AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Unboxing

It’s time once again for another tease ahead of a launch. This time we’re looking at AMD’s next-generation GPU, Vega 64. It will be available Monday, August 14, alongside Vega 56. We are furiously working on our launch-day review. Meanwhile,  AMD’s new Vega 64 didn’t arrive in pedestrian retail packaging, but instead in a beautifully made media sample. Our little postman seems thrilled to have delivered it to us.

What lurks within? Only our little friend knows. But beware of the big flap on the right side, little buddy!

In the self-opening part of the packaging, we find a box with three interesting gifts and merchandising gizmos. Curiously, AMD left out the crypto-currency mining wallet. Our postman is still looking for it.

Alas, this is not the Vega Cube, aka “Koduri Cube.” But this cube almost fell out of the box and onto our feet. It’s actually a hologram of the Radeon logo, another tchotchke to add to our collection.

In addition to the obligatory rubber wristband, we found an extra chip. This is not the chip that we’ll be reviewing, but instead an older version without the moulding.

Our postman is knocked over by the size of this chip, but at least we get to a sense of its physical presence.

Enough with all of the extras. It’s the card we want to see, isn’t it? Well. It’s hidden in a second inner box. Here's everything together, again, for a final look at the packaging.

Two 8-pin plugs on the top bear witness to a healthy appetite. But we mustn't spoil anything yet.

Visually, RX Vega resembles the the Radeon RX 480 reference design, but the RX Vega is significantly longer (26.8 cm).

A fine-looking backplate can make the card more attractive. Unfortunately, the backplate does not actively cool. So it goes.

This fat card is 10.5 cm high and 3.8 cm deep.

This thing has four ports (three DP 1.4, one HDMI 2.0) and a lot of room for hot air to escape. DHE (Direct Heat Exhaustion) solutions need clear structures and a free path.

With the housing box dismantled, we can see the whole of the package’s bounty spread out before us, ready to analyze. The actual unboxing, then, is complete. Mission accomplished!

Willie had a fun time spinning on the radial fan, but we still need it. Without the fan moving plenty of air, we’ll have issues.

We’re getting closer to the water’s edge. We grabbed an appropriate AiO compact water cooling system to take some measurements for a follow-up article after the official Vega launch, but maybe for now it’s best to keep all of this secret...

Take a deep breath; it’s time to go under water. We can’t say anything else just yet (unfortunately), but stay tuned...