AMD RDNA2 refresh is going dark?

A new rumor alleges that the upcoming refresh of the flagship RDNA2 model is to feature a black cooling solution.

AMD Radeon RX 6800XT Midnight Black, Source: AMD

This claim comes from Greymon55, who was among the first to reveal AMD plans for updated RDNA2 models. At this moment we already know that the company is planning at least three SKUs: 6950XT, 6750XT and 6650XT. All these cards are to feature faster 18 Gbps GDDR6 memory and most likely higher board power.

Greymon55 claims that the reference model of the RX 6950XT will be available in black color. It is unclear if this is the only version now being planned, or rather a special edition of some sorts.

Greymon55

@greymon55

reference 6950XT is black

12:52 PM · Mar 10, 2022

78

4

However, this is not the first black model in the RDNA2 series. It is likely that AMD will be repurposing its RX 6800 XT Midnight Black cooling solutions here. This special edition model was released in April last year, an exclusive item for The Red Team members. It is now included into the regular drops in official AMD store, which appears to be the only way to purchase one, other than from second hand.

We are yet to learn if board partners are going to offer AMD RX 6X50XT reference models or rather focus on their custom solutions. After all, most existing 6900XT custom models, especially the liquid-cooled ones with Navi 21 XTXH GPU, should already be compatible with the new Radeon SKU when power and heat are considered.

It is said that AMD RX 6950XT features 5120 Stream Processors and 16GB of GDDR6 memory clocked at 18 Gbps. This model will have an increased TBP (typical board power) to 350W, which is 50W higher than the current 6900XT model. According to the most recent rumors, this card will be released on April 20th, possibly alongside Ryzen 7 5800X3D.

Source: @greymon55