Updated at: 16-06-2022 - By: Leo Hall

If you’re still using an old or obsolete graphics card, the new AMD Navi GPUs are a good investment. For individuals who currently have a GPU capable of providing sufficient performance, the newer models don’t offer any significant enhancements or new software features.

For most of the 2010s, AMD was viewed as a minor player in the PC hardware market. For the most part though, Nvidia’s lower-priced GPUs weren’t as good as AMD’s lower-priced CPUs, and their Jaguar processors were used in both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

AMD’s new Navi series aims to compete with Nvidia’s high-end GPUs, something they hoped to do with Ryzen’s 2017 release. AMD’s release of Ryzen, however, leveled the playing field for CPUs.

There are currently seven Navi GPUs on the market, however they all fall within the budget and mid-range categories. Are any of these GPUs worth purchasing, and will AMD release a new model with a higher clock speed?

What Is AMD Navi?

If you’ve never heard of AMD Navi, here’s a quick refresher on the basics:

AMD’s new “Radeon DNA” GPU microarchitecture – referred to as RDNA for short – is codenamed “Navi.”

In comparison to Polaris and Vega, which were built on the 4th and 5th versions of the old GCN architecture, RDNA GPUs use TSMC’s 7nm technology for production. Nvidia’s Turing architecture, which uses a 12nm technology, is a step behind RDNA.

Are AMD Navi GPUs Worth It? [Simple Answer] - GamingScan

It is also worth noting that RDNA graphics cards use GDDR6 RAM, which is significantly faster than GDDR5 and is a better solution for gaming than HBM2. Even though this form of RAM was employed in the Vega GPUs that preceded Navi, the manufacturing expenses of Vega led to their high prices and rendered them unsuitable for gaming setups.

The Navi GPUs currently on the market can now be examined after a brief discussion of what Navi is.

What Navi GPUs Are There?

There are now seven AMD graphics cards based on RDNA, as described in the introduction:

VRAM Memory Bus TBP Release Date and Codename

14-bit 4GB 128-bit 150-watt RX 5500 Navi
7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 7th

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 4/8 GB 128-bit 130W
On December 12, 2019.

Audiophile-grade RX 5600 Navi 10XE 6 GB 192-bit 150W
In the year 2020,

6 GB 192-bit 150W of power for the RX 5600XT Navi 10
21st of January, 2020

Radeon HD RX 5700 Navi XL 8GB 256-bit 180W
Saturday, 7th of July, 2019

The RX 5700 XT Navi 10 XT 8 GB 256-bit 225W is
Dated: 07/07/19

50th Anniversary Edition Navi 10 XTX 8GB 256-bit 235W RX 5700
Dated: 07/07/19

To be fair, you may have observed that the Radeon VII is not included in this list because it does not use RDNA. Instead, the Radeon VII is a Vega GPU built on top of a 7nm upgrade to the GCN 5th generation.

So far, the GPUs listed above are generally budget and mid-range options, since they are primarily targeted at the $200-$400 price range. As far as AMD’s older models go, how well do they stand up versus Nvidia’s current offerings?

Polaris vs Navi

How do the new Navi models compare to the most popular Polaris GPUs currently on the market?

In terms of performance, it’s fair to say that the RX 580 and the RX 590 are marginally better options than the RX 5500 and the RX 5500 XT, respectively. Furthermore, because they are built with an older architecture, they are less expensive, giving them a better option for those on a tight budget.

However, as we get to the RX 5600 XT, the performance of Navi GPUs becomes clear, and the previous RX 400 and RX 500 series AMD GPUs can’t match with them.

While this is true, it’s not worth upgrading to Navi just yet if you have a powerful RX 400 or RX 500 GPU, unless you’re planning on purchasing at least an RX 5600XT. The RTX 5500 and 5500XT offer terrible value for money and should be avoided.

Vega vs Navi

In terms of Vega, AMD has only ever produced four desktop GPUs: the Vega 56, Vega 64, the Vega 64 liquid-cooled variant, and the Radeon VII, which was designed utilizing an improved 7nm version of the 5th-gen GCN architecture, as we’ve previously noted. The 14nm technology was used to make the original Vega GPUs. Vega 3, 6, 8, 10, and 11 GPUs used in laptops are not included in this list.

