The massive image: AMD has trailed Nvidia in ray tracing efficiency throughout a number of GPU generations for a number of years. Nevertheless, a dependable leaker now means that Group Crimson is poised to reassess its technique concerning this expertise. This data contradicts earlier rumors indicating that the upcoming Radeon lineup wouldn’t see vital enhancements in ray tracing capabilities.
Famend leaker Kepler_L2 not too long ago remarked that AMD’s upcoming RDNA 4 graphics playing cards will function a “model new” ray tracing implementation. Whereas this remark would not explicitly state whether or not the forthcoming merchandise, doubtless named Radeon RX 8000, will considerably improve ray tracing efficiency in comparison with their predecessors, it does recommend a renewed emphasis on the expertise.
When questioned additional, Kepler elaborated that whereas the RX 7000 GPUs deal with ray tracing equally to the RX 6000 collection, the RDNA 4’s RT expertise seems to be “utterly completely different.”
Ray tracing has been an space the place current AMD merchandise have notably lagged behind Nvidia’s choices. As an illustration, our benchmarks reveal that AMD’s present flagship, the RX 7900 XTX, experiences a considerably larger efficiency affect from ray tracing in comparison with Nvidia’s equally priced GeForce RTX 4080.
RDNA3 RT was based mostly on RDNA2 with some enhancements. RDNA4 RT appears utterly completely different.
– Kepler (@Kepler_L2) April 30, 2024
Prior stories offered a markedly completely different outlook. Earlier this yr, sources knowledgeable YouTuber RedGamingTech that RDNA 4 would solely see a 25 % enchancment in ray tracing efficiency over RDNA 3. This determine would doubtless place AMD’s upcoming playing cards unfavorably towards Nvidia’s forthcoming Blackwell collection and Intel’s Arc Battlemage GPUs by way of ray tracing capabilities. All three GPU generations are anticipated to debut later this yr.
One side the place sources concur is AMD’s choice to abstain from the present heavyweight GPU competitors, as an alternative concentrating on extra reasonably priced mid-range choices. Kepler reiterated earlier stories indicating that no RDNA 4 card will rival the highest two Blackwell GPUs – doubtless named the RTX 5090 and 5080.
Current data-mined code suggests that AMD scrapped a card that probably may have doubled the efficiency of the 7900 XTX, boasting as much as twice as many chiplets and compute models. In the meantime, the Battlemage collection will mark Intel’s inaugural entry into the enthusiast-class discrete graphics chip market.
One other intriguing growth concerning AMD’s future ray tracing efficiency revolves across the anticipated specs of Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 5 Professional console.
Rumors recommend that, regardless of being based mostly on RDNA 2 structure, it may deal with ray tracing operations as much as 4 occasions quicker than the bottom PS5. This projection may probably surpass the ray tracing capabilities of any present AMD product, together with RDNA 3 GPUs that exceed the console’s value vary. It stays to be seen whether or not Sony has proprietary expertise at play or if the mid-generation refresh will incorporate AMD’s newest improvements.
