Graphics Cards - Page 244

We might be enjoying a time of total NVIDIA dominance in the VGA market with the GeForce GTX 960, GTX 970, GTX 980 and Titan X giving gamers everything they wanted, and more, but the future of GPUs is nearly upon us.

AMD is ready to launch its new Radeon R9 390X which will arrive with HBM1 technology, but NVIDIA is beginning to talk about their Pascal architecture, which should arrive sometime in 2016 as the PK100 and PK104 GPUs. Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's CEO and co-founder, said during their latest financial report that the Pascal-based GeForce products will be arriving with HBM2, which should increase the available memory bandwidth from the ~300GB/sec or so right up to a huge 1.2TB/sec.

We have reported that AMD's next, next-gen Radeon R9 490X would use HBM2 with over 1TB/sec memory bandwidth, too. NVIDIA should be tapping some of that sweet 14nm FinFET technology by then, so the future GeForce cards will be radically smaller, cooler and insanely fast. NVIDIA is only starting to tease them now, with Huang saying: "I cannot wait to tell you about the products that we have in the pipeline. There are more engineers at NVIDIA building the future of GPUs than just about anywhere else in the world. We are singularly focused on visual computing, as you guys know".

KFA2 has announced its new white NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 EXOC video card to the public, boasting this new color scheme covering the shroud, fans and back plate, but not on the PCB.

Featuring a factory overlocked core at 1279 MHz, 1367 MHz GPU Boost and 7 GHz of memory, this provides a little extra boost when compared to reference speeds of 1127 and 1187 MHz respectively.

As for cooling, an aluminum fin-stack heat sink combined with 8mm thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes ensures your card stays cool. The display options include one DisplayPort 1.2 port, two DVI and a single HDMI 2.0 option.

According to our sources, AMD will be announcing its new Radeon R9 390X at E3 2015 in mid-June, while some of our other sources have told us that HBM yields are extremely low, so the Radeon R9 390X that features HBM will be in extremely limited availability. We have been told that AMD has some "surprises" in store for the Radeon R9 390X, which is exciting. But what about these leaked photos of the HBM-powered Radeon R9 390X? Well, let's talk about that.

The above image is reportedly photoshopped, with WCCFTech reporting that the image is "completely fake and are essentially a Photoshop recreation of the image by an artist on Chiphell forums". But for me, I don't think it's as "fake" as people think.

With AMD using High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) it will save so much room on the PCB that the usual GDDR5 takes up, and thanks to it running cooler than GDDR5, it will remove much of the last third of the PCB and associated cooling, VRMs, and more. This could give AMD the opportunity to make a shorter VGA card, but will the shorter card just be the HBM version? With our sources teasing multiple Radeon R9 390X models being released, with one being the premium HBM model, and another running GDDR5. If this happens, it's going to be good, and very bad for AMD.

We all know it's coming, but when will AMD unveil it? We have two of the biggest events coming in the next month: Computex and E3, but from what we've heard, AMD will unveil its new Radeon R9 390X at E3, during its PC conference. One of the most exciting things about the upcoming Radeon R9 390X is that it will feature HBM memory, at least 6-9 months before NVIDIA can make it happen.

WCCFTech has gotten its hands on some images of the upcoming Radeon R9 390X, where we can see that the card is cooled by a watercooler. Not only that, but we can see that the design of the card sticks close to the reference look of the R9 295X2, and if this image is correct, the R9 390X is a super-short VGA card. Judging by this picture, it could be "half the length of the R9 295X2" reports WCCFTech.

Something else I'm enjoying from this picture, is that we have three DisplayPort outputs, and a single HDMI output with no DVI port to be seen. We can see that the R9 390X is a dual-slot design, but that watercooler is going to be quite the hassle for many users. Here's hoping the previous rumors were true, and that we get two cards: one with the watercooler, and then the partner cards from the likes of SAPPHIRE, MSI, ASUS and all the rest with exotic cooling systems.

We have just seen reports of AMD once again trying to better NVIDIA, reportedly trying to take would-be GTX 960 owners under their wing.

The method they've decided to take is cone again that of a price cut, seeing their R9 285 video card see a drop to 180 Euro ($201 US) when compared to the pricing of a GTX 960 at 192 Euro ($215 USD).

AMD's option does have the issue of slightly higher power consumption and noise ratings, so is the saving of $14 US enough to entice you away from the big green?

