ECS unveiled the A78F2-TI, an interesting thin mini-ITX motherboard. Don't be fooled into thinking it's a socket AM1 board. It's socket FM2+, with the cooler mount hole design of Intel LGA115x. That's right, this is arguably the first AMD platform board with square, spaced out cooler mount holes. Don't get your hopes up just yet. Between an FM2 socket, and the APU's chunky IHS, there's more thickness than an Intel socket with a CPU installed. So it may not support all heatsinks. The board draws power from an external 2-pin power brick. It uses a 3+1 phase VRM to condition power for the FM2+ socket.

The A78F2-TI runs AMD A78 FCH chipset. The APU is wired out to two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, and mPCIe slots. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Display outputs include two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, and an LVDS. Two USB 3.0, six USB 2.0/1.1 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and 6-channel HD audio make for the rest of it. The A78F2-TI is built not just for SFF builds, but also (and especially) all-in-one desktops.

Splashtop Inc., the worldwide leader in cross-device computing, announced optimization of Splashtop Streamer on select AMD discrete GPUs and APUs. Users can now enjoy remote HD video streaming, 3D professional graphics, and gaming experience, with super low latency.

"Splashtop turns every PC with AMD APU or GPU into fully interactive, remote gaming engine, streaming 3D games to any mobile device," said Mark Lee, CEO and co-founder of Splashtop, "Businesses, designers, doctors, or financial analysts can now get remote access to professional 3D apps and data, anytime, anywhere."

After debuting in the CPU cooler scene with a bang, Cryorig is reading its first low-profile product for the ITX and SFF desktop markets, the C1 ITX. This top-flow cooler uses an aluminium fin-stack design, in which heat drawn from the base is conveyed to the stack using four nickel-plated copper heat pipes. The stack is larger than it looks, although we don't have the exact dimensions at hand, and is ventilated by a 140 mm XT140 PWM spinner. The cooler will support most modern CPU socket types, from both Intel and AMD. Cryorig is currently testing the C1 ITX, and hopes to ship it out by May.

Tipsters pointed us to a peculiar sounding new processor by AMD in the wild, and being distributed by certain OEMs, such as HP. Called AMD FX-670K, the chip is being sold by HP, pre-installed on its Pavilion 500-266ea desktops. Some digging around on specifications available point us to a chip that's essentially "Richland" APU with its integrated GPU disabled. So while it will run on socket FM2 motherboards, you'll have to use graphics cards. "Richland" integrates a dual-module / quad-core CPU component based on AMD's "Piledriver" micro-architecture. The FX-670K features CPU clock speeds of up to 3.70 GHz. So why did AMD choose the FX branding and not Athlon X4, like it usually does with iGPU-devoid APUs? Perhaps the "K" brand extension holds the answer. The FX-670K features an unlocked base-clock multiplier. The HP Pavilion 500-266ea features a socket FM2 motherboard based on the AMD A75 chipset, and discrete AMD Radeon R7 240 graphics. It's priced at CA $650.

Today, AMD announced support for Microsoft and its revamped graphics application programming interface, DirectX 12, a new "console-like" version of the graphics API that has inspired PC gaming for nearly two decades. During the Microsoft-sponsored panel, DirectX: Evolving Microsoft's Graphics Platform, AMD revealed that it will support DirectX 12 on all AMD Radeon GPUs that feature the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

AMD will support and collaborate with Microsoft on the development of the generational advancement of the API, to continue to improve the experience for both developers and end users.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. today announced the appointment of Nora Denzel and Mike Inglis to its board of directors, effective March 19th, 2014. AMD also announced that current AMD board director H. Paulett Eberhart has decided not to stand for re-election at AMD's 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Both Ms. Denzel and Mr. Inglis bring diverse industry expertise to AMD, each currently serving or having previously served as a director on the boards of, and in leadership roles at, other public companies. Ms. Denzel, most recently a senior executive of Intuit, and previously of Hewlett-Packard Company and International Business Machines Corporation, is currently a member on the board of directors of Saba Software, Ericsson and Outerwall. She brings deep software experience to the board. Mr. Inglis' experience spans ARM Holdings plc, Motorola and Texas Instruments. He previously served on the board of directors of ARM, currently serves on the board of directors of Pace plc, and brings significant semiconductor experience across multiple ecosystems to AMD's board.

