AMD is stepping up its game with the launch of Radeon RX 500 series, its new GPU aimed at giving rival Nvidia a run for its money.

The Radeon RX 500 cards are aimed directly at gamers to woo them back to the AMD bandwagon when the series launches this May. AMD released on April 11 the critically acclaimed Ryzen 5 processors aimed at the mid-range market. The announcement is good news for gamers, but can be a letdown for those expecting the AMD Vega GPU.

AMD is on a roll this year, with successful business moves such as the release of Ryzen 7 CPU and the acquisition of VR startup Nitero.

Introducing Radeon RX 500 Series

AMD made the announcement via its official press release. AMD describes Radeon RX 500 as a "powerful combination of improved game performance and higher clock speeds." The series will use a refreshed 2nd-generation Polaris architecture, used in RX 500's predecessor, the RX 400.

AMD mentioned that the RX 500 line of cards are designed for upgrades and will cater to 90 percent of gamers. AMD wants gamers to enjoy applications that need powerful graphical experience such as modern games and VR.

"Radeon was built on the promise that all gamers can enjoy the most advanced graphics technologies in their favorite games. Our launch today of the Radeon RX 500 series doubles down on that effort," said Scott Herkelman, Corporate VP and GM of Radeon Technologies Group.

Herkelman outlined the features of RX 500, concluding that these are reasons for those "who have been patiently waiting to upgrade."

All About Graphics

AMD outlined the features of the RX 500 line of GPUs. These are:

Optimized DirectX® 12 and Vulkan® gaming. The Radeon RX 500 utilizes the 2nd-gen Polaris architecture, which AMD designed for optimal performance with low-level APIs like DirectX 12 and Vulkan. The higher clock speeds, multi-monitor capability, and fine-grained noise controls are said to provide the best gaming experience.

Radeon Chill. This advanced framerate controller allows faster response times, cooler operations, and better efficiency, which are a must for fast-paced games today.

Radeon FreeSync. This display technology lets gamers enjoy smoother framerates without tearing and input lag.

Radeon ReLive. The RX 500 is also optimized for capturing, streaming, and sharing gameplay, thanks to Radeon ReLive suite, which also supports 4K recording at 30 and 60 fps.

RX 500 Series Variants

The Radeon RX 500 comes in four models, with each custom-tailored for different gaming needs.

Radeon RX 580: Said to deliver up to 57 percent better performance than R9 380x for optimized playing of AAA games and VR experience at 1440p.

Price: $229 (8 GB GDDR5) or $199 (4 GB GDDR5)

Radeon RX 570: Said to have 2.3 times better performance than R7 370. Aimed at maximum 1080p gaming.

Price: $169 (4 GB GDDR5)

Radeon RX 560: Said to be 57 percent better than R7 360 for playing most casual games up to 1080p.

Price: $99 (2 GB GDDR5)

Radeon RX 550: For beginner gamers. Said to deliver up to 4 times better performance than common integrated graphics, and 1.7 times better than R7 250. Also ideal for movie viewing on PCs, with support for HDMI, 4K, HEVC content, HDR, and Radeon FreeSync 2.

Price: $79 (2 GB GDDR5)