It showcased the full pre-launch line of RadeonRX Series graphics at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) conference. Chief executive Lisa Su said the cards were set to transform PC gaming this summer by delivering enthusiast-class performance and features for gamers at mainstream price points.

AMD has previously showcased the Polaris based RadeonRX 480 graphics card designed for incredibly smooth AAA gaming (Triple-A is a classification for games with the highest development budgets and levels of promotion. For a title considered to be AAA it must a high-quality game or to be among the year's bestsellers.)

The Radeon RX480 has 1440p resolution and at US$199 will be one of the most affordable premium VR solutions. Joining it are the newly announced RadeonRX 470 graphics card delivering refined, power-efficient HD gaming, and the RadeonRX 460, a cool and efficient solution for the ultimate e-sports gaming experience.

The RadeonRX Series of graphics processors are designed to transform the PC gaming industry across a variety of form factors, delivering on three fundamental "entitlements’” for gamers and game developers:

• It will expand the VR ecosystem by democratising exceptional VR experiences, making them available to many form factors and millions of consumers by lowering the cost barriers to entry.
• Via a combination of RadeonRX Series performance profiles and close-to-the-metal APIs that closely mirror console APIs, AMD believes that developers will co-develop high quality, high performing game content for both consoles and PCs, enhancing the PC gaming ecosystem.
• Gaming notebooks have traditionally been large and cumbersome or underpowered for today’s gaming needs. The RadeonRX Series addresses this with flagship technology that effectively gives mobile users GPU performance that rivals that of consoles with exceptionally low power and low Z-height to drive thin, light and high-performance gaming notebooks, and 1080p 60Hz gaming experiences for both eSports and AAA titles.

“Gamers and consumers today are being left behind,” said Raja Koduri, senior vice-president and chief architect, Radeon Technologies Group, AMD. “Today only the top 16% of PC gamers are purchasing GPUs that deliver premium VR and gaming experiences. Hundreds of millions of gamers have been relegated to using outdated technology. Notebook gamers are often forced to compromise. And tens of millions more can only read about incredible PC VR experiences that they can’t enjoy for themselves. That all changes with the RadeonRX Series, placing compelling and advanced high-end gaming and VR technologies within reach of everyone.”

Gamers will be the most likely users for the RadeonRX Series:

• Features the most advanced graphics and gaming technologies ever seen in a GPU priced under US$300, delivering cutting-edge engineering to everyday PC gamers and VR consumers. It uses the new Polaris architecture optimised for the 14nm FinFET process featuring the smallest transistors ever used in a GPU
• Affordable VR with models starting at US$199, the RadeonRX 480 is the most affordable solution for a premium VR experience, supplying the graphics capability necessary to bring high-quality PC VR experiences from Oculus and HTC3 to anyone who wants it.
• Gamers will enjoy these products for a long time to come with a range of “future-proof” benefits including:
  • Deliver impressive DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and DirectX 11 gaming performance, and DirectX 12 and Vulkan, the future of gaming. Polaris architecture uniquely supports asynchronous compute for superior experiences with games and VR applications.
  • It includes support for next-generation HDR gaming and video on new HDR monitors and TVs. The RadeonRX Series also supports HDMI2.0b and DisplayPort 1.3/1.4 supporting the new generation of high-resolution HDR and high-refresh displays. The RadeonRX Series features exceptional accelerated H.265 encoding and decoding, enabling effortless streaming or recording of 10-bit 4K video at 60 FPS4.
  • Radeon Software enables the high-performance, features, and stability to ensure an exceptionally smooth and fast out-of-box experience with ongoing updates.