It boasts of a GCN Architecture and TrueAudio technology which takes your gameplay on a mind blowing level. It delivers the most realistic visuals and sound that you can ever ask for. The AMD Radeon R9 290X is also the fastest among AMD’s 200 series graphic cards.

The R9 290X features the following specs:

• 2,816 stream processing units
• Up to 1 GHz engine clock
• 4GB GDDR5 memory
• Up to 5.0Gbps memory clock speed
• 320GB/s memory bandwidth (maximum)
• 5.6 TFLOPS Single Precision compute power
• API support for DirectX® 11.2, OpenGL 4.3 and Mantle

It has also garnered mix reviews from the following tech sites:

Anandtech:

“The 290X is not only the fastest card in AMD’s 200 series lineup, but the 290 series in particular also contains the only new GPU in AMD’s latest generation of video cards. Dubbed Hawaii, with the 290 series AMD is looking to have their second wind between manufacturing node launches. By taking what they learned from Tahiti and building a refined GPU against a much more mature 28nm process – something that also opens the door to a less conservative design – AMD has been able to build a bigger, better Tahiti that continues down the path laid out by their Graphics Core Next architecture while bringing some new features to the family.”

Tom’s Hardware:

“After eight months of watching Nvidia go uncontested in the ultra-high-end graphics market, AMD has a new GPU based on existing technology that promises to challenge the top position. It gets mighty loud at times, but you can’t ignore the R9 290X’s price.”

“And now AMD is billing its new Radeon R9 290X as a ready-for-4K solution. Them’s fighting words, particularly with Ultra HD targeted as the next frontier in PC gaming. The technology is still very expensive, and it’s far from refined. But I challenge you to enjoy your favorite title on a 32”, 8.3-million-pixel screen, and then hand it back willingly. Expect 4K to be the battleground on which AMD and Nvidia drop their high-end GPUs moving forward.”

Bit-tech:

“The most important thing to say about the new Radeon R9 290X 4GB is that on the price performance scale it’s a clear winner against Nvidia’s GTX 780 3GB, at the time of writing. It undercuts it by at least £50 in the UK and $100 stateside, yet outperforms it almost universally. In doing so, it makes GTX Titan look even worse value than the GTX 780 3GB already does.”

“Compared with other AMD cards, it’s value isn’t quite as good, however. For example, while its performance is a huge jump over the R9 280X 3GB (up to 40 percent in some tests), it’s also double the price of it. Sadly, diminishing returns are to be expected with the highest end cards. We’ve also seen some very good deals on the HD 7990 6GB recently as well, although whether or not a dual GPU card is for you is another story. These cards also lack the TrueAudio DSP that the R9 290 series features, although this is mostly an unproven technology for now.”

“The card is a decent enough overclocker, although the Overdrive interface certainly needs some work. That said, it shouldn’t be long before better third party overclocking utilities fully support the card’s new approach to overclocking.”

TechPowerUp:

“The Radeon R9 290X is an important product for AMD because it’s the first truly new high-end graphics chip from the company in a very long time (21 months). AMD’s other late 2013 graphics card launches, led by the Radeon R9 280X, are merely rebrands of the company’s close to two-year old HD 7000 series, with price adjustments and repositioning within the product-stack. We must point out that NVIDIA didn’t handle its lineup any differently. Barring the GTX TITAN and its cut-down GTX 780, the rest of the GTX 700 lineup is largely derived from the previous generation GTX 600 series. Under the Radeon R9 290X’s skin is the swanky new 6.2 billion-transistor “Hawaii” silicon. Built on the existing 28 nanometer silicon fabrication process, it has solid credentials on paper, looking NVIDIA’s GTX TITAN and the GK110 silicon it’s based on right in the eye.”

Guru 3D:

“With the release of the Radeon R9 290X series AMD brings an incredibly fast product to the market. It rocks all performance scores in pretty much any game to date. Having that much raw unadulterated horsepower under the hood will bring options to the table. You play your games at 2560×1440 and flick on every quality setting that you can think of. Even then the cards will do a terrific job. For the few of you that already made the step towards UHD or 4K gaming at 3840 x 2160 that where these card do make sense. Admittedly just one 290X would probably be borderline acceptable when you select the finest image quality settings. So I foresee that the Ultra High Definition games simply will go for two R9-290X cards setup in Crossfire, which would be my recommendation. The product is often as fast or faster then a GeForce GTX Titan, whilst it is going to be priced a good chunk below the GeForce GTX 780. So that in retrospect means (even at this price level) performance for money. Honestly I am really excited to see prices below 499 EUR (incl VAT for this little powerhouse of a graphics card. But let’s bullet some stuff up and walk through the several segments and experiences from the review.”