CyberPower Inc., a global manufacturer of custom gaming PCs, today announced its MEGA MINER series, a family of high-performance systems designed and optimized not only for gaming, but for cryptocurrency mining as well. The MEGA MINER series is powered by AMD's Radeon R9 series graphics cards, which provide up to 1000KHash/sec on a single card. With the ability to add up to three cards per system, the MEGA MINER has been intelligently designed with the GPU power to perform the necessary calculations faster to earn more coins.

The MEGA MINER series comes with a choice of AMD's FX-4300 processor or Intel's Core i3-4130 Haswell processor depending on the model. The series also utilizes the Thermaltake DPS series of 80 Plus digital power supplies, which conveniently monitor one of the most vital pieces of information all coin miners need to know - your electricity cost. The MEGA MINER systems combine powerful mining hardware with the precision and control of Thermaltake DPS power supplies for the best coin mining experience.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD) announced today that it has completed its offer to purchase for cash an aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 8.125% Senior Notes due 2017 (the "Notes"), at a purchase price equal to $1,014.83 per $1,000 of the principal amount of such Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon. Holders of the Notes who validly tendered, and did not validly withdraw, their Notes at or prior to 5:00 p.m. New York City time on March 5, 2014 (the "Early Tender Time") received an additional $30.00 for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes purchased pursuant to the tender offer, resulting in a total consideration of $1,044.83 for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes.

Pursuant to the offer, $51,065,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes were validly tendered and not withdrawn (including $49,434,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes which were validly tendered on or prior to the Early Tender Time) and AMD accepted for payment $47,556,000 aggregate principal amount of such Notes (including $46,043,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes which were validly tendered on or prior to the Early Tender Time). Payment of the aggregate consideration of approximately $50,662,000 (including accrued and unpaid interest) will be made on the validly tendered Notes in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. After giving effect to the purchase of the tendered Notes, $452,444,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes remains outstanding.

AMD this week announced that Crytek and AMD have entered into a technology partnership that will add native Mantle graphics API support to CRYENGINE. CRYENGINE is the latest iteration of the industry-leading game engine that has powered Crytek gaming titles since 2004. AMD's Mantle API makes creating games for the PC more efficient than ever. Launched in September 2013, Mantle works by streamlining communication between a gamer's CPU and GPU. By alleviating communication bottlenecks and making efficient use of existing PC hardware, Mantle helps improve overall game performance.

"AMD is delighted to bring Mantle support to the enormous audience of gamers and game developers reached by Crytek's CRYENGINE," said Ritche Corpus, director of ISV gaming and alliances, AMD. "Together, AMD and Crytek are forging a path for the graphics industry that better utilizes gamers' advanced AMD GPUs through 'closer-to-the-metal' API design." The potent combination of Mantle and CRYENGINE empowers game developers to accelerate PC development and extract unprecedented gaming performance, exclusively from AMD products with Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

AMD today announced three new game developer partnerships for AMD Gaming Evolved, an ISV relationship program that assists developers in creating an enhanced PC gaming experience. Rebellion Developments, Square Enix and Xaviant are the latest developers to join AMD in optimizing PC games to make them look better and run better for every gamer on AMD hardware.

"AMD is proud to play an instrumental role in enabling quality PC gaming experiences," said Ritche Corpus, director of ISV gaming and alliances, AMD. "With collaboration between AMD and leading studios like Rebellion, Square Enix and Xaviant, we can work together to optimize the image quality and performance of highly-anticipated titles for an intense gaming experience."

