AMD asks reviewers to prioritize Vega 56 over Vega 64

AMD send out Radeon RX Vega review kits to tech sites this week and now we learn some more information about the NDA as well as the review notes that accompany the products. Gamers Nexus writes the embargo for the Radeon RX Vega 56 and 64 performance reviews expires on Monday, August 14, 2017 at 9:00 A.M. EDT.

Tech publications will be allowed to post unboxing photos and videos on August 12 at 11 A.M. EDT so you can expect some weekend buzz too.

One of the interesting aspects about the launch is that AMD is asking reviewers to prioritize the Radeon RX Vega 56 over the Radeon RX Vega 64. It seems AMD is not particularly confident about the gaming performance of its RX Vega 64 versus NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080, whereas the RX Vega 56 should be more competitive versus the GTX 1070:

As of today, AMD noted that RX Vega 56 cards have been shipped to reviewers, along with a request that reviewers specifically “prioritize coverage” of RX Vega 56 over RX Vega 64 under time-constrained conditions. This clearly indicates AMD’s faith in RX Vega 64 and 56, demonstrating that 56 should more reasonably compete with nVidia at the ~$400 price-point, while 64 will undoubtedly be more fiercely embattled at $500-$600. AMD has timed RX Vega strategically so that it launches following Threadripper, where most reviewers have had attention focused for the past week. Cards have been received over the past day or so, leaving little time for deep testing. RX Vega 56 cards are to arrive by the weekend.

AMD also revealed that the review kits do not include final retail packaging. So what you'll be seeing on the unboxing videos will be slightly different than the final retail package.