Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has previously spawned two acclaimed graphic's processing units (GPU), the Polaris 10 and Polaris 11. And as both of which have wowed both visual and gaming enthusiasts at such a level that they have already been fully satisfied, one would think that AMD may now be moving on to something even more refined and compact. That ended abruptly when references to the company's purported Polaris 10 XT2, Polaris GCN 12 and Vega 10 have been spotted in the latest AMD driver for macOS.
The latest references to AMD's Polaris and Vega GPUs were leaked and spotted in the macOS driver, courtesy of a poster on the TonyMac forum. The newly unearthed file can be opened through utilizing a HEX viewer. As such, it also lists several other GPU architectures all with their own separate listing, indicating that Polaris 10 XT2and Polaris GCN 12 are separated from Polaris 10 and 11 accordingly.
Perhaps the more surprising outing did not come from the Vega 10 revelation. It actually is generated by the two Polaris cards which have not appeared or frequented the tech mills previously. The Polaris GCN 12 is clearly developed after the Polaris 11 but the latter couldn't be ascertained as a much faster GPU for now as there are no indications yet. More significantly, people have begun speculating as to why AMD is intending to launch new chips that are really close to its Vega launching.
The response couldn't come clearer as it is — the intended launching of the new chips may come right on time as there may be a new Radeon family on the horizon. Further, AMD's Vega GPUs with HBM2 will be part of a new family and is reportedly developed to lure the "enthusiast" market. On the other hand, the Polaris 12 and the other chips which were created before are coming for the mainstream section.
Meanwhile, the AMD Polaris 10 XT2 chip is deemed to be a new revision designed for Polaris 10 which will feature better clock speeds along with improved efficiency. Also, the forthcoming chip might get the moniker as Radeon RX 475 as AMD has already detailed its Radeon 400 naming roster.
As the Vega 10 GPU has already surfaced previously, it is its first time to appear in public drivers such as macOS. The GPU is expected to take its aim at the high-end market and is expected to launch during the first quarter of 2017.