AMD has now made available the first beta build of the Catalyst 14.3 graphics driver bringing Mantle and True Audio support for Eidos Montreal's Thief. This release also enables faster loading times in Call of Duty Ghosts (for systems with QUAD CrossFire setups), as well as some bug fixes.

The Catalyst 14.3 v1.0 Beta has support for Radeon HD 5000, HD 6000, HD 7000, HD 8000, R7 200 and R9 200 Series desktop cards (plus Mobility Radeon HD 5000, HD 6000, HD 6000M HD 7000M, HD 8000M mobile GPUs) and is available for Windows 7, 8, 8,1. More details can be found on this page.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 14.3 Beta 1.0

Arctic Cooling announced four new graphics card coolers, the Accelero Hybrid II-120, the Accelero Xtreme IV, the Accelero Xtreme IV 280, and the Accelero Twin Turbo III, pictured below in that order. The Accelero Hybrid II-120, as its name might suggest, is a combination of an air and liquid cooling solution. It combines a large heatsink that cools memory and VRM; and a closed-loop GPU cooler, with a 120 mm radiator assembly. The cooler supports all modern graphics cards, including those based on NVIDIA's GK110 (eg: GTX 780 Ti), GK104 (eg: GTX 760), GK106 (eg: GTX 660); and AMD's "Hawaii" (eg: R9 290X), "Tahiti" (eg: R9 280X), and "Pitcairn/Curacao" (eg: R9 270X). Arctic is pricing this cooler at $130.

Moving on, there's the Accelero Xtreme IV. It features a similar backside heatsink to the Accelero Hybrid II-120, which cools the memory and VRM; while the GPU is cooled by a large aluminium fin-stack heatsink. The heatsink confines to two expansion slots, but is taller than a standard full-height add-on card. The heatsink is 288 mm long, 104 mm tall, and 54 mm thick. It features two aluminium fin stacks arranged along the length of the heatsink, to which heat drawn from the GPU is conveyed by five 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes. The heatsink is ventilated by three 92 mm fans that each have 4-pin PWM control. The Accelero Xtreme IV supports all the GPUs that the Accelero Hybrid II-120 does. It's priced at $100.

OCZ Storage Solutions - a Toshiba Group Company and leading provider of high-performance solid state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced its partnership with AMD to showcase the power of high performance technology at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) March 17-21 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. AMD's demo systems will feature best-in-class Vector 150 Series solid state drives demonstrating how developers can enhance productivity and efficiency in their work.

"We are excited to partner with AMD for the upcoming Game Developers Conference to support the fast growing interactive game development industry," said Alex Mei, CMO for OCZ Storage Solutions. "OCZ is dedicated to delivering premium solid state storage solutions that are not only a useful tool for developers, but also meet the unique demands of enthusiasts and gamers on all levels."

AMD's dual-GPU flagship graphics card that runs a pair of 28 nm "Hawaii" GPUs is no unicorn, as the company began teasing the press about it. Dutch tech publication BouweenPC.nl dug up info that points to AMD naming the card "Radeon R9 295X2." The two "Hawaii" GPUs are expected to feature a core clock speed of no less than 1000 MHz, according to the report. It also adds that AMD is working on a air+liquid (hybrid) cooling solution for the card. Its cooler will feature heatsinks with a running air flow to cool the memory, VRM, and other hot ancillary components; while two liquid cooling blocks will dissipate heat form the GPUs. This would also mean that installing the R9 295X2 won't be as simple as pushing it into a PCIe slot, fastening a couple of screws, and plugging the PSU in. ASUS attempted a similar cooling solution for its Republic of Gamers ARES II graphics card.

