AMD Big Navi 'NVIDIA Killer' flagship card has 16GB of memory

AMD's next-gen flagship RDNA 2 card aka Big Navi, aka NVIDIA Killer, should feature a rather large 16GB of memory for gamers.

@anthony256

Published Jul 22, 2020 7:34 PM CDT
Updated Nov 3, 2020 12:42 PM CST

8 minutes & 43 seconds read time

I have a feeling this is how it's going to be for the next few months: leak after leak, drip after drip of information on AMD and NVIDIA's next generation graphics cards.

AMD Big Navi 'NVIDIA Killer' flagship card has 16GB of memory 502

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The first one I'm writing today is some new details on AMD's upcoming Big Navi aka RDNA 2 but aka as an NVIDIA killer. AMD's upcoming flagship Big Navi graphics card is expected to make its big debut with a huge 16GB of VRAM -- but we don't know if it's GDDR6, or HBM2 / HBM2e memory.

AMD's new flagship Big Navi card should have 16GB of VRAM on a 384-bit bus according to leaker 'Wjm47196' suggesting AMD will go with GDDR6 over HBM2 or the newer HBM2e standard.

The new AMD Big Navi graphics card is expected to launch in late 2020 just as AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su promised, but we're expecting the first batches of Big Navi cards to be in reference form -- no custom cards at first.

Remember this recent story: AMD aims Big Navi launch for November as 'show of strength' for RDNA 2 -- making much more sense now, isn't it?

AMD is expected to "send out its first design resources for the Big Navi graphics card's PCB in the next two weeks to the major AIB partners" reports our friends at Wccftech.

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Latest Big Navi / RDNA 2 highlights:

Big Navi GPU samples are in for driver validation: This is something new, with reports suggesting that the "first validation sample was sent recently to Shanghai for driver development". This means that new rumors on Big Navi performance could be much more true than before, because AMD will now have a performance target for final revision cards.
RDNA 2 = 40-50% faster than GeForce RTX 2080 Ti: We have rumored performance improvements inside of RDNA 2 that would make it 40-50% faster than the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. This is impressive, as the flagship Radeon RX 5700 XT is nowhere near the RTX 2080 Ti in raw performance. You can read more on that here.
RDNA 2 = 195-225% faster than RDNA aka RX 5700 XT: RDNA 2 being a huge 195-225% faster than RDNA means that it will be a truly kick ass 4K gaming card, as well as being able to pump away at 1080p and 1440p resolutions at 120/144/165FPS much easier than the Radeon RX 5700 XT.
7% IPC improvement: AMD is bound to have at least 6-7% IPC improvement in RDNA 2 over RDNA, I would say 10% and above, but lowering estimates now will only improve what we think when AMD unleashes in November 2020.
NVIDIA Killer? Maybe: If the rumors are true, then like what Jason Momoa said when he was asked if he thought the Snyder Cut of Justice League (now known and confirmed as Zack Snyder's Justice League releasing in 2021 as a HBO Max exclusive) then I have the following answer to the question is Big Navi an NVIDIA Killer: f*ck yeah.
November 2020 launch: This is the key. November gives AMD a couple of months to see how Ampere does, and launch it when the next-gen consoles are launching in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. More on the November 2020 launch of RDNA 2 here.

Big Navi / RDNA 2 launching in November key points

November 2020 launch: Firstly, AMD aiming for November means it puts the next-gen Radeon a couple of months behind NVIDIA is the rumors (and my sources) are true about an "August 2020 launch, September 2020 release" for the next-gen Ampere-based GeForce RTX 3000 series graphics cards.
How AMD benefits from a November launch: It will allow the company to have a couple of months to see where NVIDIA has priced its next-gen cards, and to gauge how performance is once it hits the hands of customers. AMD would then have a couple of months to be ready for a possible KO blow (at least for 2020) with Big Navi.
Thanksgiving launch: This is big for obvious reasons, but AMD being able to be inside of the next-gen Xbox Series X, the next-gen PlayStation 5, and have an NVIDIA Killer with Big Navi -- all for thanksgiving? What better gift can AMD bring to the table for Thanksgiving than that?!
Launching alongside PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X: The stars have truly aligned for AMD to make this happen, and if performance of Big Navi is truly double that of RDNA1 and a 40-50% boost over the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti? Well, we could see AMD take out the end of 2020 with Intel and NVIDIA destroying products. Amazing.
Lisa Su did say Big Navi was coming in 'late 2020': You can read more about that here, but November is pretty damn spot on with "late 2020", right?!