Considering how AMD’s next-generation graphics cards are going to be the first in the industry to use high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the successor to GDDR5 RAM, it’s no wonder that people are so excited about the upcoming hardware. The nature of HBM allows for a wide array of form factors that previous GPUs couldn’t achieve, and if these leaked renders are anything to go by, AMD is certainly using that to its advantage.
For graphics enthusiasts, two exciting tidbits sprang forth from AMD’s Financial Analysts Day Wednesday, where the company laid out its product roadmap for the coming years. First of all, AMD CEO Lisa Su explicitly confirmed that the company’s imminent new graphics processor will be the first in the industry to use high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the supercharged successor to the GDDR5 RAM used in today’s graphics cards. And secondly, since HBM is built directly atop the GPU’s die—rather than being arrayed around the package, as is the case with traditional memory chips—Su said that “it enables a lot of really interesting form factors.” Two alleged renders of the rumored Radeon R9 390X flagship graphics card, said to be powered by a new AMD “Fiji” GPU, appeared on the web overnight, allegedly pulled from stock footage of the card presented to AMD’s add-in board hardware partners (like Asus, XFX, et cetera). Take these “leaks” with a hefty grain of salt; I’ve reached out to AMD in hopes of confirming or denying their authenticity. That said, these were too interesting notto cover.