Editor’s Pick: Faster professional graphics performance

AMD makes available its next-generation professional graphics board for mainstream performance. The new AMD Radeon PRO W6400 graphics card (and its mobile variations, the W6500M and W6300M) is built on the AMD RDNA™ 2 graphics architecture and 6nm manufacturing process technology, with 16MB of high-bandwidth, low-latency AMD Infinity Cache memory technology acting as a bandwidth amplifier at low power, and low latency. 

AMD says this GPU is optimized for the requirements of popular CAD and office productivity applications, including Autodesk AutoCAD, McNeel Rhino 3D, and a variety of graphics-intensive professional productivity applications. 

The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 graphics card delivers up to three times higher performance in Autodesk AutoCAD 2022 during 3D orbit rotational tests in shaded modes, According to company testing before final release. AMD says the W6400 also offers up to 87% higher performance in McNeel Rhino using the Holomark 2 benchmark with mesh, object and model data stress tests. 

The new GPU complements the existing W6600 (8GB) and W6800 (32GB) cards. “But although it is an affordable GPU, you are not sacrificing any appropriate speed or bandwidth,” says Jamie Gwilliam, AMD PRO Graphics marketing lead. The company sees this board as an option for users with a slightly lighter graphics workload. 

All three are built using AMD RDNA 2 graphics architecture with 6nm process technology. They can take advantage of up to 8MB of AMD Infinity Cache memory technology.

“Work patterns have changed dramatically over the last year, requiring professional users to work more efficiently and complete projects faster than ever,” says Scott Herkelman, senior vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit at AMD. “The Radeon PRO W6400 is a powerful graphics card that harnesses the award-winning AMD RDNA 2 architecture feature set, enabling not only mainstream CAD professionals to produce incredible and complex designs, but also meeting the demands of today’s office workers who need to edit images, create presentations, collaborate and multitask more than ever.” 

Herkelman adds, “The new AMD Radeon PRO W6000 Series mobile graphics provide the ideal combination of performance and mobility to drive a range of workloads for professionals on the go.”

All AMD Radeon PRO W6000 Series graphics boards offer hardware-accelerated raytracing, remote working capabilities, 8K display support, the latest PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 high-speed data transfer, VR creator support, HDR Ready support and Quad-buffer stereo—all supported as standard features.

Many high-end GPUs need a dedicated external power connector. Because the W6400 is designed for mainstream enterprise applications, it is powered by the system’s standard PCIe slot, along the base of the card. 

The board uses Viewport Boost, a dynamic resolution technology designed to improve frame rates in GPU-limited situations. It intelligently lowers resolution only in scenarios where fast in-viewport movement is detected. 

The W6400 is fitted with up to 16MB of last-level data cache (L3), integrated on the GPU die to reduce latency and power consumption. 

The W6400 is vendor certified for a wide variety of professional applications. A list may be found here. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website. 

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