphics card prices in the next few weeks, with a similar pace, street prices at list price level could be in sight in 3-4 weeks. It is possible that there will be a certain braking effect in the downward price movement beforehand - but at least the way up to that point should definitely be taken with you. Apparently the delivery quantities are currently sufficient, maybe the need is a bit lower because of the summer times (and no longer available on the part of the crypto miners)so that retailers receive more cards than they sell. Since the retailers usually bought their cards from the distributors at an exaggerated price, the big game is now about who can get rid of the expensive stock goods in time to make a profit at all in the face of constantly falling sales prices.

TechN adds a new cooler and new materials to the portfolio of high-end water cooling components. AMDs Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards with reference design receive a full-cover water block made from POM with a pure copper coldplate. For the best in class CPU cooler for AMD AM4, there is also a new pure copper version available. The TechN GPU Waterblock RX 6800/6900 (XT) marks the start of a totally new product line with the combination of the materials POM / Acetal and a pure copper coldplate. The new precision crafted cooler fits AMDs reference PCBs for Radeon RX 6800, RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT. It shares the modern industrial design DNA as well as the striving for uncompromised cooling performance with the rest of the product family.

An optional aluminum backplate with sophisticated black anodized finish further demonstrates the relationship with the TechN CPU water blocks, which are now also available in a pure copper version. Pre-orders for the TechN GPU water block for AMD 6000 series are starting now with delivery estimated for mid july. The price for the water block is 136.90 Euros, the TechN GPU backplate for AMD 6000, which improves the performance and gives the cooler a full enclosure look, costs 34.90 Euros. All TechN products are available at www.techn.de and selected partners.

EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is launching the new EK-Quantum Vector Nitro+ water block made for the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ version of the AMD Radeon RX 6800XT and RX 6900 XT graphics cards. This 2nd-generation EK-Quantum Vector water block implements an Open Split-Flow cooling engine design, which proved to be a superior solution for GPU water blocks. It is characterized by low hydraulic flow restriction, meaning it can be used with weaker water pumps or pumps running on low-speed settings and still achieve top performance. The jet plate and the fin structure geometry have been optimized to provide even flow distribution with minimal losses and optimal performance when used in any given coolant flow orientation, unlike some currently available products on the market.

The base of the block is CNC-machined out of nickel-plated electrolytic copper, while its top is CNC-machined either out of glass-like cast Acrylic or durable black POM acetal. The watertight sealing is ensured by high-quality EPDM O-rings, while brass standoffs are already pre-installed and allow for a safe and easy installation procedure.

EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is launching the new EK-Quantum Vector Strix water blocks made for the ASUS ROG Strix version of the AMD Radeon RX 6800/6900 Series graphics cards.

These 2nd-generation EK-Quantum Vector water blocks implement an Open Split-Flow cooling engine design, which proved to be a superior solution for GPU water blocks. It is characterized by low hydraulic flow restriction, meaning it can be used with weaker water pumps or pumps running on low-speed settings and still achieve top performance. The jet plate and the fin structure geometry have been optimized to provide even flow distribution with minimal losses and optimal performance when used in any given coolant flow orientation, unlike some currently available products on the market.

The Alphacool Eisblock Aurora GPX for AMD Radeon RX 6800 Nitro+ and NVIDIA RTX 3080/3090 XC3 Ultra Gaming graphics cards is a complete redevelopment of the previous Alphacool graphics card water coolers. No technical compromises were made, but the entire technical know-how flowed into the development and implementation.

The water flow inside the cooler has also been optimized. All important components such as the voltage transformers and the memory are now significantly better and more effectively cooled by the water. All this ensures a significant increase in cooling performance. The design is also new! The Eisblock Aurora GPX-A RX 6800 Nitro+ cooler has been designed so that lighting is more important than the previous models. The addressable digital RGB LEDs are embedded directly into the cooling block and run along the entire cooling block. The effect is an illumination of the entire cooling block. The aRGB LEDs used here give the cooler its very own visual touch.

