Recent rumors about a new AMD Radeon 7000 series GPU were correct. AMD launched the Radeon RX 7900 GRE graphics card at the ChinaJoy expo earlier today. Contrary to some talk that the new 'Golden Rabbit Edition' might be a China exclusive, it looks like this 16GB RDNA 3 GPU will be offered worldwide. Moreover, an AMD slide included USD pricing, so we know you should be able to grab one of these GPUs for about $649 shortly.
AMD aims the new Radeon RX 7900 GRE at 1440p resolution in "today's and tomorrow's games at maximum settings." The product pages and slides shared at ChinaJoy are designed to back up this assertion. For example, it says demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Forspoken (with Raytracing) and Deadspace (with Raytracing) can all run at an average of 72fps or better with max settings at the 1440p resolution.
In its promotional slides, AMD painted the Radeon RX 7900 GRE as the successor to the RX 6800 XT. A gen-to-gen comparison is provided in the slide below.
It is an interesting comparison, and if you haven't noticed it yet, the new GPU is a little more cut down than the rumors suggested. The critical difference between the pre-launch rumor and actuality is that the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE has 80 CUs for 5120 SPs. Rumorville has indicated that 5376 SPs would be present, just like with the RX 7900 XT. AMD seems to have sought to establish a more evident difference between the pair. Check out the chart below for a comparative grasp of the newest RX 7900 variant next to its two siblings. Other cuts to the GRE are made in the memory section and the cache.
With the China-based launch, you might not be surprised that Chinese tech media have been the first to get their hands on the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE. You can nose through Chinese language reviews on sites like EXPReview today, but your browser translator probably won't translate the graphics and charts. If you check carefully, these third-party results will be an interesting counterpoint to AMD's in-house testing figures. Before purchasing, waiting for a review here or on another site you trust is probably best. One thing that is quickly evident through the tests is that the RX 7900 GRE outperforms the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, though it is about $50 more expensive.
While we wait for some more upper-midrange cards from AMD, like the Radeon RX 7700 and RX 7800, getting another RX 7900 family member is welcome today. AMD is effectively filling a gap with the Radeon RX 7900 GRE release, which helps us gauge what it might be thinking with the Radeon RX 7700 and RX 7800 models. Just over a week ago, we heard that the Radeon RX 7700 and RX 7800 may be priced at $449 and $549, respectively. That seems to work with the new GRE at its $649 price point. Which, if any of these, will earn a place in our definitive Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2023 roundup? We shall have to wait and see.
Partner Product Pages Start to Go Live
You may have spied PowerColor and Sapphire (and XFX) reps on stage with AMD at ChinaJoy. As we were writing, pages for partner designs are now active.
Specifically, PowerColor's Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE 16GB GDDR6 is now on-site. PowerColor says this triple 100mm fan design features a septet of 6mm heat pipes, a large copper base, and an 11+2+1 phase power supply design for smooth running. Other niceties of the Red Devil include its reinforced metal backplate, dual-BIOS, and quality PCB. RGB lighting is present too.
VideoCardz also spotted a Sapphire listing now on Chinese retailer JD.com. You can see an image of the Nitro+ SKU and its key specs in the gallery above. China prices aren't usually closely related to US prices, and let's hope so, as the Sapphire is listed at 5,499 RMB (~$770) at the time of writing.
