Thank goodness for this important news about a GPU launching in October, for a market that we enthusiasts don't even care about. You're doing God's work, Ryan! Never mind the Radeon RX 6600 XT that launches tomorrow and had reviews go up from your competitor sites today. Never mind Every. Single. GPU. Launched. In. The. Past. Year. Huzzah for the Nvidia RTX A2000!
Seriously, do you just not do reviews anymore? Don't use lack of availability as an excuse. We'd still read your insights on things. I guess the concerns that after the Purch buyout, the site would focus more on phones and less on PC has proved true.
Lets go through the recent topics on this site: Open Compute, Gigabyte Dual EPYC MB, Xeon W Workstation CPUs, Supermicro Ice Lake Xeon MB, Threadripper Pro. What makes you think this is an "enthusiasts" site? And even if they cover the RX6600 XT people will just moan about "unavailability" and "$399" like every other review on Youtube channels right now. This article told me something I didn't know, and I appreciated it.
Anandtech figured out that none of the GPU news actually matters when consumers can't actually buy them. Might as well cover professional as much as consumer.
As an enthusiast, I do more than just gaming and this article is of great interest to me. So speak for yourself.
And as others have said, if you dont care about the article, then don't read it. Ryan and the rest of the AT team has zero obligation to cater to what good ol' Frumious1 wants and nothing more.
OP's presentation could have been better, but I too wonder why AT has fallen off the GPU review cliff. I don't buy that it's lack of sourcing; their sister site has reviewed numerous NV 3k series cards. I miss good reviews, whether I could buy the cards or not. Prices went stupid a couple generations ago, but cards still got reviewed. AT reviewed GPUs (Ryan and Nate) far better IMO than any other reviewer I have seen; I just wish they still would.
Complaints about lack of GPU reviews and deep dives are warranted, but a completely separate matter from their reporting of new card launches. While these product launch announcements are relatively low-value, they're also low-effort and tell me something I might not have otherwise noticed.
As for the value of this card, I can tell you I've been in the position of having to spec GPUs for 2U rackmount machines with no riser card, and I definitely appreciate having this level of horsepower in a low-profile form factor and at their workstation price point. The chassis I mentioned didn't have the airflow needed for the passively-cooled cards, nor were those a good fit for our budget.
>Fittingly, it’s also the first card released by NVIDIA since the Quadro P era that’s available in a low-profile design.
I believe NVIDIA already launched the low-profile T400, T600, and T1000 cards, based on TU117, in May 2021. They've been on sale for a bit now, but are still quite new, to be fair. They're all low-profile + 4x MiniDP 1.4a, but no RTX cores like this A2000 (sans T400 with only 3x MiniDP 1.4a).
>MiniDP gives the card the same display capabilities as the other A-series cards – driving up to 4 5K displays – just without the benefits of a locking DisplayPort connector.
Actually, NVIDIA's miniDP now has a locking connector, too: it's on the T400/600/1000 use and I believe these A2000 cards, as well. It's that little slot above the miniDP connector, if you zoom into NVIDIA's promo image or a close-up on the T-series here:
It may be a NVIDIA-proprietary thing (it's just a latch / bit of plastic), as I've not seen it used elsewhere. The adapter themselves look like this (couldn't find a non-eBay link, unfortunately):
Would be nice to see *some* locks standardized on MiniDP for low-profile cards as it looks like pennies to implement. DisplayPort cables have a hell of a tight fit and at longer lengths, they're heavy.
AMD Radeon Pro WX cards also use locking MiniDP connectors. I have a WX 4100 in my PC at work, connected to 3 monitors, and the MiniDP-to-DP dongles have locking connectors that keep them attached to the card.
Sometimes they're really easy to release. Other times they're really hard to release. :)
Those locking miniDP connectors have been around for a LONG time. We've got awful little Fermi-based HHHL Quadros from a decade ago still knocking around in the environment with a mix of latching miniDP and DMS-59.
