AMD's "RDNA 4" Navi 48-based GPUs, such as Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, will support AV1 encoding, making them ideal for content creators and streamers.
AV1 Encoding Support Added to "Higher-End" RDNA 4-based GPUs, Specifically the Navi 48 GPU Die
Thankfully, AMD isn't removing the hardware encoders from one of the two GPU dies it is supposedly launching at this year's CES. The one we are talking about is the Navi 48, which powers the upcoming Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT GPUs. Unlike the Navi 44, it will bring hardware encoders, making them ideal for streamers and content creators.
HXL (@9550pro) spotted AMD's RDNA 4 GPUs' added AV1 encoding support on GitHub under GPUOpen Libraries and SDKs. Here, the "AV1 B-Frame" support refers to a feature in the AV1 video codec that enhances video compression and quality. With the AV1 codex, the RDNA 4 GPUs, i.e., the Navi 48, can achieve better compression efficiency than H.264 and HEVC, which is important and the standard for modern GPUs.
Unfortunately, this support is supposedly absent on the Navi 44, a budget RDNA 4 die that will power lower-end RX 9000 GPUs. The Navi 44 misses the hardware encoders completely, which makes them unsuitable for content creation and streamers. This is similar to what AMD did with its budget RDNA 2 GPUs, such as the RX 6500 XT and RX 6400. However, the Navi 44 is supposedly powering GPUs that are rumored to cost up to $349. So, removing the hardware encoders doesn't look too consumer-friendly.
Nonetheless, we are waiting for the official unveiling, which should happen in around a week. With that, we will also see AMD's top offerings in the RX 9000 lineup, the RX 9070 GPUs. The Radeon RX 9070 XT is supposedly as powerful as the upper-mid-range or high-end NVIDIA RTX 40 series cards like RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4080. Apart from bringing strong gaming performance, the full support for hardware encoding will enable it to increase productivity in various apps where the encoders are needed.
Apart from the RX 9000, AMD will also launch FSR 4 and Ryzen 9 9000X3D chips, such as Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D, at the same event.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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