RX 5600 XT is ahead of Vega 56, but Vega 64 and Radeon VII are about equal in performance. The RX 5700 XT, on the other hand, is significantly more expensive than the RX 5600 XT.

The HBM2 memory on Vega cards, on the other hand, is a whole other ballgame in terms of performance, as it has a far higher bandwidth than GDDR6. Yet even though it delivers little to no gaming performance advantages, HBM2 has a higher cost to develop. As a result of the rapid rise in Vega’s price, it’s easy to see why they never made it into gaming rigs.

The answer to the question of whether Navi is better than Vega is yes — at least in terms of gaming and price. AMD has yet to fully explore the capabilities of RDNA, which outperforms GCN in virtually every manner.

Turing vs Navi

We must now ask if Nvidia’s high-end monopoly was disrupted by Navi in any way.

Sadly, no — at least not at this point in time. The RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary Edition, the most expensive Navi GPU, with an MSRP of $449. This puts it in the same pricing range as the $399 RTX 2060 Super and the $499 RTX 2070 Super, which are both high-end GPUs. The Navi GPUs do not currently have ray-tracing capabilities, therefore they cannot compete with the more expensive RTX 2080 Super in terms of raw performance.

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The situation is a little different in the lower price levels than it was before. When it comes to budget graphics cards, AMD used to be the clear leader. However, the Nvidia GTX 1650 Super, which costs $160 less than AMD’s RX 5500 XT but delivers better performance, has now surpassed AMD’s RX 5500 and RX 5500 XT.

At this point, Navi begins to shine, since it is slightly ahead of Nvidia’s mid-range model and even holds its own against the RTX 2060 and offers fantastic value compared to the newer RTX 2060 Super.

Lastly, the RX 5700 XT is the greatest upper mid-range GPU currently on the market, since it surpasses both the similarly-priced RTX 2060 Super and the substantially more costly RTX 2070 Super in several games, making it the ideal option for gamers on a tight budget.

We’d say that when comparing AMD’s current Navi GPUs to the current Turing GPUs, the cheaper Navi models aren’t really worth considering, but the mid-range Navi models are absolutely worth it, since they give outstanding overall value for the money.

Even though ray tracing is now an Nvidia-exclusive technology, it isn’t really a huge selling point because few games support it and those that do, don’t often take full advantage of it. In addition, mid-range GPUs like the RTX 2060 Super take a significant performance cost when using ray tracing.

Future Navi Graphics Cards

Considering that both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X have been revealed to be powered by Navi 20 GPUs, it’s clear that AMD has significant aspirations to compete with Nvidia in the high-end.

Let’s Talk GPU First

This article assumes that you are already familiar with the basic functions of a graphics processing unit (GPU). An enhancement of the CPU for gaming purposes rather than a replacement for the CPU. Graphics rendering and ensuring that your game screen runs as smoothly as possible are two of the primary goals of a PC gaming GPU. While your CPU is more of a “general practitioner,” it can perform a variety of tasks, such as word processing, video playback, audio playback, and web browsing.

Current Navi GPUs

As a result of that, we’re now ready to go into the details of AMD’s brand new Navi GPUs. In fact, the RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary Edition or RX 5700 XTAE, Rx 5700, and Rx 5700 XT are all part of the RX 5700 product family. In addition to those confirmed thus far, there is a possibility that further models will be introduced in the 5900, 5800, and 5600 ranges.

Similarities of the Three

Before we get into the specifics of each Navi release, let’s take a look at some of the things they have in common. The Navi 10 Architecture, also known as RDNA, is the most common trait in all of them. In fact, the Navi series was the first to implement this architecture. In terms of performance per watt and per area, this results in an increase of about 1.5 times and 2.3 times, respectively. Exactly what does this signify in terms of video games The architecture, on the other hand, features a dual-computing design for increased efficiency. As an example, consider a game with a fast rendering time, stunning visuals, and no impact on your PC’s power consumption.

It’s a blower card, which gives it a third thing in common with a blower. The air can be taken in by the fan and then expelled to the back portion for efficient cooling, which is the simplest explanation possible.

That being said, let’s dig deeper into each Navi GPU one at a time.

