SO FAR, AMD’s Big Navi (aka RDNA2) line-up has focused on the heavyweight end of the spectrum, but that all changes with the Navi 22 GPU and the RX 6700 XT. Take a brawny GPU with 80 compute units, and tell it to go work out and get down to half that size, and you end up with a smaller chip that happens to clock exceptionally well.
Building a fast graphics card involves striking a balance between many competing goals. Larger chips perform better, but they also cost a lot more and use more power. Crank up the clock speeds on a beefy chip and you’ll end up with extreme temperature requirements. AMD has learned a lot over the past several generations, and while Navi 22 might not be the sleekest kid on the track, it has some seriously tuned engine performance.
And by that, we mean it clocks like a bat out of hell. We’ve grown accustomed to maximum GPU clocks in the 1.9GHz range. AMD’s Navi 21 GPUs blast past that with Game Clocks of up to 2.25GHz. Navi 22 revs the engine even higher, and we routinely saw clock speeds of over 2.5GHz while gaming. Clock speed isn’t everything, but all else being equal, higher clocks mean faster performance.
This story is from the June 2021 edition of Maximum PC.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2021 edition of Maximum PC.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NZXT H6 Flow
Possibly the best budget chassis out there
Intel's crazy plan for 1nm silicon
FIVE NEW CHIP PRODUCTION NODES in four years. That was Intel’s plan to get back to technology leadership. It has now added a new 1nm lithography node to its roadmap, due in 2027. But here's the thing: in terms of products to buy, Intel has achieved little of its original plan. So, what’s going on?
BIG TECH IN TROUBLE IN EUROPE
The EU isn't happy with the big players
THE BUILDS
IT FINALLY LOOKS like prices are stabilizing somewhat, certainly compared to last issue.
Dragon's Dogma 2
A cult classic in the making
NZXT Function 2
Ultra-fast, fully configurable, and relatively affordable
liyama GCB3480WQSU-B1 Red Eagle
The gaming goliath youre after?
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super
The $999 card that’s really $1,200
HOW TO
Ever needed to get rid of your fixed desktop icons, or add them back in? Did you download Minibin because you just hate that Recycling Bin icon on your desktop? Click the Start menu, type
COPILOT PRO & COPILOT FOR MICROSOFT 365
Why Copilot is great, when it’s awful and which version you should buy