AMD will reportedly be launching two, or more, new enthusiast class R9 300 series graphics cards in June based on Fiji XT and Fiji VR GPUs. Fiji is AMD's upcoming enthusiast class GPU core that is slated to power a number of upcoming new high-end R9 300 series graphics cards this summer. This new information comes courtesy of Fudzilla who we consider to be a reliable source, thus the absence of a rumor tag.

Still, we should make sure to mention that this news did not officially come from AMD.

AMD's official word is that "new graphics launches" will be disclosed later this quarter and new graphics products will be launched in the second half of the year. The company doesn't provide any more specific details on the matter.

With that in mind let's get into the new information. According to Fudzilla there are actually at least two variants if not more of the Fiji GPU core. Fiji XT which we have known about for ages and a new Fiji variant. Fiji VR, this GPU core is suitably code named after Virtual Reality because it's targeted to go in a dual-GPU graphics board. What's the relation you may ask between VR and dual GPU cards.

Well earlier this year AMD launched a group of new graphics technologies to improve the virtual reality experience in almost every aspect. LiquidVR is a toolset of solutions that work to improve compatibility, programability, immersion and performance of VR.

One of the LiquidVR technologies that AMD announced was Affinity Multi-GPU.

Affinity Multi-GPU for scalable rendering, a technology that allows multiple GPUs to work together to improve frame rates in VR applications by allowing them to assign work to run on specific GPUs. Each GPU renders the viewpoint from one eye, and then composites the outputs into a single stereo 3D image. With this technology, multi-GPU configurations become ideal for high performance VR rendering, delivering high frame rates for a smoother experience.

The head of AMD's graphics division Raja Koduri revealed in an interview with MaximumPC that in dual-GPU setups Affinity Multi-GPU can actually yield more than a doubling of performance in VR. And the technology not only works to improve performance but also significantly cut down on latency. So it makes sense that AMD would design a dual-GPU product optimized for VR. And Fiji being a high performance, super high bandwidth GPU happens to be a perfect fit.

AMD Fiji XT To Power A New Single GPU Flagship - Fiji VR To Power A New Dual-GPU Flagship

Assuming that AMD sticks to its current naming system the new single GPU flagship is likely to end up as the R9 390X while the dual GPU flagship as the R9 395X2. Fiji XT will allegedly be the first graphics card to feature stacked HBM. The new JEDEC High Bandwidth Memory SPEC is based on 3D stacked memory dies connected via TSVs, Through Silicon Vias to form a memory cube. The new graphics memory offers up to 4.5X more bandwidth vs GDDR5 in its first generation and up to 9X more bandwidth than GDDR5 in its second generation.

Fiji XT will also allegedly be the first single-GPU product to feature both air and liquid reference cooling solutions. A previous leak indicates that the liquid cooling will be exclusive to a special WCE edition of the GPU while the regular versions will feature air cooling. We've been told that the air cooling solution actually features a new triple fan design and is not based on AMD's current reference air cooling solution. AMD set a precedent when it launched the R9 295X2, the world's fastest graphics card to date and the first ever graphics card to come with liquid cooling as standard. And it seems the company wishes to continue to push the envelope with more innovative GPU cooling solutions going forward with the R 300 series.

Below are the specifications for Fiji based on the WCE rumor. and the SiSoft Sandra database leak.