AMD announces the Tonga-based Radeon R9 285 GPU for $249

AMD has announced its latest GPU during its 30 Years of Graphics and Gaming Innovation event, the Tonga PRO-based Radeon R9 285. AMD's new Radeon R9 285 GPU features 1792 Stream Processors, either 2GB or 4GB of VRAM set at 5.5GHz, a Core Clock of 918MHz and a 256-bit memory interface.

The new Radeon R9 285 requires two 6-pin PCIe connectors, has 176GB/sec of memory bandwidth, a 190W TDP, and will be available on September 2 starting at around $249. The new Radeon R9 285 will be joined by another GPU in a few weeks time, the Tonga XT-based Radeon R9 285X. This new GPU will have more Stream Processors, kicking up the numbers from 1792 to 2048, increasing the TMU count from 112 on the R9 285 to 128 on the R9 285X.

AMD's latest GPU is positioned between the Radeon R9 270/270X and the R9 280X, and will compete against NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 760. In AMD's testing on Battlefield 4 at 2560x1440, the Red Team reports that the new R9 285 is "up to 15% faster" than the GTX 760. At $249, is the new AMD Radeon R9 285 something that will have you upgrading your PC?