Base, Game and Boost Clock: big differences for the new Radeon RX 6000?

Source: HW Upgrade added 19th Oct 2020

General information emerges again on the network on the operating frequencies of Big Navi, also known as Navi 16. We return to talk of frequencies well beyond 2 GHz, with big leaps between Base, Game and Boost Clock.

by Manolo De Agostini published , at 07: 53 in the Video Cards channel

AMD Radeon Ships

There are about ten days left until the presentation of the new video cards Radeon RX 6000 of AMD based on RDNA 2 architecture. We are approaching the event both with an idea of ​​the heatsink of the new flagship proposal (Big Navi) and its performance, thanks to the small advances offered by the manufacturer. We do not know any other details, in the past there has been talk of the alleged technical specifications of the various chips and there have also been rumors of very high operating frequencies, over the 2000 MHz.

The indiscretion has returned in the past few hours, seasoned with some other details. As always, take everything with due pliers. According to a Twitter leaker, whose information would come from a third-party manufacturer (so it shouldn’t be part of AMD’s reference design), there will be cards based on the flagship GPU Navi 16 XT capable of working at 2.4GHz regarding the Game Clock, a term coined last year to define a typical operating frequency during gaming.

According to Videocardz, the reference cards will instead have a Game Clock around 2.3 GHz, while the Navi variant 21 XL should stop at around 2.2 GHz. However, it must be added that another leaker proposes a slightly different picture, where these frequencies do not represent the Game Clock but the Boost Clock. Per Navi 21 XT speaks of a base frequency of 1450 / 1500 MHz, which rises to 2000 / 2100 MHz in Game Clock and up to 2200 / 2400 MHz in Boost Clock. As for Navi 21 XL, the leaker indicates a Base Clock of 1350 / 1400 MHz, a Game Clock of 1800 / 1900 MHz and a Boost Clock of 2100 / 2200 MHz.

In general it looks like there will be quite a jump between the Base Clock and the other frequencies, with a + 500 / 600 MHz between Base and Game Clock and a further + 53 / 300 MHz between Game and Boost Clock. Since this is not the first time we have talked about such high clocks, we are starting to believe that the rumors have some basis – or AMD is voluntarily circulating incorrect information in order to protect the launch.

Regarding Ships 21 XT, we also speak of 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and a TDP of 255 W, a value over which, however, the partners would have ample control. It is currently unclear if we will also see a third variant of the Navi GPU 21, called “XTX”, but could only be used by AMD itself for certain projects and / or initiatives. AMD flagship cards, according to previous rumors, should have a bus to 256 bit, perhaps assisted by a technology