AMD has formally released its new Radeon Pro 400-series GPUs details. The graphic processor was unknown when Apple announced them as a part of the specifications for its latest MacBook Pro 2016.
AMD's latest GPUs are targeted more at creative professional work than gaming. They are designed to be extremely power-efficient, which is the current path for Apple's latest products, reports NDTV.
The all new series content are the Radeon Pro 450, 455, and 460. The former two are equipped with 2GB of VRAM on the two base configurations of the 15-inch MacBook Pro model. The Radeon Pro 460 can be configured as a custom option on either, with 4GB of VRAM.
The GPUs are all operate at 35W, which will allow for quiet and efficient cooling within a chassis as thin as that of the new MacBook Pro. The highest performance for the three models ranges from 1 Teraflop to 1.85 Teraflops, which is very much below that of even the entry-level Radeon RX460.
AMD says that the new Radeon Pro GPUs are based on latest Polaris architecture. The same basic components were seen in the desktop Radeon RX 480, 470 and 460. These GPUs use the 14nm FinFET fabrication process that delivers power and cost savings.
AMD also reveals that it has employed an elaborate new technique called die thinning that resulted in the thickness of each silicon wafer coming down from 780nm to 380nm i.e. roughly equivalent to the thickness of four sheets of paper.
Apple, on the other hand, says that the 15-inch MacBook Pro 2016 performs graphics 130 percent faster. It also has 2.5x more computing power per watt as compared to the previous iteration of the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
AMD has also released a new Windows driver i.e. 16.Q4, which will support its Professional graphics cards. The Driver says, "certified in over 100 workstation applications covering the leading software professionals use, including Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault CATIA, Siemens NX, Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, Autodesk Maya, and many more."
With latest 400 series, gamers might struggle with an acceptable frame rate on the device. For gaming, the laptops should be equipped with NVIDIA GTX 1080 that is still the best option for gaming requiring higher settings, reports University Herald.