Minor correction: the mini-DP connections the RTX A2000 are locking, at least with the included adapters. they have a tab that hooks onto the GPU bracket plate that needs to be pressed down to be removed. Is it as precise of a locking mechanism as full size DP? Nope. Does it do the job? In most cases yes. The big gotcha would be finding native mini-DP cables with that locking tab on them: I've seen them some where once and I can't find them again.
Office/productivity box that needs a bit more than an iGPU can deliver but without the need for a ton of horsepower. Multi display output, professional grade support on drivers etc.
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33 Comments
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Frumious1 - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Thank goodness for this important news about a GPU launching in October, for a market that we enthusiasts don't even care about. You're doing God's work, Ryan! Never mind the Radeon RX 6600 XT that launches tomorrow and had reviews go up from your competitor sites today. Never mind Every. Single. GPU. Launched. In. The. Past. Year. Huzzah for the Nvidia RTX A2000!Seriously, do you just not do reviews anymore? Don't use lack of availability as an excuse. We'd still read your insights on things. I guess the concerns that after the Purch buyout, the site would focus more on phones and less on PC has proved true.
SarahKerrigan - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
I care about it, and appreciate the article.omf - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Next time, how about just skipping articles you're not interested in?Frumious1_is_mean - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Jeeeze my guy chillUnashamed_unoriginal_username_x86 - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Yo I learned this cool word, "nosism." It means using a plural pronoun when you're really just talking about yourself.Besides, this is an IT news site, not an "enthusiast" news site. Of course they're covering a hardware release.
Also the "focus more on phones" is just Andrei pulling a lot of weight as mobile editor, unrelated to editorial direction.
I think Ryan's mentioned something or other about not being sampled for GPU's for that matter.
catavalon21 - Friday, August 13, 2021 - link
According to Ryan, they are sampled GPUs - some, at least.https://twitter.com/RyanSmithAT/status/14260377923...
They just ... aren't.
coburn_c - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
It's dead Jim, give up.coburn_c - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Also it's a pipeline story not an articlecatavalon21 - Thursday, August 12, 2021 - link
Sure. It would be nice to HAVE a review article.dw47 - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Lets go through the recent topics on this site: Open Compute, Gigabyte Dual EPYC MB, Xeon W Workstation CPUs, Supermicro Ice Lake Xeon MB, Threadripper Pro. What makes you think this is an "enthusiasts" site? And even if they cover the RX6600 XT people will just moan about "unavailability" and "$399" like every other review on Youtube channels right now. This article told me something I didn't know, and I appreciated it.29a - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
You forgot telephones or does that not fit the narrative you're trying to create.meacupla - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Let me give you a spoiler for RX 6600XTOverpriced for something that's only capable of 1080p gaming.
Samus - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
What a waste of bandwidth.chrysrobyn - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
Anandtech figured out that none of the GPU news actually matters when consumers can't actually buy them. Might as well cover professional as much as consumer.29a - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
I'm with you OP AMD gets fucked on a lot of releases on this site and I don't even like AMD video cards.catavalon21 - Thursday, August 12, 2021 - link
The last GPU "reviewed" here was AMD. The Radeon 5600 XT.Samus - Thursday, August 12, 2021 - link
:mic drop:inighthawki - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
As an enthusiast, I do more than just gaming and this article is of great interest to me. So speak for yourself.And as others have said, if you dont care about the article, then don't read it. Ryan and the rest of the AT team has zero obligation to cater to what good ol' Frumious1 wants and nothing more.
catavalon21 - Thursday, August 12, 2021 - link
OP's presentation could have been better, but I too wonder why AT has fallen off the GPU review cliff. I don't buy that it's lack of sourcing; their sister site has reviewed numerous NV 3k series cards. I miss good reviews, whether I could buy the cards or not. Prices went stupid a couple generations ago, but cards still got reviewed. AT reviewed GPUs (Ryan and Nate) far better IMO than any other reviewer I have seen; I just wish they still would.mode_13h - Sunday, August 15, 2021 - link
Complaints about lack of GPU reviews and deep dives are warranted, but a completely separate matter from their reporting of new card launches. While these product launch announcements are relatively low-value, they're also low-effort and tell me something I might not have otherwise noticed.As for the value of this card, I can tell you I've been in the position of having to spec GPUs for 2U rackmount machines with no riser card, and I definitely appreciate having this level of horsepower in a low-profile form factor and at their workstation price point. The chassis I mentioned didn't have the airflow needed for the passively-cooled cards, nor were those a good fit for our budget.
timecop1818 - Friday, September 3, 2021 - link
> Never mind the Radeon RX 6600 XTYeah nobody gives a shit about yet another useless AMD shitbox that's going to have awful drivers and instability.
