AMD might have a new graphics card planned as a super cheap GPU, under the current RX 6400, or it’s a theory currently circulating via rumor.
This is from Phoronix.com (opens in a new tab) who reported findings in AMD’s Linux graphics driver (for Linux 5.19) that adds a new device ID for a ‘Beige Goby’ card.
The Beige Goby family is made up of low-end RDNA 2 (current generation cards) built with the Navi 24 GPU, like the existing RX 6500 XT and RX 6400 graphics cards.
We don’t know for sure what a potential new Navi 24 GPU could be: it could just be a refresh of an existing model, the RX 6400 presumably, although we don’t know how great it would be. logical to block another GPU in the range here – or it could be an entirely new product.
So, one theory, as mentioned, suggests that AMD might be readying an RX 6300 model to sit under the RX 6400 at an even more affordable price.
Lots of salt needs to be added at this point, as this is obviously just speculation – the GPU in question could be anything or nothing, as code added to a Linux driver hardly represents confirmation that a new product is incoming from Team Red. That said, we’ve already heard a rumor that an RX 6300 might be coming…
Analysis: Battle of basement GPUs?
Let’s discuss what that might mean, keeping these caveats in mind. It might make sense for AMD to explore other options in the budget GPU category if you consider that Nvidia seems poised to step into this space.
Remember the rumors – and again, these are just rumors – around Nvidia producing a GTX 1630 as their new low-end graphics card, perhaps to finally give people a truly budget-focused option (speculation says the 1630 could appear in just a few days).
AMD could therefore seek to counter this supposedly incoming GPU. Looking at the RX 6300M - because yes, a mobile version of the 6300 already exists – the specs of this laptop GPU are considerably lower than the RX 6400, and so a desktop variant could follow suit; which might make it a bit of a weak sauce for gamers. That said, there are concerns that this may also be the case for the GTX 1630…
Ultimately, with no idea what the specs of the AMD card might be, we’d be foolish trying to draw comparisons to an equally popular Nvidia GPU.
We’ll just have to see how this potential budget card battle plays out, but one thing to keep in mind is that given that there’s already been some disappointment with the power of the RX 6400 desktop, expectations around any lower spec RX 6300 model will naturally be tempered. Also, it’s possible the 6300 is also OEM-only (at least to start with).
Via Tom’s Hardware (opens in a new tab)