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[FairXchange]

Prey is a fairly lower demanding AAA game when compared to others out there.

With that said, I think Vega's performance is fine. It just looks bad when you consider that Pascal came out so long ago and after all the waiting, this is the best AMD could do after building all that hype.

I think it's best to wait for AIB cards unless you have an ITX build and get yourself a nice Freesync monitor for prospective Vega buyers.

I couldn't wait so I picked up a reference blower card. I have the fan at like 3700 rpm and keep the card boosting at 1550hz clock on average. It's really powerful, I'm playing games like Forza Horizon 3 at 100 frames at 1440p where my r9 390 would tap out and need to stay at 1080p. I also have a freesync display so I feel like I'm getting the most out of it. It hasn't disappointed on a single game yet.

 

[thelastword]

A well done Vega 64 review....

Video

Good information, very informative especially for those with freesync monitors..

 

[Deleted member 17706]

A well done Vega 64 review....

Video

Good information, very informative especially for those with freesync monitors..

Have any good sources for undervolting/overclocking? The tool he used in the video looked pretty intimidating.

Really curious to try this for myself and see just how bad the fan noise gets.

 

[thelastword]

Have any good sources for undervolting/overclocking? The tool he used in the video looked pretty intimidating.

Really curious to try this for myself and see just how bad the fan noise gets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6UJRNDOyHs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68vSu81zSWc


The first is quick and dirty and works well, the other is if you want to push more power through your Vega 56 and use better cooling....

Mindblank did not use any water cooling on his card, so you can expect better performance on Vega 64 and 56 on AIB cards when they appear, but if you have a Vega 56 already, Mindblank and Joker's vids are pretty ideal for the guy who does not tinker much...

You can also wait a few days, since there will be videos soon showing even more performance for Vega 56 with a flashed 64 bios.....Vega 56 seems to have the most to gain in these tests so far, maybe till more of the Vega features are unlocked and enabled by AMD in the drivers and software.....Either way, whether you own a 56 or 64 undervolting and OC'ing is the way to go, as you gain perf and lower temps....You don't even have to flash the bios to get those benefits.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6UJRNDOyHs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68vSu81zSWc


The first is quick and dirty and works well, the other is if you want to push more power through your Vega 56 and use better cooling....

Mindblank did not use any water cooling on his card, so you can expect better performance on Vega 64 and 56 on AIB cards when they appear, but if you have a Vega 56 already, Mindblank and Joker's vids are pretty ideal for the guy who does not tinker much...

You can also wait a few days, since there will be videos soon showing even more performance for Vega 56 with a flashed 64 bios.....Vega 56 seems to have the most to gain in these tests so far, maybe till more of the Vega features are unlocked and enabled by AMD in the drivers and software...

I've got a Vega 64. I'll keep an eye out for one focused on that card.

 

[thelastword]

I've got a Vega 64. I'll keep an eye out for one focused on that card.

Fair enough, although Mindblank's video is about a Vega 64, the process for both cards is the same tbh......Anyway, I'm pretty sure there will be some easier step by step guides for all cards...

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Fair enough, although Mindblank's video is about a Vega 64, the process for both cards is the same tbh......Anyway, I'm pretty sure there will be some easier step by step guides for all cards...

Yeah, Mindblank's video was what got me interested in exploring undervolting/overclocking. Looks like free ~10% boost in performance in many titles for less power draw at the expense of more noise. I want to give it a try and see if the noise levels are tolerable for my setup, but I couldn't parse exactly how to approach doing it based off his video alone. It wasn't meant to be a tutorial, obviously.

I'll keep an eye out for a newbie-friendly video. I don't want to do anything stupid and damage my card.

 

[JershJopstin]

Just in time for the weekend:

The aesthetic of AMD's recent reference cards is seriously underrated. Love how those things look.

 

[Hesemonni]

The aesthetic of AMD's recent reference cards is seriously underrated. Love how those things look.

