Something to look forward to: With the official unveiling of AMD's 7nm Navi graphics architecture looking likely to arrive next week, we've just heard more news about the upcoming line of cards. According to a Sapphire product manager and PR director who spoke to the Chinese tech press, AMD will reveal two Navi GPU-based graphics cards on May 27---the same day that CEO Dr. Lisa Su is giving the Computex 2019 keynote speech.
The Sapphire reps revealed details (via TechPowerUp) on two Navi-based graphics cards. First is the "Pro" product, which despite its moniker is the less powerful of the pair. It will cost around $399 and offer performance somewhere between the GeForce 2060 and GeForce 2070. Secondly, there's the Navi "XT," which has a $499 price tag and offers performance "stronger than 2070."
Back when AMD announced that Navi is launching in the third quarter of this year, Su declined to answer when asked if Navi would feature Nvidia-style real-time ray tracing tech. According to the Sapphire sources, these new cards won't feature any dedicated ray tracing hardware, but the technology will be part of "next year's new architecture."
Sapphire is apparently working on custom designs for Navi. It said "a 'Toxic' version of Navi is complete, and it is watercooled."
With these Navi cards seemingly designed for the mid-to-upper graphics card market, it appears AMD wants to keep Radeon VII as its flagship enthusiast card for at least the near future. It's worth remembering that Su did say the first Navi graphics cards will be cheaper than the Radeon VII.
We'll find out more on Monday, May 27, when Navi is almost certain to be revealed at Computex. According to Sapphire, the products will launch on July 7.