AMD Radeon RX 490 release date, specs rumors update: Will upcoming graphics cards be Polaris-based or Vega-based?

The rumored AMD Radeon RX 490 graphics cards may be released in the early months of 2017 and could feature the next-gen Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture from the California-based tech company.

The Radeon RX 490 may be powered by Vega 10, AMD's high-end graphics processing unit (GPU) and may also come with the energy-efficient second-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM2).

A specifications table on VideoCardz seems to corroborate this rumor, although the online news outlet also cautioned that since the graphics card has not yet been released, details about are still subject to change.

However, PCGamesN.com reported that although AMD told investors that Vega 10 will be launching in early 2017, it still remains unclear whether the 4K-based Radeon RX 490 will feature the new GCN architecture or will stick with the current Polaris GPU. This information could prove crucial in pinpointing a possible release date for the highly anticipated graphics cards.

If the Radeon RX 490 ends up being Polaris-based, a 2016 release may still be feasible. However, if so, the release date will most likely be pushed to the first quarter of 2017.

Considering how AMD is very particular about naming their devices, the name Radeon RX 490 alone could give clues on the possible features of the next-gen graphics cards. AMD's chief gaming scientist, Richard Huddy, explained to PCGamesN. com that the tech company's naming system in a briefing about the Radeon naming scheme.

RX means the device can offer a processing power of more than 1.5TFLOPs that can hit up to 60 frames per second at 1080p in popular titles like DOTA 2 and LOL.

The number 4 refers to the fourth generation GCN architecture, which seems to indicate that the Radeon RX 480 may still be Polaris-based after all. The 9 refers to the ninth tier of gaming which targets a memory bus of more than 256 bits focused on 4K gaming. This would mean that the upcoming RX 490 may deliver enough powerful features to provide a decent gaming experience at the highest possible resolution.

Rumors about the Radeon RX 490 introducing the upcoming GCN architecture, Vega 10 were based on speculations that the Polaris 10 GPU may not have the capacity to provide a performance as powerful as the RX 490.

These are all just speculations at this point and AMD has yet to release an official statement regarding this matter.