What about the metrics, which really matter? As in thermals and acoustics?

 

[V_Arnold]

What about the metrics, which really matter? As in thermals and acoustics?

Such hostility towards AMD cards, jeez. Rest of the thread is already about hot takes on Vega's lackluster performance/power ratio.

 

[bomblord1]

What about the metrics, which really matter? As in thermals and acoustics?

I mean, you've never bought a part for your PC just based on the aesthetics? Some people spend $100's more just to get a piece that matches their build and has extra lights on it.

 

[PFD]

What about the metrics, which really matter? As in thermals and acoustics?

Much better than R9 290X, so they've improved

 

[Toe-Knee]

The aesthetic of AMD's recent reference cards is seriously underrated. Love how those things look.

Man these cards are big. I figured with hbm future cards would all be shorter like the fury series

 

[joesiv]

Man these cards are big. I figured with hbm future cards would all be shorter like the fury series

The nano looks to be the ticket for that, not sure what the performance will be like, probably down clocked and the best dies.

But at stock or OC'd versions of the cards, it seems the full width is necessary if going air cooled, even with a shorter PCB:

https://www.eteknix.com/triple-fan-amd-rx-vega-56-spotted/

but I would imagine a AIO version could ship with a short PCB ala fury X.

 

[PFD]

Man these cards are big. I figured with hbm future cards would all be shorter like the fury series

Gotta cool that 300W somehow

 

[icecold1983]

vega 56 v 1070 bf1 dx11

 

[Toe-Knee]

The nano looks to be the ticket for that, not sure what the performance will be like, probably down clocked and the best dies.

But at stock or OC'd versions of the cards, it seems the full width is necessary if going air cooled, even with a shorter PCB:

https://www.eteknix.com/triple-fan-amd-rx-vega-56-spotted/

but I would imagine a AIO version could ship with a short PCB ala fury X.

Ah so most of it is the cooler. I thought they had just taken a huge step backwards and put out really long cards.

Not that I need to worry now that I'm not using a mitx case.

 

[joesiv]

Ah so most of it is the cooler. I thought they had just taken a huge step backwards and put out really long cards.

Not that I need to worry now that I'm not using a mitx case.

Well they DID put out long cards all the current vega cards have long PCBs, but I think we'll start seeing some of these short PCB designs soon. Should be interesting. For example, that nano only has a single PCI-E power connector...

 

[thelastword]

There's a new video of someone getting a RX Vega Rog Strix.......

Video

Apparently if more persons are getting these, it means the launch is not far off...I'm thinking September 15-30th...


These two guys have had it way before today though and the cards have been making the circles......but prices, details( clock speeds, mem speeds) and dates are not officially revealed yet...except that it's coming this month...

Guy 1
Guy 2

I apologize for Guy 2 though, I hardly understand what he says most of the time


Who made the fastest 580 aftermarket card? I think it was Sapphire, wish to see what they bring along with MSI and the rest....It looks like ROG strix might be the first to market though...

 

[DemonCleaner]

good review of vega 64 including undervolting results (till now we mostly saw undervolted 56s):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUomUbYsEUY

 

[thelastword]

Vega 56 vs GTX 1070 in Destiny 2 Beta..

Video


Generally, MSAA and DOF has such a heavy impact on this game, it's not even funny.....



Vega 56 vs GTX 1070 in a few games....Gears 4 and Forza Apex included.


Video

 

[DemonCleaner]

done a bit of undervolting on my 56...looks promising:

maybe looking into power draw later on


test system:

ryzen r5 1600
B350 board
16GB DDR4 @ 2999MHz
PSU Cooler Master B500 500W 80%+ Efficiency (which gives you ~450W at the +12V power rail so really don't need that 650W PSU if you have a not too power hungry CPU)


edit: also want to report that there the overclocking issue where wattman wouldn't accept parameter changes is no more with the recent driver.

 

[Marmelade]

Vega 56 vs GTX 1070 in Destiny 2 Beta..

