AMD Radeon VII is the new top of the line graphics card that AMD has to offer. The card is going to replace the AMD Vega 64 and offers 16 GB of HBM2 memory that is overkill for gaming but can be used for AI purposes. The unboxing embargo on the card has been lifted and even though there is still an NDA on the performance benchmarks we have got some new information regarding the card.
It seems that the AMD Radeon VII uses vapor chamber cooling just like the high-end Nvidia graphics cards. The card comes with a beefy cooler and a triple fan design. The reference design model is pretty basic in terms of looks but you can expect to see better looks and coolers when the custom design cards come out.
Another interesting design choice is that the GPU has a thermal pad on it instead of thermal paste. Right now we are not sure why AMD has gone with this solution but there are can be two reasons that I can think of. Firstly, it is due to the height issues of the GPU that AMD faced with the AMD Vega 64. This was the reason why the heatsink would not make contact with the GPU and heat dissipation was not ideal. If AMD is making this card at multiple facilities then this could be one way of ensuring that no such issue arises with the AMD Radeon VII.
Another reason that I can think of is cost effectiveness and speed. These cards are assembled by hand with a thermal pad, AMD is able to assemble more graphics cards compared to is a thermal paste was used. The release of the AMD Radeon VII is around the corner so we will be able to learn more about this design choice. If you are interested in learning more about the graphics card and the cooling then you can check out the video below:
While the AMD Radeon VII does seem like an interesting product the price is up there with the Nvidia RTX 2080, which might be an issue. We will have to wait and see how the fans react. Even though the AMD Radeon VII does not come with RT cores AMD is working on introducing real-time ray tracing and other features.
Let us know what you think about the AMD Radeon VII and whether or not this is something that you are interested in getting for yourself.
