For its upcoming Polaris GPUs, AMD doesn't just want to entice hardcore gamers. Instead, it's aiming to bring virtual reality-capable PCs to just about everyone with its new Radeon RX480 video card, which will retail for a mere $199. The RX480 is capable of more than five teraflops of computing power, whereas NVIDIA's new GTX 1070 packs in over six teraflops for $380, and the high-end GTX 1080 sports around nine teraflops for $600. On paper alone, AMD's new card is an astounding value -- and one that NVIDIA can't yet counter without lowering prices.

The RX480 is based on AMD's new Polaris architecture, and it'll be available in 4GB and 8GB memory configurations. It will support AMD's Freesync technology to smooth out frame rates, as well as HDR gaming with DisplayPort 1.3/1.4 support.

Really, though, the key selling point of the RX480 is its price. Currently, the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift require video cards costing around $300 at the minimum. By delivering a $199 card that's VR capable, AMD has dramatically lowered the cost of entry to VR for consumers. It's also a smart strategy for AMD, since NVIDIA has sewn up the high-end and mid-range market with the GTX 1080 and 1070.

Posted: Jun 01, 2016 4:21 pm
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/31/amds-radeon-rx480-gpu-is-vr-ready-for-just-199/