SaolDan - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
No need to be sarcastic and a dick.ikjadoon - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
>Fittingly, it’s also the first card released by NVIDIA since the Quadro P era that’s available in a low-profile design.I believe NVIDIA already launched the low-profile T400, T600, and T1000 cards, based on TU117, in May 2021. They've been on sale for a bit now, but are still quite new, to be fair. They're all low-profile + 4x MiniDP 1.4a, but no RTX cores like this A2000 (sans T400 with only 3x MiniDP 1.4a).
>MiniDP gives the card the same display capabilities as the other A-series cards – driving up to 4 5K displays – just without the benefits of a locking DisplayPort connector.
Actually, NVIDIA's miniDP now has a locking connector, too: it's on the T400/600/1000 use and I believe these A2000 cards, as well. It's that little slot above the miniDP connector, if you zoom into NVIDIA's promo image or a close-up on the T-series here:
https://www.pny.com/nvidia-t600
It may be a NVIDIA-proprietary thing (it's just a latch / bit of plastic), as I've not seen it used elsewhere. The adapter themselves look like this (couldn't find a non-eBay link, unfortunately):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PNY-Locking-Mini-DISPLAY-...
Would be nice to see *some* locks standardized on MiniDP for low-profile cards as it looks like pennies to implement. DisplayPort cables have a hell of a tight fit and at longer lengths, they're heavy.
DanaGoyette - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
That clip looks the same as the one on the Radeon Pro WX4100 and on the Radeon Pro W5700.So I guess it's a de facto standard, but it would be nice to make it a formal standard instead.
Ryan Smith - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
"I believe NVIDIA already launched the low-profile T400, T600, and T1000 cards, based on TU117, in May 2021."Thanks ikjadoon, you are right. I had forgotten about those parts since they had only been available in mobile for over a year.
phoenix_rizzen - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
AMD Radeon Pro WX cards also use locking MiniDP connectors. I have a WX 4100 in my PC at work, connected to 3 monitors, and the MiniDP-to-DP dongles have locking connectors that keep them attached to the card.Sometimes they're really easy to release. Other times they're really hard to release. :)
edzieba - Thursday, August 12, 2021 - link
Those locking miniDP connectors have been around for a LONG time. We've got awful little Fermi-based HHHL Quadros from a decade ago still knocking around in the environment with a mix of latching miniDP and DMS-59.RU482 - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
"Fittingly, it’s also the first card released by NVIDIA since the Quadro P era that’s available in a low-profile design"The T1000, T600, and T400 laugh at your claims
Kevin G - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
Minor correction: the mini-DP connections the RTX A2000 are locking, at least with the included adapters. they have a tab that hooks onto the GPU bracket plate that needs to be pressed down to be removed. Is it as precise of a locking mechanism as full size DP? Nope. Does it do the job? In most cases yes. The big gotcha would be finding native mini-DP cables with that locking tab on them: I've seen them some where once and I can't find them again.darkwhimper - Thursday, August 12, 2021 - link
Gives me hope about seeing a modern low profile consumer card sometime soon. Although, at GPU prices these days, maybe workstation is now cheaper?COtech - Friday, August 27, 2021 - link
What is the use case for a small box workstation where this would be a good solution?Gigaplex - Saturday, October 16, 2021 - link
Office/productivity box that needs a bit more than an iGPU can deliver but without the need for a ton of horsepower. Multi display output, professional grade support on drivers etc.Harry_Wild - Saturday, November 13, 2021 - link
All sold out! Ugh! Only $500.00!