Video


Generally, MSAA and DOF has such a heavy impact on this game, it's not even funny.....

Here's another vid for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHKiah9LogA&t=0s

Benches from GamersNexus and PCGH @1440p

 

[DemonCleaner]

enabling the high bandwith cach controler seem to gain another 0,5%point or so. still have to varify if that's not normal variance.

done a bit of undervolting on my 56...looks promising:

maybe looking into power draw later on


test system:

ryzen r5 1600
B350 board
16GB DDR4 @ 2999MHz
PSU Cooler Master B500 500W 80%+ Efficiency (which gives you ~450W at the +12V power rail so really don't need that 650W PSU if you have a not too power hungry CPU)


edit: also want to report that there the overclocking issue where wattman wouldn't accept parameter changes is no more with the recent driver.

not having much luck with OCing. can't get past the undervolt and modest OC results in timespy as the card runs constantly against it's power limit and therefore won't keep it's clocks high and stable.

will probably try my luck with the 64 bios ...wish me luck

 

[thelastword]

Here's another vid for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHKiah9LogA&t=0s

Benches from GamersNexus and PCGH @1440p

3DAO and DOF kinda kills AMD cards right now, of course this is an NV title so it's a bit better optimized for NV, but better drivers should rectify things before launch for that game. It could be that Blunty's Vega 56 is slightly OC'd as it's going against a Galax GTX1070.

enabling the high bandwith cach controler seem to gain another 0,5%point or so. still have to varify if that's not normal variance.



not having much luck with OCing. can't get past the undervolt and modest OC results in timespy as the card runs constantly against it's power limit and therefore won't keep it's clocks high and stable.

will probably try my luck with the 64 bios ...wish me luck

Have you tried increasing the powerlimit +50 and setting fans to max rpm? When Oc'ing + undervolting, ideally you want to keep temps around 60-70 degrees...I happen to believe your PSU may not be powerful enough tbh...500 Watts is a bit low for such a system + trying to OC with it...

 

[kuYuri]

I couldn't wait so I picked up a reference blower card. I have the fan at like 3700 rpm and keep the card boosting at 1550hz clock on average. It's really powerful, I'm playing games like Forza Horizon 3 at 100 frames at 1440p where my r9 390 would tap out and need to stay at 1080p. I also have a freesync display so I feel like I'm getting the most out of it. It hasn't disappointed on a single game yet.

Glad you're enjoying it! Sounds like you have the ideal setup for Vega. I hope the AIBs can close the gap a little more too.

 

[DemonCleaner]

Have you tried increasing the powerlimit +50

obviously (you can see it in the graph actually)

I happen to believe your PSU may not be powerful enough tbh...500 Watts is a bit low for such a system + trying to OC with it...

if the PSU isn't powerfuly enough your system crashes. the power limit of vega56 is ~300W at +50%. r5 1600 is 65W. there's enough headroom left on +12V rail. i really only mentioned the PSU wattage to show that you don't need the fear factor dimensioning that always circulates in the interwebs as long as you don't use crappy PSUs.

 

[Thraktor]

I can officially report that Vega 56 is overkill for my 1080p/60Hz monitor. Looking forward to moving to 1440p/144Hz/Freesync, but it is nice just being able to max out every setting and get a steady 60fps without having to bother with any tweaking.

I'm a little tempted to jury-rig my 240mm AIO cooler onto the Vega 56 and see how far I can push it with the 64 bios/overclocking/undervolting/etc., although of course that would be utterly pointless for me at the moment (and I'd probably need a new PSU to really push it anyway).

 

[DemonCleaner]

I can officially report that Vega 56 is overkill for my 1080p/60Hz monitor. Looking forward to moving to 1440p/144Hz/Freesync, but it is nice just being able to max out every setting and get a steady 60fps without having to bother with any tweaking.

