While the world is reeling from a global chip shortage, it seems Apple isn’t feeling the effects. It seems AMD has saved up some stash for the W6800X Duo, the dual-GPU RDNA 2 powerhouse. This chip has been specifically designed for Apple’s Mac Pro and comes with two discrete RDNA2 GPUs combined with AMD’s Infinity Fabric connect.
Each discrete GPU inside the Radeon Pro W6800X Duo shares its specs with the Radeon RX 6800, so you’ll get the power of two RX 6800s from one card! Each GPU is going to feature 60 RDNA 2 CUs totaling at 3,840 cores per chip. Double that, and you get 7,680 cores in total, which is 50% more cores than the flagship Radeon RX 6900 XT.
The Radeon Pro and Radeon cards differ in one crucial aspect: memory capacity. On the W6800X, we get 32GB of GDDR6 memory on each GPU for a total of 64GB. And every other component such as the VRM, MOSFETs, capacitors, and all traces inside the PCB also has to be doubled. All of this, on a single PCB.
And this sounds absolutely mouth-watering, on paper at least.
The W6800X Duo is fitted with Apple’s MPX Module, a specially built unit that would slot inside the Mac Pro and incorporates up to 500W of power and Thunderbolt 3. The height consists mainly of a heatsink, which can take advantage of the Mac Pro’s triple-fan design to keep both the chips cool.
And here’s the real kicker. Apple will make available a Mac Pro variant with two MPX Modules inside it, which means there will be four GPUs inside a single machine!
This will grant not just insanely powerful raw computing power but also add more bandwidth. Each W6800X Duo has an Infinity Fabric connection between the two GPUs – the same with the interconnect used to bridge chiplets within AMD Ryzen Zen 2 and newer processors.
The massive bandwidth with that connection will offer high-performance between the two GPUs and help save time when running compute-heavy tasks.
But, sadly, this won’t make the Mac a gaming beast. The days of dual-GPU gaming graphics cards are long gone. No longer are drivers built to meet the needs of users running either dual-graphics cards or dual-GPU systems. But this could make the Mac Pro with two W6800X Duo’s a beast at making games.
While this GPU does sound fantastic, you will need to buy the Mac Pro to get it. And it doesn’t come cheap either; a Mac Pro with two Radeon Pro W6800X Duo MPX Modules is $15,999, with each W6800X Duo module costing $5,000 apiece.
Should I Buy The Radeon Pro W6800X Duo?
This is a pretty heavy investment and a bit unnecessary if your main goal is gaming. Sure, it’ll probably run your games fine. But a lot of other systems can do that without needing to spend that kind of cash.
However, if your profession requires a PC with high compute capabilities, this Mac Pro would probably be your best bet. And if you already own a Macbook, iPhone, or iPad, it’ll be a seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem.
About Advanced Micro Devices
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
AMD develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. AMD’s main products include microprocessors, motherboard chipsets, embedded processors and graphics processors for servers, workstations, personal computers and embedded system applications.
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