The AMD Radeon R9 290X is now available in the market for $549.

Their spokesperson has confirmed than an unnamed driver issue has plagued their latest graphics boards and caused the delay. AMD was said to have done a retest on the boards using a new driver that will boost its performance.

The company has not revealed the price of the R9 290.

PR: COMMODORE USA RELEASES FIRST NEW COMMODORE AMIGA IN 20 YEARS, FINALLY REUNITING TWO ICONIC COMPUTER BRANDS.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. March 21, 2012 – Commodore USA, LLC announced today the historic re-unification of the legendary Commodore and AMIGA brands with the launch of the new Commodore AMIGA mini, as well as other new models such as the new C64x Supreme, the new VIC mini and a more powerful VIC-Slim keyboard computer (now with HDMI output). These new products are now in production and available for purchase at www.CommodoreUSA.net.

The new Commodore AMIGA mini is a trail blazing power-house featuring Intel’s i7-2700k 3.5 Ghz Quad-Core (3.9Ghz Turboboost) processor, 16Gb RAM DDR3 1333MHz and an NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 430 GPU with 1GB DDR3. This machine is fully loaded with a 1 TB SATA drive (optional 300 GB or 600 GB SSD), two WiFi antennae and bluetooth. The new Commodore AMIGA mini case is ultra small and features a solid, all aluminum seamless housing, micro-sandblasted with an anodic oxidation finish. It also includes a slot load Blu-Ray drive and internal space for two 2.5″ hard drives. It measures 7.5 inches square with a height of only 3 inches. The AMIGA mini’s appearance is enhanced with the inclusion of the classic embedded AMIGA logo engraved in the front.

The C64x, highly regarded by Commodore fans for its retro styling, now features Intel’s new D2700 dual core 2.13 Ghz CPU and nVidia GeForce GT 520 (512Mb) graphics for enhanced gaming capability over previous models. It also features 4Gb Memory (DDR3 1066), a 1 or 3 GB SATA drive (300 or 600 Gb SSD optional), a mechanical keyboard, a built in multi-card reader, WiFI, Bluetooth, VGA, DVI and HDMI output, 7.1 channel high definition sound, 2 USB 3.0 and 4 USB 2.0 ports for exceptional external data access, a slot loading Blu-ray drive that can also write DVDs and 2 WiFi antennae for outstanding signal reception.

The VIC mini has specifications identical to the C64x Supreme, wrapped in the elegant aluminum enclosure of the AMIGA mini.

The VIC-Slim is an upgraded unit replacing the previous 1.8 Ghz dual core Atom with the new Intel 2.13Ghz Dual Core D2700 processor and includes 2Gb RAM (DDR3 1066MHz), a 1Tb SATA Hard Disk Drive and HDMI output.

Mr. Barry Altman, CEO, states “This is an historic day. The team here has been working around the clock to fulfill the vision of a reunited Commodore and AMIGA branded computer with the launch of our new Commodore AMIGA mini.”

Mr. Leo Nigro, CTO, states “We built Commodore USA to take advantage of the rapid rate of technological change in the computer hardware market. The introduction of Intel’s new Atom processor for compact devices such as the C64x Supreme, VIC-Slim and VIC mini proves that Commodore USA is setting the pace for the computer industry. The Commodore AMIGA mini with its 16 GB of RAM, powerful i7-2700k 3.5 Ghz Quad-Core processor and built-in nVidia graphics chipset is truly worthy of the AMIGA name. Also, with the inclusion of Commodore OS Vision, our own Linux distribution showcasing our product’s advanced hardware features, we can also provide a unique and compelling experience for customers seeking an alternative to Apple and Microsoft products. First and foremost I’m a Commodore and AMIGA fan, and like millions of other fans around the world, I am excited by the return of the famous Commodore and AMIGA brands we grew up with and loved.”

Barry Altman adds, “Leo and I and the entire team, started on this journey to prove that we could take these historic computer brands and produce products that are relevant to both the historical consumer base and new customers. These computers are breathtaking in appearance, incredibly powerful and exciting to use.”

This is fascinating considering the benchmark wars that raged between Nvidia and AMD for so numerous years in the graphics card business. Both sides of that war have a history of handpicking benchmarks to manufacture their video cards see better than the competition. I presume some of that is going on here with Apple as well.

Nvidia’s Ken Brown is calling for Apple to offer up data to back up their claims of four times the performance. I seriously doubt Apple ever offer that kind of detail. However, with the hornet’s nest kicked, we will right on be running some comparative benchmarks when we acquaint our own narrate of the unused iPad.

