GPUs Graphics Reviews

The wait has finally come to an end: AMD Radeon RX Vega64 in test

Already at the end of last year we were able to marvel at the Vega64 in its first form and since then the manufacturer (and thus also the readers, as well as the potential customers) has fed us again and again with small bits of information and announcements about the n... Also at the risk of us repeating ourselves, we want to go back to the most important innovations at Vega. With the Vega64, AMD is now offering a new generation of GPUs after the Vega Frontier Edition, in which more than 200 changes are... Disassembly and radiator details Removing the top hee cover is easy. With a small Phillips screwdriver (PH1), the six small swivels that hold this cover can be turned out. After that, there is only one... Board layout The Vega64 and Vega Frontier Edition have the same board, 100% identical components and differ only by the soldered package with the halved memory expansion, as well as a customized firmware. The la... Foreword to gaming benchmarks On the following pages, we let the bars and curves speak for themselves and do without filling text. In return, and at the request of many readers, we have not only the overall overviews of all maps. Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Introduction Actually, we wanted to remove this game from the benchmark suite for good this time, because the quality of the DirectX12 implementation is not something you really want for yourself and the players. Nevertheless, the results were, so noticeable... Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Benchmarks in WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) Benchmarks in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Good question, short answer: Jain. The latest version of Claymore's Dual Ethereum AMD/Nvidia GPU Miner (v9.8) includes support for Radeon RX Vega, so we used it for our mining benchmark. All AMD cards run in the so-called... Preliminary remark on the three power modes In the Wattman, in addition to the standard setting (ex works), which is called Balanced Mode, you will also find the possibility to save energy with the Power Save Mode or, conversely, to use the Turbo Mode to... Temperature curve and clock rate The fan control is quite conservative, so that the maximum temperature of 85°C is reached relatively quickly. But then the card already has approx. 6% of their performance lost from the cold state, which is almost out of the... Better late than never and yes, we are really glad that this chapter of endless salami-slice-hold tactics is finally over. But you could have saved the whole media circus in advance, because with a slightly more relaxed...

Temperature curve and clock rate

The fan control is quite conservative, so that the maximum temperature of 85°C is reached relatively quickly. But then the card already has approx. 6% of their performance was lost from the cold state, which was almost exclusively due to an automatic reduction of the clock rate by approx. 9%. We calculated an average clock frequency in 5-degree increments, which resulted from all the ups and downs of the respective run. This ranged from 1533 MHz in cool conditions down to 1401 MHz in the worst and hottest case.

Temperature curve and power consumption

Now it's getting really interesting. At temperature-related 1401 MHz, we measure on average approx. 285 watts, at 1533 MHz cold around 310 watts. For 9% more clock, we also need a good 9% more supplied power and receive approx. 6% more gaming performance. So the deal is acceptable at first, but it also shows that the efficiency curve is already falling sharply. So there is not much more room for manoeuvre.

But what can also be said is that leakage losses obviously no longer play a major role. Times when you could easily save around 40 watts or more at the same clock, if the temperature remains low enough, should be a thing of the past. At least something.

Temperature history GPU vs. HBM2 Memory Modules

As far as the read-out values are correct, we can assume a maximum of 84 (85°C peak) for the GPU and a maximum of 90°C (94°C Watt Peak in the Torture test) for the HBM2 modules. The latter appears relatively high, but is also considered the upper limit for the current GDDRX5 memory. Of course, we will always keep an eye on these values during further tests, because we cannot currently confirm the accuracy of the sensor interpretation 100 percent.

During the stress test, the heating occurs so fast that the curves for the open and closed structure are closer together.

Temperature gradients on the board ("heat flux")

What we can immediately determine: the board below the base is approx. 5°C cooler than the values we were able to determine within the GPU! But what is the reason for this? The explanation was already on page two, because we were able to find a very thick package board, which is still located between the interposer and the PCB. In addition, the interposer is obviously not fully on the package ("underfill issue"), so that the air in between almost acts like an insulation layer.

In the stress test, the temperature is slightly lower, which is probably also due to the increased fan activity and the regulation by the lowered clock (see power consumption).

Noise emission ("volume")

The measured 48.2 dB(A) is the maximum value in balanced mode, but we have already made it comfortably over the 50 dB(A) mark. What was still cause for praise at the Vega Frontier Edition is now instead of a quiet evening wind already a decent hurricane, with which one can let one's ears blow nonchalantly and which is simply due to quite high power consumption. However, a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FE with a maximum power target of 295 watts is not significantly quieter.

The version of the cooling presented here differs significantly from what we liked with the Frontier Edition. Too aggressive, too hot and, logically, too loud in the end. Just on Edge has never been a truly harmonious marriage.

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About the author

Igor Wallossek

Editor-in-chief and name-giver of igor'sLAB as the content successor of Tom's Hardware Germany, whose license was returned in June 2019 in order to better meet the qualitative demands of web content and challenges of new media such as YouTube with its own channel.

Computer nerd since 1983, audio freak since 1979 and pretty much open to anything with a plug or battery for over 50 years.

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