I'm a little tempted to jury-rig my 240mm AIO cooler onto the Vega 56 and see how far I can push it with the 64 bios/overclocking/undervolting/etc., although of course that would be utterly pointless for me at the moment (and I'd probably need a new PSU to really push it anyway).

could you do me a favour and tell me what the standard clock speeds on your power states 6 and 7 are on you card? just toogle the frequency switch in whatman to see the correct frequencies. i suspect they dropped the artifical frequency cap in 18.0.0.2... mine has1592MHz in default mode.

what partner card do you have? mine is a sapphire.

 

[dragn]

2 years later

 

[Thraktor]

could you do me a favour and tell me what the standard clock speeds on your power states 6 and 7 are on you card? just toogle the frequency switch in whatman to see the correct frequencies. i suspect they dropped the artifical frequency cap in 18.0.0.2... mine has1592MHz in default mode.

what partner card do you have? mine is a sapphire.

I'm getting 1537MHz for state 6 and 1592MHz for state 7. I've got a Sapphire card and I'm on 17.8.2.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I can officially report that Vega 56 is overkill for my 1080p/60Hz monitor. Looking forward to moving to 1440p/144Hz/Freesync, but it is nice just being able to max out every setting and get a steady 60fps without having to bother with any tweaking.

I'm a little tempted to jury-rig my 240mm AIO cooler onto the Vega 56 and see how far I can push it with the 64 bios/overclocking/undervolting/etc., although of course that would be utterly pointless for me at the moment (and I'd probably need a new PSU to really push it anyway).

Yeah, these are definitely 1440p/60 or 1080p/144 cards. They can do some 4K depending on the game and settings, but 1440p/60 w/ FreeSync seems to be the sweet spot.

 

[LelouchZero]

2 years later

That's nice, is that a Vega 56?

 

[DemonCleaner]

Vega 56 to 64 Bios Mod

so i flashed that 64 bios on my 56 and it' seems to work fine. no new CUs but hopefully power limit should now be at 64s level. HBM seems to be further overclockable also (which is kinda strange...). you can find some quick results here:

seem to be hitting a wall now. maybe it's really PSU limitations (maybe it drops voltage somewhat before it goes into overload shutdown?!?)...will be investigating that sometime. against what i said before, i sadly can't bring you power testing right now, hence my ampere meter seemingly died.


ps: i always check if i might have run into thermal throtteling... for those who might suggest that this would be the issue

I'm getting 1537MHz for state 6 and 1592MHz for state 7. I've got a Sapphire card and I'm on 17.8.2.

thanks alot! so that's the same as mine. would be interessting, if some with a non sapphire card could check if that applies to theirs also.

 

[LelouchZero]

Vega 56 to 64 Bios Mod

so i flashed that 64 bios on my 56 and it' seems to work fine. no new CUs but hopefully power limit should now be at 64s level. HBM seems to be further overclockable also (which is kinda strange...). you can find some quick results here:

seem to be hitting a wall now. maybe it's really PSU limitations (maybe it drops voltage somewhat before it goes into overload shutdown?!?)...will be investigating that sometime. against what i said before, i sadly can't bring you power testing right now, hence my ampere meter seemingly died.


ps: i always check if i might have run into thermal throtteling... for those who might suggest that this would be the issue

This is fascinating, wow! I really like the performance of the RX Vega 56, and when it's undervolted and stuff like this it just gets even better!

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

Vega 56 to 64 Bios Mod

so i flashed that 64 bios on my 56 and it' seems to work fine. no new CUs but hopefully power limit should now be at 64s level. HBM seems to be further overclockable also (which is kinda strange...). you can find some quick results here:

seem to be hitting a wall now. maybe it's really PSU limitations (maybe it drops voltage somewhat before it goes into overload shutdown?!?)...will be investigating that sometime. against what i said before, i sadly can't bring you power testing right now, hence my ampere meter seemingly died.


ps: i always check if i might have run into thermal throtteling... for those who might suggest that this would be the issue

Nice work. For sure I'll be picking up a 56 when they're more widely available.

