When most of us think of new GPU releases, our minds turn towards some of the best graphics cards. In AMD’s case, that would currently mean the RX 9070 XT. But AMD is known for dipping back into previous generations, and this GPU proves just how far back AMD (or its partners) are willing to go to launch a new product. The question is: Does anyone really need it?
The GPU in question is the RX 6500. This is a non-XT, base version, and it was spotted by realVictor_M on X (Twitter). Made by Zephyr, the GPU never got as much as an official announcement from AMD. Instead, the card simply appeared on the market, and so far, Zephyr appears to be the only AIB (add-in board) partner making the RX 6500. It’s referred to as Dual ITX, and it does seem perfect for a small build.
So, what does this tiny, dual-fan card hide under the hood? Nothing to be excited about in this day and age. The GPU sports 1,024 stream processors (SPs), 16 compute units (CUs), a measly 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM across a 64-bit memory bus (clocked at 16Gbps). It also has a total board power (TBP) of 55 watts, which means it won’t need an external power connector. As spotted by VideoCardz, Zephyr also has a single-slot version of the card that comes with just one fan.
Spec-wise, the RX 6500 falls closer to the RX 6500 XT than it does to the RX 6400. The lower-end GPU sports just 768 SPs, although they both share the same memory configuration.
Although I am a fan of budget-oriented systems, I struggle to see the need for a GPU of this caliber. Integrated graphics will offer similar performance here, and gaming with 4GB of VRAM is going to be tough unless one sticks to old indie titles. But all of that is no problem, because people do need PCs for use cases such as this. It’s more that similar GPUs are still readily available, including low-end, sub-$100 models from both AMD and Nvidia.
I could see the RX 6500 ending up in a small form factor (SFF) PC used as a home entertainment system, for example. For gaming, it might be too far behind the times at this point. It’s unclear when or if the card will make it to the U.S. market, or how much it will cost.
AMD has a new GPU, but it’s not the one you think — or need
