AMD reveals Vega mobile, an AMD discrete GPU for notebooks

From a consumer perspective, AMD’s Vega architecture is a disaster, with prices that are often well above MSRP and performance that competes with Nvidia’s GTX 1070/1080 class GPU instead of their premium GTX 1080 Ti. 

While these factors have classed the architecture as a failure for gamers, it is undeniable that the design has been successful for AMD overall. The GPU’s desktop variant has frequently sold out nationwide, with the processor also finding a home within Ryzen Mobile APUs, Intel’s G-series CPU packages and partially in both the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro (both of which include features from the architecture). 

The one question that remains up in the air is whether or not we will see a lower-end release of Vega as a discrete GPU, finally offering a replacement for AMD’s ageing Polaris based RX400 and RX500 series of graphics processors. Now we have an answer, but not the one that you may be expecting. 

At CES AMD has showcased a chip that the company has called Vega Mobile, a discrete GPU that is designed to offer low-power operation, a small footprint thanks to HBM2 memory and provide VR-ready performance. In recently released images we can see that the chip is around half the size of AMD’s RX Vega 64 silicon, with recent rumours stating that this GPU offers 28 GPU compute units. 

Right now it is unknown whether or not this GPU will see a desktop release, perhaps to replace AMD’s Polaris lineup, though this will likely be confirmed or denied at a later date. In other mobile parts like Ryzen Mobile and Intel’s G-series CPU Vega is clocked at around 1100MHz to 1250MHz, suggesting that the architecture offers higher levels of performance per watt at lower clock speeds, perhaps making the architecture more competitive with Nvidia in this market. 

From a consumer perspective, AMD’s Vega architecture is a disaster, with prices that are often well above MSRP and performance that competes with Nvidia’s GTX 1070/1080 class GPU instead of their premium GTX 1080 Ti. 

While these factors have classed the architecture as a failure for gamers, it is undeniable that the design has been successful for AMD overall. The GPU’s desktop variant has frequently sold out nationwide, with the processor also finding a home within Ryzen Mobile APUs, Intel’s G-series CPU packages and partially in both the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro (both of which include features from the architecture). 

The one question that remains up in the air is whether or not we will see a lower-end release of Vega as a discrete GPU, finally offering a replacement for AMD’s ageing Polaris based RX400 and RX500 series of graphics processors. Now we have an answer, but not the one that you may be expecting. 

At CES AMD has showcased a chip that the company has called Vega Mobile, a discrete GPU that is designed to offer low-power operation, a small footprint thanks to HBM2 memory and provide VR-ready performance. In recently released images we can see that the chip is around half the size of AMD’s RX Vega 64 silicon, with recent rumours stating that this GPU offers 28 GPU compute units. 

Right now it is unknown whether or not this GPU will see a desktop release, perhaps to replace AMD’s Polaris lineup, though this will likely be confirmed or denied at a later date. In other mobile parts like Ryzen Mobile and Intel’s G-series CPU Vega is clocked at around 1100MHz to 1250MHz, suggesting that the architecture offers higher levels of performance per watt at lower clock speeds, perhaps making the architecture more competitive with Nvidia in this market.