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The AMD RX Vega 64 was launched back in August 2017. It was designed to compete with Nvidia's high-end GTX 1080, and it did so very well. However, it had some heating issues and consumed more power than the Nvidia GPU. With newer drivers, it delivered even better results in gaming, but how does it perform now? Is the AMD RX Vega 64 still good for gaming in 2024?
Yes, depending on the game and resolution you play at. This article delves into everything you need to know about the AMD RX Vega 64 and its viability in the current gaming landscape.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
AMD RX Vega 64: Everything you need to know
The AMD RX Vega 64 was designed for 4K gaming when it first launched in 2017. However, in 2024, not all games can be played at 4K. Graphically intensive games such as Cyberpunk 2077 can only be played at 1080p medium settings with 60 FPS, while other titles like Far Cry 6 support 4K high settings with 60+ FPS. It all comes down to the game itself. Let's check out its specs and performance.
Specs
The specs provide a general idea of what to expect from the AMD RX Vega 64. Here are its specs:
There are a few things to point out in the specs list. Firstly, there are no RT cores since ray tracing wasn't a prevalent component in 2017. Also, it has a HBM2-based memory instead of GDDR5 or GGDR5X found in the Nvidia GTX 10 series GPUs. The HBM2 memory chips have a super wide memory bus of 2048-bit, which allows the GPU to support a technology called HBCC, short for High Bandwidth Cache Controller.
According to AMD's presentation at the Capsaicin & Cream event, the HBCC allowed the VRAM to act as a last-level cache and a portion of the system RAM as VRAM. It essentially allows the GPU to run games that require more than 8GB VRAM.
The VRAM issues seriously popped up in 2023 when Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 1 was released on PC. This game is notorious for utilizing over 8GB VRAM, with even the Nvidia RTX 3070 struggling to run it as the VRAM was spilling over to system memory. It caused huge stutters and made the game unplayable.
The HBCC was designed as a fix but requires a wider memory bus that can only be provided by HBM memory, as seen in the Vega 64 GPU. You won't find this technology in modern GPUs as they lack HBM memory. According to Iceberg Tech on YouTube, the HBCC allowed the Vega 64 to run The Last of Us Part 1 at 1080p ultra settings without stuttering, even though it had 8GB.
Performance
The AMD RX Vega 64 was designed to run games at 4K, but modern titles can only be played at a maximum resolution of 1080p and 1440p. Some graphically intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Dying Light 2 don't support that resolution. Here's how the AMD RX Vega 64 performs in modern games at both 1080p and 1440p with medium settings.
Note: The benchmark data is provided by the Hardware Unboxed team on YouTube.
As you can see, most games are playable at both 1080 and 1440p. But some titles like Fortnite and Far Cry 6 can be played on 4K. In fact, Caius Tech on YouTube did some benchmarks and found that the Vega 64 delivered over 70 FPS at 4K high settings in Far Cry 6. So, it can still run some games at this resolution.
Pricing and current status
The RX Vega 64 was originally launched at $499, but is currently available at $100-120 on eBay, making the deal lucrative. However, AMD announced last year that it stopped support for Vega GPUs, and no new driver updates have been provided since. So future game-ready drivers won't be released for this card and without them, the games may not function well.
Is AMD RX Vega 64 still good for gaming in 2024?
The AMD Vega 64 is still a solid GPU, even in 2024. It won't deliver 60 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p ultra settings, but if you turn the settings down to medium, the GPU runs just fine. Doing so in other graphically intensive games will ensure they run fine as well. However, some games will give 60FPS at 1080p ultra or even 4K.
