Earlier today, MSI launched its Armor MK2 version of AMD’s Radeon RX 580 graphics card. The RX 580 is AMD’s most powerful graphics card in the RX 5xx series. It is also the company’s one of the best selling graphics cards since its launch on 17 April 2017. MSI’s take on the popular RX 580 brings a little more oomph to the already powerful GPU by AMD. The two new Graphics cards launched by MSI use the same RX 580 chip although one of the models is labeled “OC”, which is the factory overclocked version of the Radeon RX 580 Armor MK2 Graphics card.
The graphics card features a nice red and black combination of colors for its heatsink frame which really makes it stand out. Both the standard version and the OC version feature two heatsink fans which are more than apt to keep the card cool thanks to MSI’s Zero Frozr technology. The Steeply curved blade design of the fans also helps in accelerating the airflow to the heatsink. The MSI logo can be seen right in the middle of the heatsink fans.
Radeon RX 580 Armor MK2 Graphics Card Specifications
| MODEL NAME | Radeon RX 580 ARMOR MK2 8G |
|---|---|
| GRAPHICS PROCESSING UNIT | Radeonu2122 RX 580 |
| INTERFACE | PCI Express x16 |
| CORE NAME | Polaris 20 XTX/XTR |
| CORES | 2304 Units |
| CORE CLOCKS | 1366MHz (OC Mode) |
| 1353MHz (Gaming Mode) | |
| 1340MHz (Slient Mode) | |
| MEMORY CLOCK SPEED | 8000 MHz |
| MEMORY | 8GB GDDR5 |
| MEMORY BUS | 256-bit |
| OUTPUT | DisplayPort x 2 / HDMI x 2 / DL-DVI-D |
| HDCP SUPPORT | Y |
| POWER CONNECTORS | 8-pin x 1 |
| RECOMMENDED PSU | 500 W |
| CARD DIMENSION(MM) | 270 x 130 x 40 mm |
| WEIGHT (CARD / PACKAGE) | 892 g / 1391 g |
| AFTERBURNER OC | Y |
| DIRECTX VERSION SUPPORT | 12 |
| OPENGL VERSION SUPPORT | 4.5 |
| MULTI-GPU TECHNOLOGY | Crossfireu2122, 2-Way (Bridgeless) |
| MAXIMUM DISPLAYS | 4 |
| VR READY | Y |
The Radeon RX 580 MK2 graphics card offers a core clock of 1353 MHz which is slightly higher than AMD’s reference clock of 1340 MHz. The OC version, however, features a core clock that stands at 1366 MHz. Both the cards offer 8 GB of GDDR 5 memory. The memory bus on both of the cards is 256 bit and the memory clock speed is also the same on the two cards at 8000 MHz. All other specs on the two cards are virtually the same except for the aforementioned core clock speeds.
Comparison of Radeon RX 580 Armor MK2 and Radeon RX 580 Armor MK2 OC
| Title | Radeon RX 580 ARMOR MK2 8G | Radeon RX 580 ARMOR MK2 8G OC |
|---|---|---|
| Model Name | Radeon RX 580 ARMOR MK2 8G | Radeon RX 580 ARMOR MK2 8G OC |
| Graphics Processing Unit | Radeon RX 580 | Radeon RX 580 |
| Interface | PCI Express x16 | PCI Express x16 |
| Core Name | Polaris 20 XTX/XTR | Polaris 20 XTX/XTR |
| Cores | 2304 Units | 2304 Units |
| Core Clocks | 1366MHz (OC Mode) | 1380 MHz (OC Mode) |
| 1353MHz (Gaming Mode) | 1366 MHz (Gaming Mode) | |
| 1340MHz (Slient Mode) | 1340 MHz (Silent Mode) | |
| Memory Clock Speed | 8000 MHz | 8000 MHz |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR5 | 8GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Output | DisplayPort x 2 / HDMI x 2 / DL-DVI-D | DisplayPort x 2 / HDMI x 2 / DL-DVI-D |
| HDCP Support | Y | Y |
| Power connectors | 8-pin x 1 | 8-pin x 1 |
| Recommended PSU | 500 W | 500 W |
| Card Dimension(mm) | 270 x 130 x 40 mm | 270 x 130 x 40 mm |
| Weight (Card / Package) | 892 g / 1391 g | 892 g / 1391 g |
| Afterburner OC | Y | Y |
| DirectX Version Support | 12 | 12 |
| OpenGL Version Support | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Multi-GPU Technology | Crossfireu2122, 2-Way (Bridgeless) | Crossfireu2122, 2-Way (Bridgeless) |
| Maximum Displays | 4 | 4 |
| VR Ready | Y | Y |
Pricing and availability
Pricing and availability are expected to be announced soon by MSI.
Let us know what you think of MSI’s new Radeon RX 580 Armor MK2 Graphics Card in the comments below.