If you are looking to build a gaming computer but you don’t have a huge budget, you will definitely want to look at the RX 480. AMD have recently announced their latest Polaris-based graphics card, the RX 480 which costs only $199. You might not expect a lot from a $199 card, but AMD have managed to work some magic in order to create a low-cost powerhouse.
In an AMD sponsored Linus Tech Tips video, AMD representative Raja Koduri explains the RX 480 is designed to provide a good VR experience to the mainstream market. Koduri describes good VR as being the Vive or Oculus, he refers to bad VR as Google Cardboard/Gear VR. In order to get acceptable performance when using ‘good VR’, you’ll need to pay around $400 for a decent graphics card. With the RX 480, PC builders will only need to pay $199 in order to experience VR properly.
The graphics card seems to also be power efficient too, featuring only one six-pin power port. AMD have claimed their new graphics card will be able to power VR headsets, but what does that actually mean in term of benchmarks? Well, we don’t know yet because there aren’t any benchmarks out right now. The RX 480 livestream did show off a slide detailing the graphics cards specifications which appear to be comparable to Nvidia’s 970/980 cards.
We’ve included the Linus Tech Tips video below. Let us know in the comment section below what you think about the graphics card and if you plan on buying one (or not).