Aqua Computer today introduced its Kryographics NEXT full-cover waterblocks, which are compatible with RX 6800, RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT graphics cards that use AMD's reference layout. The blocks, which are produced in Germany and weigh 880 grams, are available in bare or nickel-plated copper. The GPU and RAM modules are connected via thermal paste, while thermal pads are used for the voltage regulators.

The cover is made of acrylic glass and is surrounded by a black anodized aluminium frame. An integrated strip with 13 addressable LEDs allows the illumination of the block. The accessory includes a suitable connection cable for RGBpx enabled Aqua Computer devices and an adapter plug which also allows the connection to most modern mainboards that feature a port for addressable RGB LEDs.

AMD has today updated its Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition version 21.5.1 drivers, bringing many features on board as well as fixing a lot of issues that have appeared in the past. Starting with support for the Resident Evil Village PC game, AMD promises to deliver up to 13% better frame rate at 4K maximum settings, while using the Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card. The comparison was conducted with a reference to the previous driver, 21.4.1, which didn't allow the card to reach as high FPS as it is now possible with the proper support for the game. Another game that is added to the support list is Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition. Some fixes have been implemented, as the incorrect performance metrics that may have incorrectly reported temperatures on Ryzen 5 1600 series processors. For a detailed list of bug fixes, please take a look at the list below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 21.5.1

Alphacool today presents the Eiswolf 2 AIO solution (Reference design with backplate) for AMD Radeon RX 6800/6800XT/6900 and NVIDIA RTX 3080/3090 graphics cards. As with all of our AIO models, we only use copper radiators, however, for the first time, the Alphacool 360 mm NexXxoS ST30 all-copper radiator will be used in one of our GPU "all-in-one" solutions. For the fans, we now install the new Alphacool Aurora Rise 120 mm fan. The fan impresses with a max. statistical pressure of 3.17 mm/H2O and offers a max. air flow of 119.8m3/h, at a speed range of 0-2500rpm which can be controlled via PWM.

The decision to use the larger radiator in conjunction with our new fans provides a significant increase in cooling performance. The AIO is completed with the Eisblock Aurora water cooler, which actively cools all relevant components such as graphics memory and voltage converters in addition to the GPU chip. All components used (radiator, fan, cooler, DC-LT 2 pump) including connectors and hoses are part of the Alphacool custom cooling range and are therefore available separately. This means that we're not just offering a simple AIO solution here, but a real custom water cooling system (pre-assembled & pre-filled). Only the pump housing for the DC-LT 2 pump is a custom design and not available separately. Today we present only the Reference designs. In the near future, more solutions for graphics cards in custom design from various manufacturers will be available.More pictures follow.

Here's the first picture of the XFX Radeon RX 6800 QICK 319 custom-design "Big Navi" graphics card. As of this writing, the card doesn't feature on XFX website, but was discovered by Paweł Maziarz, who compared it to the RX 6800 MERC 319. A Swedish retailer has the card listed for 8,990 SEK (around $1,070 USD), including taxes. At first glance, the QICK 319 looks identical to the MERC 319, until you pay attention to the cooler shroud, particularly its top edge. The large, trapezium-shaped protrusion of the cooler shroud, which holds an illuminated "Radeon RX 6800" logo on the MERC 319, is gone. Another parallelogram-shaped protrusion near the power connectors, is removed.

These should allow the heatsink to vent out more freely. Also, the XFX logo at the edge of the card, near the power connectors, isn't illuminated. These changes, particularly the cost-cutting with the XFX logo, point to the likelihood of the QICK 319 being positioned a notch below the MERC 319, despite having a more free-breathing cooler; and one area where XFX could differentiate the two cards is the factory-overclock, which could be slightly lower than the MERC 319. It remains to be seen if XFX designs QICK 319 products based on the higher RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT.

If anyone was looking to buy a new GPU in the past few months, the person is likely familiar with the situation we are in. It is now a fact that the latest generation of GPUs from AMD and NVIDIA are extremely hard to find, and when you come across one it is listed at some mind-blowing price. However, the makers of those GPUs, AMD and NVIDIA, are claiming that we are near the end of this situation and the things are going to be better shortly. And companies such as these two must reach out to consumers and try to satisfy their needs, even in the difficult situation that is going on now with the GPUs.

