Radeon RX 480 "Polaris" Launched at $199

[AlamoX]

We're finally starting to get single gpu's with the grunt to make mgpu the fossil it deserves to be. A pair of 480's would provide a crappy experience overall when compared to that from a single 1080, An experience I'd happily pay the extra 200 quid to avoid, The 480 is a different class of card to a 1080 & 1070, It'll sell well at it's price point which is what it needs to do, Taking into account how bad supports been lately no-one should be considering a multi card set up with GP 104 chips available now & Vega on the Horizon.

yes, i do agree mgpu past experience is bad, but you saw the video, koduri's argument is sound, shrinking nodes is not a given anymore, complexity of 10-7nm could be too hard to do, the price could get out of hand, there is so much ppl can afford to pay.
mgpu scaling is a very logical solution, cost is a major incentive from vendors to parteners to users, and could be the only way to go in few years.

 

[andybird123]

I think its just the way things have fallen into place for both, Nvidia like to get their more expensive cards out first, i don't know why as those are low volume products.
TBH i don't understand Nvidia's strategy here.

AMD looked at where the bulk of the sales are and prioritised getting good cards into that segment first, the $100 to $300 segment.
I'm not sure i would agree that AMD haven't also made their entire range obsolete, we will have to wait for proper reviews but the P10 looks to be at least 390X performance, some good indication it may be a little more than that, with that card at $200 no one is going to buy a Fury-X at $500, as a matter of fact if you look you will find that they are no longer available.

If anything Nvidia still have a very sellable product in the GTX 970 at £250 now.

Until Polaris 10 arrives at under £200.

Because typically marketing sells cards. Having the fastest card on the market has a trickle down effect to the lower tiers and people will wait until nvidia have the 1060 out. The people not wanting to spend more than £200 on a GPU are also not the sort of people who rush to buy the latest thing that just happens to be in their price bracket.

AMD have been "competitive" in the lower tiers and price/performance for all of the last few years, but their market share doesnt reflect that. The reasons are not purely price/performance based, so I'm not entirely convinced that relying entirely on a 390 perf at 380 prices card is a massive step forward. It seems pretty generational, so the 1060 will probably be similar - 970 performance at 960 prices. Timing will be the only interesting factor.

 

[D.P.]

Wrong, The founders edition is the reference card.

No, nvidia no longer make a reference card in the traditional sense so unless AMD follow a similar approach then you simply can't compare the two. The closest thing nvidia now have to a "reference" card is the $599 base models of the 1080 with cheaper coolers.

 

[Gerard]

No, nvidia no longer make a reference card in the traditional sense so unless AMD follow a similar approach then you simply can't compare the two. The closest thing nvidia now have to a "reference" card is the $599 base models of the 1080 with cheaper coolers.

So they change the name, hike the price, and suddenly its no longer a reference card? Riiiiiiight. Keep drinking that green koolaid.

 

[D.P.]

So they change the name, hike the price, and suddenly its no longer a reference card? Riiiiiiight. Keep drinking that green koolaid.

They also position and market it very differently, because they wanted to get away for cheap reference cards that put the AIBS in competition with nvidia.

You can call it a reference card if you like but it's not the same reference concept that Nvidia used to sell and it's not the same concept as AMD currently use so the comparison is apples and or ages.

If people are trying to find the best value for money then they should compares MSRP or lowest available prices. You are looking at $460 vs $600. But it is a stupid comparison because a single faster GPU is far more attractive than multi-GPU. Moreover,r co around prices to the fastest single card never makes sanest for a. Bang for buck point of view. You always pay expectation ally more for increased performance.

The current nvidia comparable cards would be a 970 or 980. Soon enough nvidia will announce the 1060 and then direct comparison can be made. Otherwise it is just really pointless comparing cards across different segments.

 

[drunkenmaster]

Nvidia say it uses higher quality components, it doesn't and it uses the same type of cooler as on reference Titan and 980ti. They didn't want to get away from cheap reference cards, they just rebranded it as a premium card to milk another $100 out of you, anyone arguing otherwise is as mentioned drinking the koolaid. In what way is it a 'different concept' to the reference Titan, 980, 680, etc?

EDIT:- just to add to this, the very definition of reference has always been the card blueprint Nvidia or AMD make and pass off to their AIBs to do with as they wish, which is use the same PCB or design their own. Reference... it's right there in the name, it's the card provided for the AIBs to start from. Also historically almost every gpu release ever has been mass produced by AMD or Nvidia themselves, shipped to AIBs who then put them in their own boxes and sell them.