Exclusive: According to our industry sources, AMD has a few surprises in store for us when it comes to the Radeon R9 390X, and the other GPUs that will arrive with the Radeon 300 series.

Our source wouldn't elaborate, but they did say that the new Radeon R9 390X will arrive with specifications and possibly features that are different to what the rumors currently suggest. We've reported that the Radeon R9 390X would come with two versions; the 4GB and 8GB products with GDDR5 or High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM1) from SK Hynix. But, we've heard from other industry sources not long ago that there would be tight stock when the 390X launches, which could be caused by yield issues on HBM1. We've also reported that the R9 390X would arrive as a watercooled version, but now we're getting new information.

Something interesting that our source said, was that if HBM1 provides what it on paper should provide very easily, "NVIDIA are in trouble". Now, for what we know, there are only a few launches from NVIDIA for this year. First, the rumored GeForce GTX 980 Ti, which will be a cutdown GM200 GPU, the same found on the Titan X. Second, there's also news of NVIDIA allowing add-in board (AIB) partners to use aftermarket coolers on the Titan X, which will see a big injection of speed from Titan X cards from the likes of MSI, ASUS, and more.

Rumors of the Radeon R9 390X are beginning to fly again as the new week begins, with reports suggesting that AMD will be slapping not just 4GB of HBM RAM onto its Fiji XT-powered VGA card, but 8GB of the deliciously-fast RAM. We've heard that there will be two versions of the Radeon R9 390X, with a watercooled variant to be unveiled, too.

The new reports suggest that AMD's new GPU will be using a dual link interposer, which will make 8GB of HBM possible on the Radeon R9 390X by stacking two 4-HI HBM components together, for a total of 8GB. AMD will be using SK Hynix's "Dual Link Interposer" to push 8GB of RAM onto the R9 390X, most likely in a move that has forced their hand thanks to the 12GB of framebuffer on the GM200-powered GeForce GTX Titan X from NVIDIA.

But, AMD will be using the next-gen HBM RAM to have a serious jump on its competitor, something that was previously unattainable with HBM1, and required HBM2. This is where the "Dual Link Interposer" comes into play, as it allows AMD to use 4GB of HBM, but just double-stack it for 8GB total.

With the launch of the AMD Radeon R9 390X imminent, the Radeon R9 490X is over the horizon, with it reportedly set for launch in 2016. The new card will be based on the Arctic Islands architecture, manufactured on the 14nm process, and using the second generation HBM2.

The Arctic Islands flagship GPU will be based on the Greenland architecture, which will replace the Fiji architecture that will find its way into the Radeon R9 390X. The Greenland-based Radeon R9 490X will be built on the 14nm process thanks to Globalfoundries, a change from previous rumors that TSMC would be leading the GPU charge for AMD going into 2016.

TSMC has had trouble with the 16nm node, which I'm sure has been causing both AMD and NVIDIA headaches behind the scenes. More so with AMD, as they haven't had a flagship GPU released since the Radeon R9 290X in late 2013 (if we don't count the dual-GPU Radeon R9 295X2 in early 2014). Whereas NVIDIA has enjoyed its Maxwell architecture on the 28nm process beautifully, keeping power consumption and heat down without having to shrink its process, like it normally would.

We've had an industry insider whisper sweet nothings into our ear regarding the forthcoming release of AMD's Radeon 300 series, which will include the flagship "Fiji XT" Radeon R9 390X, which will reportedly arrive in two flavors, with very short supplies at launch thanks to HBM's low yields.

Our tipster has said that most of AMD's Radeon 300 series lineup will be filled with rebrands, with the Radeon 380X being a rebranded Radeon R9 290X. This isn't new information as we've previously reported that AMD's Radeon 300 series would be filled with rebrands, but this information is much newer and closer to the actual release than the previous rumors.

There will be a few VGA cards released with the new Fiji architecture, which should arrive as the Radeon R9 390X and R9 395X2. We could see the R9 390 being the Fiji, while the Fiji XT core will power the R9 390X.

We're getting closer and closer to the release of the Radeon R9 390X, but we've been hearing some rumblings from within the industry. Our sources have said that AMD will have two Radeon R9 390X cards to launch: one of them will be the Radeon R9 395X2 (a dual-GPU version) with 8GB of VRAM. The second card will be a 4GB version that won't beat the GeForce GTX Titan X.

