AMD Radeon VII unboxed: the world's first 7nm gaming GPU

Introduction

AMD is just days away from releasing its Radeon VII graphics card but there are two embargo dates: today, and February 7 as the card is released. The content is being split into the unboxing article we have here today, and then the full juicy review later this week.

The packaging that AMD sent my Radeon VII sample isn't how a normal Radeon VII graphics card will arrive, this is special for reviewers like previous Radeon RX Vega and Ryzen Threadripper samples. I really dig it, as it gives something for reviewers and YouTubers to show you before the big reveal of the card itself, as it's something quite special for gamers, content creators, AMD, and Radeon fans.

AMD has already detailed virtually all of the details on Radeon VII, which will feature the Vega 20 GPU on the fresh 7nm node - making AMD the first to market with a 7nm gaming GPU. Vega 20 has 3840 stream processors, 16GB of super-fast HBM2 with an insane 1TB/sec of memory bandwidth (up from the 484GB/sec on the Radeon RX Vega 64).

I can't go into details about performance but I will say you will be surprised, just as I was. The new Radeon VII isn't perfect, but it's a damn good card that I'm excited to dive into with my full review on February 7. For now, let's take a look at the awesome packaging that AMD has made for Radeon VII, as it's the most amazing graphics card package I've ever received.

Hey There, Radeon VII

AMD sent reviewers one of the most enthusiast packages I've ever seen and while the box might not seem like much (as you can see in the pictures above and below) it's what's on the inside that counts.

Here we have the Radeon VII out of its box, but we've got some up close shots that will show off the card in all its 7nm + 16GB HBM2 glory.

Here we have the new AMD Radeon VII with its triple-fan cooler, with AMD retaining its dual-slot cooling design.

The back of the card continues its slick look that AMD used on the Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled Edition graphics card, with some ventilation on the back of the card that'll let some of the heat out.

AMD maintains its 3 x DP and 1 x HDMI output on Radeon VII.

Here we have the Radeon VII graphics card sitting in the stand that AMD provide with the reviewers version of Radeon VII with a dead Vega 20 + 16GB HBM2 die that looks so awesome in the stand. There's also a light in the circular part behind the GPU die that lights up the underneath of the Radeon VII.

A closer look with AMD Radeon VII branding in the bottom right.

I want this as a key ring, AMD!

Here we go again with another look at the Radeon VII on its stand, how good does it look!

I've always loved the look of the silver/black/red theme on the Radeon RX Vega 64 LCE and now the Radeon VII, I love the exposed heat sink on the Radeon VII versus the totally-closed RX Vega 64 LCE.

You'll need 2 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors on the Radeon VII with a 300W TDP.

That's it for now folks, we will have our review up on February 7 with a bunch of synthetic, gaming and multiplayer game tests. There'll be some overclocking, and 8K benchmarking in the days following as I continue stress testing out the world's first 7nm GPU. AMD has impressed so far with Radeon VII, and I think you'll be surprised with the results in my review.

Until then!