After launching the super-small Radeon RX-460-2G-OC and the RX-460-4G-OC graphics cards in August of 2016, MSI’s game of limbo continues with the release of two more Radeon RX 400 Series cards that are even smaller than what we saw with the previous two.
The new cards are the RX-460-2GT-LP and the RX-460-4GT-LP measuring a mere 6.65 x 2.71 x 1.53 inches. As a reference, the two cards released in August measure 6.77 x 4.60 x 1.30 inches.
With that out of the way, here are the hardware specs for the two new compact cards:
RX 460 2GT LP | RX 460 4GT LP | |
Architecture: | Polaris 11 | Polaris 11 |
Number of cores: | 896 | 896 |
Texture Mapping Units: | 48 | 48 |
Render Output Units: | 16 | 16 |
Base speed: | 1,090MHz | 1,090MHz |
Boost speed: | 1,200MHz | 1,200MHz |
Memory amount: | 2,048MB GDDR5 | 4,096MB GDDR5 |
Memory interface: | 128-bit | 128-bit |
Memory speed: | 1,750MHz | 1,750MHz |
Afterburner OC: | Yes | Yes |
CrossFire support: | Yes | Yes |
Output: | 1x HDMI 2.0 1x DL-DVI-D |
1x HDMI 2.0 1x DL-DVI-D |
Max number of displays: | 2 | 2 |
Size: | 6.65 x 2.71 x 1.53 inches | 6.65 x 2.71 x 1.53 inches |
Power consumption: | 75 watts | 75 watts |
Recommended power supply: | 400 watts | 400 watts |
Cost: | $110 | ~$138 |
Despite their size, both low-profile cards sport two cooling fans instead of one large fan as seen with the previous OC units. They also have a 10MHz slower boost speed than the previous OC models, which really isn’t a major difference in performance. However, the new cards appear to be $10 more than the OC models, costing $110 for the 2GT unit and an estimated $138 for the 4GT unit.
Outside the dual fans and super-low profile, MSI’s tiny new cards rely on Military Class 4 components (MILK-STD-810G), support for a 3,840 x 2,160 desktop resolution, and support for MSI’s Afterburner tool. This is an overclocking utility that includes means to customize fan profiles, benchmark the card, and record gameplay. This indicates that although the card isn’t overclocked out of the box, customers can tweak the speeds for optimal performance. The older OC units can be overclocked as well.
“Only these [military-certified] components have proven durable enough to withstand the torturous circumstances of extreme gaming and overclocking for extended usage,” the company states. “With their aluminum core design, Solid CAP’s have been a staple in high-end component designs and provides lower Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) as well as its over-10-year lifespan.”
The MSI RX-460-2GT-LP model appears to be available now for $110. Currently, the official pricing and availability for the MSI RX-460-4GT-LP model is unknown, so keep an eye out on Newegg, Amazon, and other outlets.