The dual-GPU will beat the GeForce GTX Titan X, but the normal 4GB won't be capable of beating NVIDIA's GM200-based beast. Our industry sources also tell us that there are some hurdles with yields on HBM, which will see a very limited supply of Radeon R9 390X and Radeon R9 395X2 cards right through to the end of the year.

We're expecting AMD to launch their Radeon R9 390X and R9 395X2 at Computex 2015, which kicks off in the first week of June. With NVIDIA having some 74% of the discrete GPU market, AMD needs to sell as many cards as they can, and these yield issues are something we don't need to hear about right now.

One of the downsides of the GeForce GTX Titan X is that NVIDIA didn't allow add-in board (AIB) partners to modify the card with a non-reference cooler. This should all change with the GM200-powered GeForce GTX 980 Ti, with NVIDIA reportedly greenlighting custom variants of the GTX 980 Ti.

But it gets better: the current rumors have NVIDIA announcing the card sometime in late May or early June, which is right around the time of Computex. It's also the time frame in which AMD will reportedly announce its new Radeon 300 series, led by the flagship Radeon R9 390X. This could be NVIDIA's way of taking some of that thunder away, and if the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is as powerful as it should end up being (thanks to it being powered by the same GPU as the GTX Titan X), we should expect some fierce competition in terms of pricing from both camps.

The alleged specifications of the GTX 980 Ti has it powered by the GM200 core, with the same specifications as the GTX Titan X, but with a reduced framebuffer. The GTX 980 Ti should feature 6GB of VRAM, but with higher clocks than the Titan X. With custom variants, we should expect the GeForce GTX 980 Ti to be one of the fastest video cards on the market when it's released. That is, until we know what makes the Radeon R9 390X tick.

We have previously reported that AMD would be unveiling its next generation GPUs in Q2 2015, which ends on May 31st, but we've just heard some news during AMD's Q1 2015 conference call directly from AMD CEO Lisa Su herself.

During the call, Su said that AMD will talk about their upcoming graphics products launches "later this quarter", with Su reiterating that the company "would like to see some regain of share in both the desktop and the notebook business". As for AMD's plans for 2H 2015, Su had the following to say: "In the second half of the year, I think we would like to see our products take a strong position as well as hopefully the market gets stronger as well".

GALAX is back, and in a big way lately, but it's not stopping with its handful of GeForce GTX 980s. The company has just added two more to its list of five, which is now a list of seven, with the new GALAX GTX 980 HOF TecLab Edition, and GTX 980 HOF DUCK Edition.

Starting with the GALAX GTX 980 HOF DUCK Edition, which is currently second place in the official 3DMark Fire Strike competition (with 10,580 points). We don't know the clock speeds of the card, but we do know it has been cranked all the way up to 2123MHz (but obviously not with its aftermarket cooler). We have a custom-made white PCB and triple-fan cooler that is sure to impress.

Next, we have the GALAX GTX 980 HOF TecLab Edition, which is a 2.5-slot card with a new color scheme. We have a backplate on this card too, as well as an OC button on the rear of the card next to its display outputs. The GALAX GTX 980 HOF TecLab Edition should be the fastest GTX 980 in the GALAX lineup.

We know it's coming, but it's just a matter of when. NVIDIA is preparing the GeForce GTX 980 Ti that should better counter the upcoming Radeon R9 390X from AMD, with a full GM200 core.

The GM200-powered GeForce GTX 980 Ti should be released in September, a couple of months after AMD's launch of the Radeon R9 390X which is expected to happen during Computex in June. There are some suggestions that NVIDIA would spoil AMD's fun during the R9 390X launch, so we could see a big announcement before, during or after Computex from NVIDIA.

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 980 Ti should be close to identical to the behemoth that is the GeForce GTX Titan X, but knock down its VRAM from 12GB to 6GB. We should also see AIB partners free to slap on aftermarket coolers, which didn't happen with the Titan X, which is going to open up a can of whoop ass on the market.

The first shots of the purported XFX Radeon R9 390 Double Dissipation have arrived, featuring a dual-slot cooler with two 100mm spinners, and a large aluminum fin-stack heat sink.

