AMD’s VR-Ready PCs are way faster than any console, but just as small

Just how much faster you ask? AMD might be suffering more market loss to the likes of Nvidia month on month, but that doesn’t mean they’re sitting on their hands and waiting for something to happen. And while their latest venture might not exactly be what will get them back in the race, it’s certainly something worth looking closer at. Then again, any piece of technology that claims it’s nine times faster than an Xbox One and seven times faster than a PS4 is worth looking at.

Of course that’s not too hard to image with a PC, but it becomes a whole other story when that PC is around the same size as a console. Working with American PC chassis manufacturer Falcon Northwest (and some magicians on the side), AMD is preparing to begin shipping their most powerful PC yet. This is their version of a so called Steam Machine – a small no fuss PC that will take you well into the heart of Virtual Reality and DirectX 12 powered gaming.

AMD’s Roy Taylor shared another image of the bite-sized behemoths yesterday

Burn in success 100%, shipping soon! @FalconNW @AMDRadeon #DX12 #VR @AMDDevCentral pic.twitter.com/qSHcgMQi6T

— Roy Taylor (@Roy_techhwood) 28 February 2016

So just what makes this PCs so lightning fast? While AMD hasn’t yet revealed all the specifications, the crux of the power lies in the dual Fiji Fury X2 card that has somehow been squeezed into such a small body (see previous note on magicians). This is AMD cramming two of its fastest cards on the market into one system, surpassing the likes of Nvidia’s Titan X with around double the computing power. You’ve got a massive 12 terraflops of pixel crunching power, along with High-Bandwidth Memory to make sure VRAM isn’t an issue in your near future.

What is curious to see is that this Fury X2 in particular will be using a new air cooler instead of the stock water cooling we’ve seen previously. Does that mean both versions will be coming with the card when it reaches the market, or has this been specifically designed for AMD’s own PC?

Another peek at the worlds best #DX12, #VR developer box; @htcvive @oculus @AMDRadeon @FalconNW @AMDDevCentral pic.twitter.com/xOfYEkeR77
— Roy Taylor (@Roy_techhwood) 26 February 2016

Either way, if you’re firmly in the AMD camp for PC components and have been looking for the single most powerful solution they have to offer, this is it. There’s no word yet on pricing (I personally wouldn’t assume it to be anywhere near cheap), but it’s safe to say that when AMD unleashes these, you’re going to notice. I’m sure even Valve’s VR benchmark is scared it won’t be a challenge.

Last Updated: February 29, 2016