AMD’s upcoming RX 7650 GRE graphics card for the Chinese market has a new name for fans of redundancy. The “GRE” badge now officially stands for “Great Radeon Edition” per Chinese news hub NetEase. To use its full name, the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (Great Radeon Edition) is expected to launch in China this month.
AMD debuted the “GRE” badge for its China-specific GPU SKUs in 2023, starting with the RX 7900 GRE. The “Golden Rabbit Edition” badge coincided with the traditional Year of the Rabbit, seeking to better connect with Chinese gamers. The GRE badge has since made it to the Western market, with the RX 7900 GRE launching in the US in 2024 and competing with the best graphics cards.
Thanks to its price-for-performance margins, the 7900 GRE is a seriously compelling card, though AMD’s other GRE release, the RX 6750 GRE, was more disappointing. As a rebrand of Navi 22 to dump oversupply, the 6750 GRE became a midrange contender in China but not one that moved impressively. The upcoming RX 7650 GRE is not expected to be as exciting or dull as its GRE predecessors and is likely to stay in China for the duration of its lifespan.
The RX 7650 GRE is equipped with AMD’s Navi 33 chip, the same used in the RX 7600 and 7600 XT cards. The 7650 GRE does feel like a direct middle-man for the 7600 and 7600 XT, inheriting their 32 compute units and 128-bit memory bus. With a boost clock of 2,695MHz over the 7600’s 2,625MHZ and a 5W TDP gain, the GRE feels like a better-tuned 7600. AMD elected to keep the 7650 GRE at 8GB VRAM rather than stepping it up to 16GB on the XT.
AMD’s choice to keep the GRE badge around even as the Year of the Snake begins is a good sign for AMD’s fans in the Chinese market. As clunky as “Great Radeon” feels, the Chinese market now has a dedicated title for its unique releases. GRE cards seem to be succeeding; the 6750 GRE has seen new variants as recently as November as AMD’s premier midrange option in the country even a year later. Of course, whether you read this as AMD supporting a beloved SKU or a last-ditch effort to clear out four-year-old Navi 22 inventory is up to the reader.
The RX 7650 GRE will launch for 2,049 Yuan, roughly $280. This is no discount over the RX 7600, which holds a similar MSRP in China. Breaking the GRE tradition of offering a discount over previously launched similar cards, the 7650 GRE likely seeks instead to become a 7600 XT replacement. We would be surprised if the 7650 GRE sees American shores, though the 7900 GRE going worldwide last year was also a shock.
