Graphics Cards - Page 99

Recently we reported on the seemingly dire state of the discrete graphics card market, with a report from Jon Peddie Research stating that total AIB shipments decreased by around 40% in Q1 2023 compared to the same quarter from last year.

Well, NVIDIA's SVP of Gaming, Jeff Fisher, has presented a somewhat different story at the recent Bank of America Global Technology Conference, stating that the Ada Lovelace generation and the new GeForce RTX 40 Series are performing exceptionally well in terms of revenue and sales. With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% for the GeForce segment of NVIDIA's business through FY23, Jeff Fisher specifically highlighted the success of the GeForce RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 Ti models.

Of course, with higher MSRPs compared to their Ampere generation equivalents, the idea of higher revenue and growth beings to make sense, with Jeff Fisher noting that the GeForce RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 Ti have generated revenue 3X faster than the GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3070 Ti - or 40% faster.

When NVIDIA lifted the lid on the new GeForce RTX 40 Series of GPUs - and so far, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is already available starting from USD 399 - we got word that the baseline mainstream GeForce RTX 4060 was set to launch sometime in July 2023.

NVIDIA is changing its plans, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB now set to launch in late June 2023, as per insider leaks. The information comes via MEGAsizeGPU, a well-known and established leaker in the GeForce space, who said to expect the GeForce RTX 4060 in June.

The good news is that the GeForce RTX 4060 is set to launch with a price-point of USD 299, cheaper than the GeForce RTX 3060's launch price of USD 329. As far as performance is concerned, NVIDIA has already provided information noting that it will deliver a raw 20% or so bump over the GeForce RTX 3060 with the added benefit of being considerably more power efficient thanks to the new Ada Lovelace architecture as well as making full use of cutting-edge techs like DLSS 3 and Frame Generation.

When Intel introduced its new line-up of discrete Intel Arc graphics for PC gamers, it also introduced the AI-based Intel Xe Super Sampling, which is similar to NVIDIA's DLSS and AMD's FSR in that it's all about upscaling and boosting performance with minimal impact to visual fidelity.

Today comes word that XeSS (which is also compatible with non-Intel GPUs though tests showcase that it works best when leveraging Intel Arc's dedicated AI hardware) is now available in over 50 games.

The good news is that adoption for XeSS covers many popular PC titles, including the recently released Diablo IV from Blizzard and other high-profile releases like Hogwarts Legacy, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, Returnal, and others.

Sales for discrete PC graphics cards or GPUs are in a dire state, with a new report from Jon Peddie Research stating that total AIB shipments decreased by 38.2% in Q1 2023 compared to the same quarter from last year. According to the report, this still equates to roughly 6.3 million units, down from the previous quarter's 7.16 million units.

But with new GPU releases from NVIDIA and AMD, in the form of cards like the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, the report indicates that the demand for new GPUs is historically low. Jon Peddie Research cites inflation worries, layoffs, and people buying up last-gen graphics cards sold at a discount to clear out inventory.

With the prices we've recently seen for cards in AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series, discounts in the hundreds of dollars compared to their original MSRPs, it's no wonder people are snapping up bargains. We'd wager that the overall price increases for new high-end GPUs like the GeForce RTX 4080, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, and Radeon RX 7900 XTX have factored into lower volume.

NVIDIA's DLAA, or Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing, is an impressive bit of tech that draws on a lot of the same technology that sits at the heart of DLSS - that thing we all enable if it's an option to boost performance.

DLAA isn't about boosting performance; it doesn't take a lower-resolution image as the input. Instead, it's about leveraging AI to improve image quality at your native resolution as long as you've got the frames to spare. And in the process, it makes PC games look sharper and more detailed compared to standard anti-aliasing techniques like TAA and MSAA.

DLAA is a feature already available in several games, and like DLSS, requires GeForce RTX hardware and its AI Tensor Cores to enable - but currently, it is a separate option. Today we've got word that a DLSS update for Unreal Engine, the 3.1.13 SDK, has a new DLAA mode that will sit alongside the existing Ultra-Performance, Performance, Balanced, and Quality Modes. Apparently, it will be called 'Performance Quality Mode', which admittedly is a little confusing.

Intel Arc Graphics added a couple of new professional graphics cards to their line-up with the Intel Arc Pro A60 and Pro A60M combo for workstations. Both expand the PCIe lane usage to 16 compared to other Arc Graphics products, and they support up to 12GB of VRAM with 384 GB/s of memory bandwidth - another step up over the current Arc line-up.