This is precisely what Nvidia did with the 'founders edition'. It is the PCB they provide to AIBs as a reference for them to work from, by the looks of it all or almost all are using that reference pcb for their custom cards(tbh not looked too much into it, the difference appears to be who puts on extra pci-e connectors and who uses the empty mosfet/vrm solder pads on the pcb). All initial cards sold were made by Nvidia who sold the complete finished card to AIBs who them reshipped them. It is in every way a reference card by the very definition and it's been released and sold exactly as every other reference card ever has been.

 

[TheRealDeal]

They also position and market it very differently, because they wanted to get away for cheap reference cards that put the AIBS in competition with nvidia.

You can call it a reference card if you like but it's not the same reference concept that Nvidia used to sell and it's not the same concept as AMD currently use so the comparison is apples and or ages.

If people are trying to find the best value for money then they should compares MSRP or lowest available prices. You are looking at $460 vs $600. But it is a stupid comparison because a single faster GPU is far more attractive than multi-GPU. Moreover,r co around prices to the fastest single card never makes sanest for a. Bang for buck point of view. You always pay expectation ally more for increased performance.

The current nvidia comparable cards would be a 970 or 980. Soon enough nvidia will announce the 1060 and then direct comparison can be made. Otherwise it is just really pointless comparing cards across different segments.

Reviewers pretty much always get the reference card to review and this round was no different. It's the reference card with a nice price hike called the founders edition. Hopefully AMD come along with a reference cooled card called the non reference edition. Seriously .

 

[r7slayer]

No, nvidia no longer make a reference card in the traditional sense so unless AMD follow a similar approach then you simply can't compare the two. The closest thing nvidia now have to a "reference" card is the $599 base models of the 1080 with cheaper coolers.

Wrong, they even explained this. They said its still a reference card but the name reference dosnt do it justice due to it having "higher quality components" (yet yo be seen) so they have developed a new name which is why its called founders edition. Probably developed the higher price range too.

 

[Jono8]

None of which matters, as you can still get the same graphics card for £525.

You can call it reference, Founders Edition, Nvidia milking big time edition, or reference mcreferenceface for all i care. It still doesnt detract from the fact that the starting price for the 1080 is currently £525.

 

[Gerard]

They also position and market it very differently, because they wanted to get away for cheap reference cards that put the AIBS in competition with nvidia.

You can call it a reference card if you like but it's not the same reference concept that Nvidia used to sell and it's not the same concept as AMD currently use so the comparison is apples and or ages.

If people are trying to find the best value for money then they should compares MSRP or lowest available prices. You are looking at $460 vs $600. But it is a stupid comparison because a single faster GPU is far more attractive than multi-GPU. Moreover,r co around prices to the fastest single card never makes sanest for a. Bang for buck point of view. You always pay expectation ally more for increased performance.

The current nvidia comparable cards would be a 970 or 980. Soon enough nvidia will announce the 1060 and then direct comparison can be made. Otherwise it is just really pointless comparing cards across different segments.

Are you for real? Its essentially the same design as their last load of cards which were all reference cards, now suddenly because of nvidia spouting crap about all these "high quality components and cooler" its not a reference card? They rebranded it and are milking people because they changed the words "reference" to "founders edition", and got a couple of weeks of milking on its own before cards with coolers that are up to the job appear. Those are the facts, you can buy into the PR spiel all you like, its a price hiked reference card, end of story.

 

[five8five]

Nvidia say it uses higher quality components, it doesn't and it uses the same type of cooler as on reference Titan and 980ti. They didn't want to get away from cheap reference cards, they just rebranded it as a premium card to milk another $100 out of you, anyone arguing otherwise is as mentioned drinking the koolaid. In what way is it a 'different concept' to the reference Titan, 980, 680, etc?

EDIT:- just to add to this, the very definition of reference has always been the card blueprint Nvidia or AMD make and pass off to their AIBs to do with as they wish, which is use the same PCB or design their own. Reference... it's right there in the name, it's the card provided for the AIBs to start from. Also historically almost every gpu release ever has been mass produced by AMD or Nvidia themselves, shipped to AIBs who then put them in their own boxes and sell them.

This is precisely what Nvidia did with the 'founders edition'. It is the PCB they provide to AIBs as a reference for them to work from, by the looks of it all or almost all are using that reference pcb for their custom cards(tbh not looked too much into it, the difference appears to be who puts on extra pci-e connectors and who uses the empty mosfet/vrm solder pads on the pcb). All initial cards sold were made by Nvidia who sold the complete finished card to AIBs who them reshipped them. It is in every way a reference card by the very definition and it's been released and sold exactly as every other reference card ever has been.

