AMD Polaris 12 spotted in Linux patches

Published: Dec 20th 2016, 08:53 GMT

AMD Polaris 12 entries were discovered in Linux patches.

AMD Polaris 12 entry-level GPU?

Traces of Polaris 12 GPU were found by Redditors in Linux amdgpu graphics driver. The new GPU would share the same display block limitations and setup code with Polaris 11, which raises a question if Polaris 12 is just a refreshed or rebinned Polaris 11.

As you know the gap between Polaris 10 and Polaris 11 is actually quite large. The ‘connector’ between entry-level and mid-range Polaris GPUs, also known as Radeon RX 470D, is not exactly the most power efficient solution. That said AMD could be working on slightly faster Polaris 11 variant that would replace just in time for Radeon RX 500 series. But is this really the case?

The Polaris 12 codename may be misleading to those who do not follow GPU news. In NVIDIA’s naming scheme the lower the number the more powerful the GPU. AMD simply iterates the number once new revision or the new processor is developed. It was actually already explained by Raja Koduri once when he was interviewed PC Perspective (see the video below).

So there is a possibility that Polaris 12 could be even slower than Polaris 11.

amdgpu-polaris-12

Not only Polaris 12 was confirmed, but its device IDs were also revealed in amdgpu patch. It appears that Polaris 12 is currently developed in 6 variants. Those could be anything starting from desktop, mobile to professional GPUs.

amd-polaris12-agf5flinux

Ashes of the Singularity Polaris 12 benchmarks

What’s more, we also have first benchmark results of Polaris 12, 6980:00 and 699F:C5 variants to be precise. Those results indicate very slow graphics processor.

aots-6980-polaris12

aots-699f-c5-polaris12

Polaris 12 spotted at GFX Bench

Now here’s Polaris 6980 compared to GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti with GFXBench. I did not include RX 460 here, since there are like 6 different devices with that name, and I was not sure which one is correct.

amd-polaris-12-vs-gtx-1050-vs-gtx-1050-ti

Raja Kuduri hints at Polaris 12

via: Reddit




Comment Policy
  1. Comments must be written in English and should not exceed 1000 characters.
  2. Comments deemed to be spam or solely promotional in nature will be deleted. Including a link to relevant content is permitted, but comments should be relevant to the post topic. Discussions about politics are not allowed on this website.
  3. Comments and usernames containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive will be deleted.
  4. Comments complaining about the post subject or its source will be removed.
  5. A failure to comply with these rules will result in a warning and, in extreme cases, a ban. In addition, please note that comments that attack or harass an individual directly will result in a ban without warning.
  6. VideoCardz has never been sponsored by AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA. Users claiming otherwise will be banned.
  7. VideoCardz Moderating Team reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to the site without notice.
  8. If you have any questions about the commenting policy, please let us know through the Contact Page.
Hide Comment Policy
Comments