The card rocks a 6-pin + 8-pin PCIe power configuration, and a bridgeless Crossfire system, just like the Radeon R9 290 series. We should see this card, if it's real, positioned below the R9 390X with its "Fiji XT" core, with the R9 390 featuring the "Fiji" GPU. We don't know what the GPU itself will be, but we should see 4096 stream processors, a 4096-bit HBM memory interface with between 4GB and 8GB of RAM that provides a huge 640GB/sec of memory bandwidth.

ASUS has only just unveiled the super-fast, but also deliciously beautiful GeForce GTX 980 20th Anniversary Edition video card, but now we're being introduced to the GeForce GTX 970 Turbo.

The new ASUS GeForce GTX 970 Turbo features a slick white-and-red color scheme that features a blower-style cooler which blows the hot air through the back of your case. The new GeForce GTX 970 Turbo has a short PCB similar to what is used in the GTX 970 DirectCU II Mini from ASUS, but features a "longer lateral-flow cooling solution", reports TechPowerUp.

ASUS is providing a factory overclock on the card, with a Core Clock of 1088MHz and Boost Clock of 1228MHz. We should expect a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, or two 6-pin PCIe power connectors. We can also expect two dual-link DVI ports, one HDMI 2.0 and one DisplayPort 1.2 connector.

This is a super-juicy rumor, but let's get on with it: NVIDIA could be preparing a watercooled GeForce GTX Titan X that could be released as the Titan X Ultra.

This purported Titan X would see a hybrid AIO cooler that would allow for some serious overclocking of the GM200-powered Titan X, and see those performance numbers jump up even more. We could see NVIDIA or AIBs increase the Core Clock by 250-300MHz (or more) but that would see the Titan X getting even hotter, which would require the increased efforts on the cooling front.

This is where we would see the company using an AIO liquid cooling unit that would keep the card nice and cool, even under all of that increased pressure. This would be the perfect counter to the impending release of the Radeon R9 390X from AMD, which should be here any week now.

We heard the rumors, but ASUS has just made its new GTX 980 20th Anniversary Gold Edition official: the world's fastest GeForce GTX 980 video card. The company has used its impressive DirectCU cooler with 0dB-fan technology that allows for games like League of Legends and StarCraft to be played in total silence.

The all-important fact here is that it has a Boost Clock of 1431MHz, which is 215MHz above the reference Boost, providing an additional 15% performance. 4GB of GDDR5 is splashed on top, with three DisplayPort outputs, one HDMI and one dual-link DVI. One of the more unique parts of the VGA card is that it has a beautiful gold and black cooler, which is going to look incredible in gamers' PCs.

ASUS has told us that the GTX 980 20th Anniversary Gold Edition is a "short run, exclusive limited edition card", with its clock speeds beating even the best GTX 980s on the market from EVGA and its Kingpin GTX 980 and GALAX HOF 980 cards. We have reached out to our contact at ASUS to try and secure a sample, so check back for a review here at TweakTown soon.

It looks like AMD's Radeon 300 series is beginning to take better form, where we're learning that the new cards will be filled with a bunch of rebrands, something that has been discovered hiding in the Catalyst 15.3 Beta drivers. Here's the run down of what is found in the Catalyst 15.3 Beta drivers:

One of the stand out GPUs from this is the "Pitcairn" GPU, which, if these rumors are correct, will see its fourth use in AMD's line up. Pitcairn was introduced in 2012 as the Radeon HD 7870 and has been rebranded ever since. The mobile side of AMD's Radeon line up will also reportedly be rebranded, which you can see below:

An early April Fools joke is appearing online, so we're going to make it clear: this will probably not happen. But, OverclockersUK and BFG are teasing a new GeForce GTX Titan XXX, which has a huge 24GB of VRAM, double the framebuffer of the GeForce GTX Titan X, which has 12GB.

Most of the specs are identical to the reference GTX Titan X, except it has 24GB of VRAM and higher clock speeds. We have two 8-pin PCIe power connectors which use up to 300W of power in "300W OC mode" or 250W at its stock settings. The RAM has been overclocked to 8600MHz, up from 7000MHz on the reference card.

We have a Base Clock of 1268MHz and Boost Clock of 1493MHz, versus the 1002MHz and 1072MHz of the reference GTX Titan X. These overclocks are mammoth, but it would be very interesting to see this become a real card. The price? A huge $2400+, compared to the $999 pricing of the GeForce GTX Titan X.