They're not only the fastest Arc workstation solutions that Intel offers, and the Intel Arc Pro A60 is single-slot slim too. Specs-wise the Arc Pro A60 features 16 Xe Cores, 256 EUs, 16 RT units, 256 matrix engines, and 12GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The mobile-focused Pro A60M reduces memory capacity to 8GB on a 128-bit bus.

Compared to the consumer-based Arc graphics, these new workstation models increase the dedicated AI Xe Matrix Extensions (XMX) engines and even the hardware ray-tracing units. Like their discrete desktop counterparts, they support full AV1 encoding, high dynamic range (HDR), and Dolby Vision output support.

AMD's RX 7600 graphics card is outperforming NVIDIA's RTX 4060 Ti in terms of sales, and by a good margin, if the latest gossip from the grapevine is right.

Well-known YouTube leaker Moore's Law is Dead (MLID) has a new video out that will not make pleasant viewing for NVIDIA, claiming that the RTX 4060 Ti is floundering out there right now. (Something early price cuts point to, as well).

One of the leaker's most trusted sources, who is apparently 'deep' within the supply chain, informed MLID that overall, this mid-range GPU head-to-head was a relatively modest launch globally for both AMD and NVIDIA.

An RTX 4060 graphics card has been spotted at Computex, with this model coming from MSI.

It's the first sighting of an RTX 4060 that we've been treated to - the vanilla version due to debut in July, as opposed to the RTX 4060 Ti, which is already out - although it doesn't bring any surprises.

By which we mean that the MSI Ventus 2X Black OC looks pretty much like the same take on that model with the RTX 4060 Ti (it's a compact board with dual fans, designed to fit well in a smaller PC case).

Walking through the halls, meeting rooms, and off-site presentation suites at Computex 2023, one thing was made clear - at least in the world of DIY gaming PCs - all-white components are hot right now. Like, so much so that you'd think that's all there is now.

From the chassis to the system fans to the motherboard, memory, and of course, the GPU.

Sitting down with Inno3D, we immediately noticed a wall full of brand-new white GPUs on the way from the company, from the flagship GeForce RTX 4090 X3 OC WHITE edition to the brand-new GeForce RTX 4060 Ti X3 iCHILL WHITE and GeForce RTX 4060 Ti TWIN X2 OC WHITE.

NVIDIA has joined the growing club of tech companies that are worth over $1 trillion.

Reuters reports that the company is the first chipmaker to hit this valuation, driven forward by its progress on the AI front, and the fact that artificial intelligence has become such a massive focus for, well, pretty much everyone of late.

The sting in the tail, as Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, points out, is that there will be 'significant pressure' to live up to this valuation, and likely a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the share price to come if NVIDIA stumbles at all.

Look at any high-end GPU release for the past four or five years and have undoubtedly noticed that they got bigger, thicker, and heavier. GPU sag has become such a thing that brackets usually come packed in with brand-new GPU releases as standard.

This is something that hardware makers have noticed too, and MSI has heard the feedback loud and clear; people would like to see thinner, sleeker, and more GPUs that can fit in smaller form-factor cases and on desks with limited space. And with that in mind, it's creating a new range of GeForce RTX 40 Series cards based on its popular and critically acclaimed Gaming X series, called the Gaming X Slim.

Starting with the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming X Slim (which is available first), the new Gaming X Slim range will cover the entire 40 Series line-up - including the GeForce RTX 4080, 4090, 4060 Ti, and the upcoming 4060. All are on track for release this year too, and we had the opportunity to look at the new RTX 4070 Ti Gaming X Slim at Computex 2023.

ZOTAC has shown off its refreshed design on its range of graphics cards at Computex 2023. From the extremely powerful RTX 4090 all the way down to the RTX 4060Ti.

ZOTAC was nice enough to give me a tour of their booth at Computex 2023, which had on display the company's range of graphics cards that have undergone a refreshed visual design. ZOTAC has abandoned the straight edges that it was commonly known for and decided to implement a round-edge design. This design refresh is across the company's range of graphics card offerings, from the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 Amp Extreme Airo to the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB Twin Edge OC White.

When I was at the ZOTAC booth, I noticed the new RGB piece on the top of the AMP Extreme models. According to ZOTAC, this new RGB light has a two-tone feature that users are able to customize through ZOTAC's software. More specifically, the Amp Extreme Airo has five different zones of customizable RGB lighting, allowing gamers to personalize their graphics card appearance fully.

At Computex 2023, we had the chance to catch up with the team at GIGABYTE and got the opportunity to take a look at some very cool new products, one of them being the new AORUS GeForce RTX 4090 MASTER 24G with the company's new Bionic shark fans.