 

[dragn]

That's nice, is that a Vega 56?

yea it is , only not so good thing is the cooling. hitting 80c all the time at 100% fanspeed

 

[DemonCleaner]

yea it is , only not so good thing is the cooling. hitting 80c all the time at 100% fanspeed

what are your settings?

 

[dragn]

what are your settings?

1550mhz @ 1v and +50% power

 

[DemonCleaner]

the fan is maxed at like 50% at stock and you need 100%?

 

[dragn]

sry ment max from the stock setting, so 2400 rpm

 

[FingerBang]

Well, in Japan Vega is DOA. Vega 56 is 600$ when you can have a GTX1070 for around 470$ and a GTX 1080 for 600-650$. That's sad.

 

[dr_rus]

Well, in Japan Vega is DOA. Vega 56 is 600$ when you can have a GTX1070 for around 470$ and a GTX 1080 for 600-650$. That's sad.

That was expected. Prices are always higher on launch. What's important is how they will balance themselves out in a couple of months.

 

[dragn]

i even got prey and sniper elite 4 so my vega56 only cost me 370€ after selling the codes

 

[Delusibeta]

Y'know, with all this talk of undervolting resulting in increased performance, it was only a matter of time before the miners also tried it. Apparently, a Reddit user is claiming to have got 43.5 MH/s in Ethernium with a Vega 64 card, while using about 130W. It appears that this one's a silicon lottery winner, but if other people can replicate similar results, then RIP Vega's medium term availability.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Y'know, with all this talk of undervolting resulting in increased performance, it was only a matter of time before the miners also tried it. Apparently, a Reddit user is claiming to have got 43.5 MH/s in Ethernium with a Vega 64 card, while using about 130W. It appears that this one's a silicon lottery winner, but if other people can replicate similar results, then RIP Vega's medium term availability.

I still don't understand why you wouldn't just buy 1070s, or even 1060s at this point. The hash per $ is frankly better with Nvidia right now until 570/80s ever become available at msrp again. At least in the US 1070s are still widely available for close to msrp.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I still don't understand why you wouldn't just buy 1070s, or even 1060s at this point. The hash per $ is frankly better with Nvidia right now until 570/80s ever become available at msrp again. At least in the US 1070s are still widely available for close to msrp.

Yes, the metrics are still all better if you use Not Vega for mining. I don't really see a lot of miner demand for Vega because it's just not very good at that compared to cheaper options. Which might or might not be a good thing because I'm not seeing a lot of gamer demand for Vega either.

The thing about Vega is that it's not exactly a terrible gaming card if evaluated in a vacuum but Pascal does exist and has in fact existed for 20 months now. You can't just come out with a card nearly 2 years later which is about as fast as the older product with a tailwind, draws double the power, has drivers which barely qualify to be in beta, still costs more, and expect people to buy them in massive quantities.

 

[dr_rus]

Y'know, with all this talk of undervolting resulting in increased performance, it was only a matter of time before the miners also tried it. Apparently, a Reddit user is claiming to have got 43.5 MH/s in Ethernium with a Vega 64 card, while using about 130W. It appears that this one's a silicon lottery winner, but if other people can replicate similar results, then RIP Vega's medium term availability.

His math is off on a number of levels. People tried replicating this result and got 300-350W instead of 130.

 

[spyshagg]

2 years later

err my 290x does 14K graphics score @ 24h/7 clocks... yours 10k only?

 

[DemonCleaner]

His math is off on a number of levels. People tried replicating this result and got 300-350W instead of 130.

how a card limited by it's power target to a physical draw of 210W should draw 300-350 W while beeing at MINUS 24% PL and preforming a third less of it's rated clocks (1000MHz) is beyond me. maybe your math is not quite correct? people probably were comparing total system draw from wall to his results...

sry ment max from the stock setting, so 2400 rpm

thought so. at the default max (2400rpm) i find the noise quite bearable, but as soon as you exceed 3000rpm it gets kinda annoying.