  • The XTAE version of the RX 5700

If there are any surprises, this is the most expensive of the three Navis that have been confirmed for release. The gold trim shroud and the signature of none other than Doctor Lisa Su give it away as a high-end release. It’s 75 MHz faster than the 5700 XT and only has one HDMI input. A total of three display ports have been incorporated into it.

  • Sony’s RX-5700

This is the cheapest option among the three because of its lower configuration cost. The RX 5700 XT has a boost clock speed of 1,725MHz, which is lower than the RX 5700 XT’s. Other features include an 8GB GDDR6 memory capacity, a 7nm technology, and 10.3 billion transistors. Because this is the industry standard, everything contained in the RX 5700 is also in the more expensive Navi versions up to and including the RX 7701.

  • GEFORCE M-Audio RX 580 TI

Following the RX 5700 XTAE is the RX 5700 XT, which is slightly slower than the XTAE. Because of the lack of pricey edging trimming, this item is slightly less expensive. The 75MHz difference may seem insignificant in terms of performance, but it will have a big influence while you’re really playing a game. An additional 300MHz has been added to the base clock to make it 1605 MHz. Obviously, the real speed of the component in use is somewhere in between those two numbers..

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How it Holds with Gaming

Numbers and abbreviations are great, but the main question is: how does it function in games?

The last AMD release for GPU and other competitions must be examined in order to make this differentiation. The GeForce RTX 2070 is the closest rival to the Navi Line. The RDNA design in AMD’s Navi line has resulted in a 25 percent improvement in instructions per clock, according to the company. All other circumstances being equal, this represents an increase in power usage, settings, and possibly even heat production.

We’ll have to put it to the test to see if the forecasts pan out. We may assume that AMD’s Navi will be the most cost-effective GPU in the market whenever it comes. However, in terms of performance, there’s still plenty of room for debate among gamers. Several reports are still speculative at this time, so don’t believe everything you read.

Your Current GPU

So, will you be purchasing the Navi when it hits the market? The answer is YES if you currently have an old GPU and want to upgrade to a newer, more powerful model. New components will improve your gaming experience, no matter what type of device they are, if you’re currently utilizing an outdated one. However, if you presently own the GeForce RTX 2070, you may want to hold off on upgrading until you see how it performs in the real world.

Predicted Release Date

As a reminder, this brand new GPU is still in development and is scheduled for release on September 30th, according to reports. Now, if that release date sounds familiar, it’s because the PlayStation 5 will be available at that time as well. As a result, gamers will have a great year’s end, whether they’re playing on PCs or consoles.

Finally, there’s no way to know whether or not the new AMD Navi GPU is worth the upgrade, especially if you’re already utilizing AMD’s most recent graphics processing unit. A wait-and-see situation is taking place here as the component’s hard facts are still in flux.

FAQS:

Will AMD big Navi have ray tracing?

Ray tracing is supported on RDNA2 / Big Navi / RX 6000 GPUs using DirectX 12 Ultimate or VulkanRT. That equalizes AMD’s features with those of Nvidia.

Which AMD Graphics is best?

Forget about DLSS, AMD’s best GPU.

What is AMD Navi GPU?

This is the first AMD GPU to adopt the new RDNA architecture, which has reconfigured the compute units to boost efficiency and instructions per clock. AMD’s Navi graphics cards (IPC). Multi-level cache hierarchies offer better performance, lower latency and less power consumption compared to the previous generation of processors. ”

Conclusion:

Is it worth it to upgrade to a Navi GPU at this time?

Basically, the RX 5600 XT and RX 5700 XT are the only models worth considering right now, as they are both extremely good GPUs that can compete with Nvidia’s offerings in the same price range, albeit without ray tracing, in terms of performance and power consumption.

If you’re looking for the best value for your money, Nvidia’s GTX 1650 Super and AMD’s older RX 400 and 500 models are both better options than the RX 5500 XT and RX 5500, respectively.

RDNA 2.0 is expected to deliver significant performance gains and ray-tracing capabilities, but there’s no telling what the future holds for this architecture.

The answer to the question “Is AMD Navi Worth It?” is “Yes,” because it is capable of delivering a respectable level of performance.