Take a closer look at the blades on this triple-fan high-end GPU, and you'll notice a design that mimics the look of the skin found on sharks. The kind is found in oceans and Steven Spielberg films titled 'Jaws.'

It's a fantastic and somewhat aggressive look, but GIGABYTE quickly noted that the new Bionic Shark fans aren't just about making one of its most powerful GPUs look cool and stand out. By mimicking a shark's "dermal denticles" and its benefits to fluid dynamics, it directly translates to a 30% pressure increase and a reduction in overall noise by around 3dB thanks to the new textured surface.

ASUS is bringing back the Matrix naming (last seen with the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti) for its new flagship liquid-cooled ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 all-in-one.

With a power rating of 600W and boost clock speeds that ASUS states is the highest for an off-the-shelf GeForce RTX 4090 to date, this is set to become one of the most powerful GPUs when it eventually releases.

The GPU features a liquid metal thermal compound, with the shroud featuring a large copper cold plate for heat dissipation. The embedded pump and 360mm radiator make it a formidable GPU in terms of physical size and look - with magnetic daisy chainable fans adding another dose of high-end quality to the build.

When NVIDIA chose to adopt the new 12VHPWR connector for the new Ada Lovelace-powered GeForce RTX 40 Series, which can deliver up to 600W through a single 16-pin connector, it presented a new wrinkle for those looking to upgrade. Without a brand-new ATX 3.0 PSU, the GeForce RTX 4090 is required to be connected via an adaptor. Anyway, it meant more cables dangling and visible around the GPU.

At Computex 2023, ASUS presents a concept GeForce RTX 4070 and motherboard that removes the need for a cable to be connected to the GPU entirely. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Hidden-Connector Concept VGA paired with the TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS Hidden-Connector Concept Motherboard. And yeah, it presents a clean, cable-free look that we'd love to see become a thing.

How it achieves this isn't magic, but impressive engineering with an additional PCIe power connection on the underside of the GPU. This connects to a custom board and draws power from the hidden connectors on the underside. So, yeah, not magic - but something that we'd love to see move beyond the concept stage and be adopted widely by companies that dabble in both the GPU and motherboard spaces.

ASRock has unleashed a new BIOS for its liquid-cooled RX 7900 XTX that seriously ups the boost clock - with caveats.

The new 'OC Extreme' BIOS release for the RX 7900 XTX AQUA juices up the boost clock from the previous 2680MHz to a whopping 2935MHz. That represents a 255MHz increase, no less, as VideoCardz reports.

ASRock notes that it has applied 'better settings' with the BIOS, presumably a whole bunch of fine-tuning, in order to come close to that 3GHz boost speed with this 7900 XTX GPU.

NVIDIA's RTX 4060 Ti is now on sale, but the graphics card does not seem to be flying off the shelves - but rather trickling.

That's what we can piece together thus far from looking at online retailers, and a couple of things VideoCardz spotted.

The first of which is that the RTX 4060 Ti has already had a price cut below its MSRP in Europe (as flagged up by 3D Center in the above tweet).

There's a lot of fuss right now about AMD and NVIDIA's new mid-range RDNA 3 and Lovelace graphics cards, with the RTX 4060 Ti just emerging today, and the RX 7600 set to be hot on its heels tomorrow - but what if you want a much more wallet-friendly GPU than either of those?

Well, maybe you should take a look at the third horse in the graphics card race, Intel, because the Arc A750 may not be new, but it has dropped to an all-time-low price.

Tom's Hardware spotted that the Arc A750 is on offer at Newegg currently for $199.99, knocked down from $250 where it was already a solid value proposition (the launch price was $290, you may recall).

AMD's RX 7600 GPU is set to retail at $269 in the US, according to the latest chatter from the grapevine.

VideoCardz shares the details on this one, informing us that AMD has been in touch with reviewers and influencers to inform them that the decision has been taken to drop the price of the RX 7600.

Originally, as we reported with previous rumors, the AMD graphics card - set to debut in a couple of days - was pegged at a $299 price point. (Some rumors suggested slightly higher than that, even).

AMD's incoming Radeon RX 7600 GPU is set to up power consumption considerably compared to its predecessor, according to the latest leak about the graphics card.

Spanish tech site HD Tecnologia spilled the details on the specs of the RX 7600, and the GPU is said to demand 165W (TBP, or Total Board Power), compared to 132W for the RX 6600.

That's a jump of 33W, or to look at it another way, the RX 7600 uses 25% more power than the 6600, which also translates into a heftier requirement for the power supply in the PC. Instead of a 450W unit, you'll need a 550W PSU to drive the RX 7600 (assuming this leaked material is genuine - as ever, we must be doubtful until we get confirmation from AMD on the spec).