But didn't Nvidia say that the FE was priced so that manufacturers can offer cheaper alternatives? It seems to be the case as OCUK has 16 cards for sale that are cheaper than the FE.

 

[danlightbulb]

Wow all the arguing here is amazing.

Isn't it pretty clear that the 480 and 1080 are aimed at entirely different markets?

There are many many people who cannot blow £600 (or £525) on a 1080 and then in a couple of months time do the same on another one and again in 6 months go for something else.

For those that do have that kind of enthusiasm, well great - AMD are giving you an option to go crossfire and undercut the price of a 1080. Its an option to consider - nobody is forcing anyone into it and no-one is putting out misleading information or lies on performance. Evaluate the option when the full data is available and go with it if that £100-£150 saving is right for you.

Me personally the AMD 480 is a great option as it gives me decent power at a price I can afford. I'll compare it to the 1060 if it's out anytime soon and choose based on available information. If the 1060 is the better value for money then great, if not, then great.

And if I'm not mistaken no-one knows what the AIB partner cards will price at do they? Does it matter?


I think what this thread shows is the huge lack of competitive choice in this market. We are all scratching around for the slightest hint of better performance and cheaper price, or 'which is better' arguments. This to me indicates demand far exceeding choice. We don't see the same strength of feeling when discussing motherboards, ram or SSD's, because there is a continual product stream by several manufacturers.

 

[Jono8]

Wow all the arguing here is amazing.

Isn't it pretty clear that the 480 and 1080 are aimed at entirely different markets?

.

Apparantely not, as the only performance comparison and official confirmed benchmark we have had from AMD themselves is comparing it to a 1080...

Who are you to say what we should and shouldnt discuss/compare?

 

[Dave2150]

It honestly gets tiring seeing the fanbots buying into the pr spiel, anyone with an ounce of sense can see through some of the bs nvidia and amd spout but some seem to be pre-programmed to believe what they're told and actively engage on forums spouting this gibberish

It's not just fanboys, it's also certain individuals that are affiliated with NVIDIA/AMD, either directly or through their employer (for example D.P - whose employer is associated with NVIDIA). Completely pointless reading through their nonsense, best to add them to ignore and enjoy the rest of the posts.

I wish the OCUK forum software would not show users you've ignored when they are quoted by someone you haven't ignored, though.

 

[humbug]

Because typically marketing sells cards. Having the fastest card on the market has a trickle down effect to the lower tiers and people will wait until nvidia have the 1060 out. The people not wanting to spend more than £200 on a GPU are also not the sort of people who rush to buy the latest thing that just happens to be in their price bracket.

AMD have been "competitive" in the lower tiers and price/performance for all of the last few years, but their market share doesnt reflect that. The reasons are not purely price/performance based, so I'm not entirely convinced that relying entirely on a 390 perf at 380 prices card is a massive step forward. It seems pretty generational, so the 1060 will probably be similar - 970 performance at 960 prices. Timing will be the only interesting factor.

AMD haven't been anything like as good as Nvidia at marketing.

What they actually sell is very competitive.

 

[Nasher]

If this can match 1070 performance, Nvidia have lost. Time to get that Freesync monitor and save even more money

Like many others. I'm also getting fed up of nvidia tax, as well as dodgy cards (like the 3.5gb 970s) and questionable DX12 support.

 

[fs123]

The resident Nvidia sales guys see the 480 as a threat hence the constant drivel and pedantics on whether AMD should have compared with a $700 FE 1080 or one of the cheaper AIB versions.

If a cheap cut down card can match or beat a 980 then we are bound to see another that can take on the 1070. I doubt AMD is going to pass up on that if they have any card that is capable. The fact that some people are trying to downplay a budget 480 speaks volumes.

 

[schneeb]

Sorry for being sensible but I'll be getting 1/2 of these simply because nvidia is overpriced for not even supporting dx12 properly yet

 

[AlamoX]

you can't argue if the FE is reference or not, it is reference full stop.
what you can argue is the goal behind it, is it to avoid competing with AIBs/keep reference stock longer ?
or hike the price while marketing the MSRP price at a 100£ lower with like 1model,and the vaste majority of the cards trend +/-30£ around the new reference price (sorry FE price) ?

 

[andybird123]

Sorry for being sensible but I'll be getting 1/2 of these simply because nvidia is overpriced for not even supporting dx12 properly yet

You're clearly not sensible as you signed up just to get involved in the middle of... this