In the interview with The Verge, AMD has confirmed that it will be selling more Radeon RX 6800, Radeon RX 6800 XT, and Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics cards using its website, throughout Q1 of this year. The company claims that it will try to supply as many customers as possible, without any exact figures. When it comes to NVIDIA, the company has commented that the situation will likely resolve sometime at the end of Q1, meaning that in March things should return to normal. The company has also added that in the meantime consumers shouldn't expect to buy any of the GeForce RTX 3000 series graphics cards at their original MSRP. NVIDIA also continues emphasizing that the reason for such high prices is the high demand they are seeing, exceeding production capacity by far.

Alienware, the gaming division of Dell Technologies, has today announced a lineup refresh, meaning that all of the existing products will get upgraded to versions with the latest hardware. And to start off, the company has equipped their thin and powerful Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 laptops with the latest hardware we saw announced just yesterday. The laptops are equipped with 12-phase voltage regulation modules to power the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series of mobile GPUs. To pair with a strong GPU, Alienware decided to use 10th generation Intel Comet Lake-H designs. These new laptops can be equipped with up to 4 TB of PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD storage and up to 32 GB of 2933 MHz RAM. For display, options range from FHD LCD to a 4K OLED panel and 360 Hz refresh rate for the m17 R4 model.

AMD has recently launched its Radeon "Big Navi" 6000 series of graphics cards, making entry to the high-end market and positioning itself well against the competition. The "Big Navi" graphics cards are based on Navi 21 XL (Radeon RX 6800), Navi 21 XT (Radeon RX 6800 XT), and Navi 21 XTX (Radeon RX 6900 XT) GPU revision, each of which features a different number of Shaders/TMUs/ROPs. The highest-end Navi 21 XTX is the highest performance revision featuring 80 Compute Units with 5120 cores. However, it seems like AMD is preparing another similar silicon called Navi 21 XTXH. Currently, it is unknown what the additional "H" means. It could indicate an upgraded version with more CUs, or perhaps a bit cut down configuration. It is unclear where such a GPU would fit in the lineup or is it just an engineering sample that is never making it to the market. It could represent a potential response from AMD to NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, however, that is just speculation. Other options suggest that such a GPU would be a part of mainstream notebook lineup, just like Renoir comes in the "H" variant. We have to wait and see what AMD does to find out more.

Alphacool presents the Eisblock Aurora Acryl GPX-N block for the PowerColor Red Devil graphics cards. The blocks offer outstanding cooling performance thanks to the full cover design. The new backplate, which is included with the coolers, also contributes to this. This stabilizes the graphics card and ensures an even contact pressure of the cooler. The cold plates are made of solid nickel-plated copper. The coolers cover all relevant components such as voltage converters and the graphics memory.

Yesterday, Cowocotland, a technology website, has published information that AMD's reference design cards like the latest Radeon RX 6900 XT, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6800 GPUs are getting discontinued. That means that AMD will stop the production of the reference designs and rely completely on the supply of GPUs coming from add-in board partners to satisfy the market needs. This does not mean that the availability of these GPUs is not going to exist. Rather, there will not be AMD reference designs available for purchase from the company. Only cards that are custom made by AIBs, that AMD provides GPU+VRAM for, will offer customers cards with these GPUs.

VideoCardz claims that they have been able to confirm some pieces of the information, so it is a done deal. From now on, it seems that only graphics cards with Radeon RX 6900 XT, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6800 GPUs inside them will be the ones offered by AIBs. The reference design cards will only be produced until early 2021, giving it a month or two for consumers to purchase cards from AMD. After that period the market will rely completely on AMD's partners.

Update 4:30 pm UTC: Scott Herkelman, CVP & GM of AMD Radeon Tweeted that they have "extended the reference design builds indefinitely due to popular demand." Meaning that the reference cards will remain in production. Mr. Herkelman also thanked for feedback, where community was loud and clear that they want to see reference boards for a while longer.