Ken Brown, a spokesman for Nvidia, said that it was “certainly flattering” to be called out by Apple, but the performance claims are sketchy without more data. “We don’t have the benchmark information,” said Brown. “We have to understand what the application was that was used. Was it one or a variety of applications? What drivers were used? There are so many issues to get into with benchmark.”

MAINGEAR UPDATES ROAD WARRIOR CLUTCH-15 SERIES NOTEBOOKS
WITH NVIDIA® OPTIMUS™ TECHNOLOGY

Kenilworth, New Jersey – July 8th, 2011 - MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, workstations and media centers, has updated their Clutch-15 catering to business users and students with NVIDIA Optimus Technology. With a full HD 15.6" screen size and powered by second generation Intel® Core i3 or Core i5 series mobile processors, this diverse notebook offers the latest in portable productivity, multimedia and gaming performance.

The MAINGEAR Clutch-15 is a hybrid notebook that offers outstanding graphics performance while prolonging battery life utilizing NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology. The Clutch-15 is packed with a dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M GPU with 1GB GDDR3 memory, your choice of second generation Intel® Core™ i3 or i5 mobile processors, 1366 x 768 16:9 HD resolutions, up to 8GB of DDR3 1333MHZ memory, and up to 512GB Solid State Drive or up to 500GB Hybrid SSDs hard drives. Gamers and PC enthusiasts who are on the go will enjoy watching a HD movie, surfing the web, or playing the latest casual PC games with the reassurance of getting the best performance and the longest battery life.

Clutch-15 users will be able to take advantage of an optional 90 watt, charging docking station that features extra connectivity such as VGA, DVI, RJ-45, audio out, USB 2.0 x 4 ports and optional optical disc drives including Blu-ray™. The MAINGEAR Clutch-15 not only offers a 15.6" screen that is thinner and lighter than many notebooks out in the market and featuring a full size keyboard with a numeric keypad.

The sleek and lean modern profile aesthetics of the Clutch-15 sets it apart from the crowd with the unique exterior texture for an enhanced tactile experience.


MAINGEAR Clutch-15 Notebook:

15.6" WXGA (1366 x 768) 16:9 Glossy LED LCD display

Second Generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5 mobile processors

Intel HD Integrated Graphics or NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M 1GB Graphics

Up to 8GB DDR3-1333 memory

Up to SATA 2.5" 7200RPM 750GB, 500GB Hybrid SSD, or up to 512GB SSD

802.11g/n wireless connection, Bluetooth, 10/100/1000 Ethernet

HDMI out, eSATA, 34mm ExpressCARD support

Optional docking station includes: VGA, DVI, RJ-45, audio out and USB 2.0 x 4 ports, and a choice of Blu-ray, Super Mutli DVD, DVD-RW

Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System

Intel® Anti-Theft Technology Support, Intel® Always Aware Features, Intel ® My WiFi Technology Support

Full size keyboard with number pad

15.35"(w) x 9.8" (d) x 1.3" (h)

4.75lb (fully loaded)

Starting at price $1,029 (without docking station)

Sony has demonstrated the face-recognition and tracking capabilities of the upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld, using the portable console’s front-facing camera to track head movement and have on-screen avatars respond accordingly. In the demo, filmed by Siliconera and which you can see after the cut, Sony showed a two-way video chat being held between a pair of animated avatars, the head, mouth, eye and other movements being mapped to those of the gamer.

Although head-tracking has been done before, the system Sony demonstrated was able to track minor details like eye-blinking and eyebrow twitches, for a more lifelike animation. Sony wasn’t saying a video calling app would necessarily be the final use of the technology, 4gamer reports, but that the software was merely a demonstration of the power of the Vita’s abilities and its potential in augmented reality (AR) gaming.

Rather than using specific glyphs that can be identified and tracked by an AR system, Sony’s Yoshikatsu Kanemaru suggested that objects and even people could be distinguished by the Vita and have computer-generated graphics overlaid. It’s a technology that appears to have borrowed from Sony’s previous SmartAR research, which can intelligently spot unique elements -such as posters, magazines or more complex forms, like body outlines – in the camera’s frame and then track them accordingly.

All of the boards in the series use the dual intelligent Processors 2 tech with DIGI+ VRM power delivery for precision power adjustment and control. The boards also provide extra DRAM power to increase stability and has a feature packed BIOS. It sounds like the family will be overclocker friendly.

The mainboards also supports SATA 6Gb/s storage interface with RAID 0/1/10 support. The chipset in the boards also supports USB 3.0 natively with no need for a secondary controller. Intel still lacks native support for USB 3.0 and all Intel chipset boards are using a secondary controller for USB 3.0 ports. There is no word on when these boards will land and how much they will cost.