AMD Radeon RX 480 Review

The AMD Radeon Rx 480 is an older but capable graphics card in the AMD Radeon GPU family. The AMD Rx 480 is made specifically for VR- gaming and, much like its competitors, offer high-performing capabilities for the best VR gaming experience.

Before we dive into the complex details, here is a quick overview of the pros and cons of the AMD Radeon Rx480 if you decide to purchase it.

The AMD Radeon Rx 480 graphics card retails at $175-$250 in the U.S. However, due to the global pandemic, prices have reached sky-high, and it now retails at higher prices by third parties, unfortunately. However, it is still quite economical compared to other graphics cards.

The AMD Rx 480 has brilliant performance if the resolution is set to 1080p. It works well in a 1440p setting. However, you might have to lower the resolution of your game for smooth gameplay.

Nonetheless, for the price, it offers a lot of advantages. It comes in two sizes, namely the Radeon Rx 480 4GB and Rx 480 8GB. This graphics card by AMD aims to be a low-price option for the VR market. For such an affordable price in comparison to its competitors, it meets the minimum requirements of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

The AMD Radeon Rx 480 is a graphic card that meets the bare minimum requirements for VR gaming. Without breaking the bank.

Let’s take a look at the specifications of the AMD Rx 480

If these specifications are a bit too complex to understand, let us break down the key features of the Radeon Rx 480.

The Design

The Rx 480 has three ports and one HDMI port. Each of the three ports has a 1.4 specification. Moreover, the look of the graphics card is not something unique or beautiful, but then again, it is not supposed to be extremely good-looking for the price.

The Founder’s edition AMD Rx 480 4GB and 8GB have a matte black finish and no backplate. At the bottom of the GPU is a cooling fan. The positive part about the fan is that it does not make much noise while providing ample thermal control.

GCN Architecture

The GCN of the AMD Rx 480 8 gb/4GB has been upgraded to the 4th generation. Also known as Polaris, this chip is now 14 nm making it compact and more efficient than the previous graphics cards.

Compared to others, Nvidia’s GTX 1070 and 1080 have a 16nm process, but then again, these are only loose comparisons since the graphic card in the discussion is mid-ranged. So, obviously, it will not be the best graphics card out there.

However, it does pose good competition mostly because it is light on the wallet and possesses a list of great features.

Power efficiency

The Radeon Rx 480 has proved to be a worthy rival due to its power efficiency. It has a board power of 150 W. 36 compute units, more than 2,000 steam processors, and a clock speed of 1266 MHz. For all of these features, it only draws less power. 

Moreover, the memory of this card comes in two variations, namely the 4 and 8 GB. The Radeon Rx 4 GB has a memory speed of 7 Gbps while the 8 GB one has 8 Gbps. 

Software

The AMD Radeon Rx 480’ software Catalyst Control Center is now replaced with Crimson. Crimson is more user-friendly. 

It is much quicker than its predecessor. You can get all the graphics card details and learn more about it if you have decided to purchase it.

Conclusion

To summarise, it is quite difficult to pinpoint any major problems with the Radeon Rx 480. Within the price range, it is a great product.

Providing ample steam processors and compute units that draw only 150 W. Therefore, the advantages and disadvantages concerning the power efficiency are balanced out.

It might not be as great as the GTX 1070 and 1080. However, the AMD Radeon Rx 480 proves to be a bang for one’s buck for the price range!

Another thing to note is that it provides the basic requirements for VR gaming within the lower range price. One can say that this model has stood the test of time amongst competitors, with its long-range advantages, fewer drawbacks, and economical price.

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