AMD started sending editors / VGA reviewers of some leading tech websites envelopes labeled "Top Secret." In it, are Polaroid-sized photos of the editors. In each photo, there are two pictures of the same editor, with a cryptic handwritten note that reads "Wouldn't you agree that two is better than one?" Two such pictures are posted below, by our friends from AnandTech and PC Perspective. This stunt is leading some to believe that AMD is ready with a dual-GPU graphics card based on its "Hawaii" silicon, given that it began guerrilla-marketing it.

Given how power-hungry a single-GPU Radeon R9 290X is, the only way AMD can build a dual-GPU card that doesn't outdo your hairdryer in power consumption (and possibly noise), is by toning each GPU down in specifications. The "Hawaii" silicon could either be configured similar to the R9 290 (i.e. 2,560 SPs, 160 TMUs), with lower clock speeds; or tone it down even further, by disabling more GCN compute units. There's also the option of narrowing down the memory bus and ROP count.

MSI launched the A78M-E45, a fairly well-equipped socket FM2+ motherboard in the micro-ATX form-factor, based on the AMD A75 chipset. The board supports the latest A-series "Kaveri" APUs, in addition to previous generation "Richland," and "Trinity" ones. It features a 5-phase VRM to power the FM2+ socket, which is cooled by VRM heatsinks. The socket is wired to a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), a PCIe 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI, all wired to the A75 FCH.

Display connectivity on the A78M-E45 includes dual-link DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI 1.4a. The board offers a total of six USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, and two by headers. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 mouse/keyboard connectors, and a number USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest of the connectivity. The board is driven by UEFI BIOS. MSI didn't reveal pricing.

Microsoft will present its first paper on DirectX 12, its next-generation multimedia API, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), on the 20th of March, 2013. The event could include presentations by NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm. It's not clear at this point if Microsoft will release developer tools and resources on that day, or simply outline the API to spur interest. If anything, it should gently nudge today's GPU manufacturers to make their future GPU designs ready for the API. There are currently no GPU families that we know of, which support DirectX 12. AMD's current Graphics CoreNext 2.0 GPUs, such as the Radeon R9 290X, support DirectX 11.2, while NVIDIA's "Maxwell" GPUs, such as the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, feature an identical API feature-level support to their "Kepler" predecessors.

XFX launched the sole Radeon R9 280 graphics card model in its lineup, the R9 280 Double Dissipation. The card is available in two variants, a base variant which sticks to AMD reference clock speeds, and a factory-overclocked Black Edition variant. The base variant is clocked at 827 MHz core, 933 MHz boost, and 5.00 GHz memory; while the Black Edition offers 1000 MHz GPU clock (no boost), and 5.20 GHz memory. The two feature XFX' signature Double Dissipation cooling solution that's featured on a number of its R9 280 series and R9 290 series models. Based on the 28 nm "Tahiti" silicon, the Radeon R9 280 offers 1,792 stream processors, 112 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 3 GB of memory. Expect the two to be priced between $280 and $300.

AMD's Radeon R9 200 series appears to have come a full circle with the company launching the Radeon R9 280, to capture the crucial US $279.99 price point, going against NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 760. The R9 280 isn't too different from the Radeon HD 7950 from the previous generation, featuring higher clock speeds, and PowerTune with boost. Based on the 28 nm "Tahiti" silicon, the R9 280 features 1,792 Graphics CoreNext stream processors, 112 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 3 GB of memory. The card features clock speeds of 827 MHz core, 933 MHz boost, and 5.00 GHz memory. The R9 280 is rated with the same 250W average board power as the R9 280X. AMD add-in board (AIB) partners have launched custom-design boards, including ones that feature factory overclocked speeds.

ASUS kicked off its Radeon R9 280 lineup with a pair of DirectCU II series graphics cards, one which sticks to AMD reference clock speeds of 827 MHz core, 933 MHz boost, and 5.00 GHz memory; and a TOP variant, which offers clock speeds of 874 MHz core, 980 MHz boost, and 5.20 GHz memory. Both cards are based on a board design that's not too different from that of the R9 280X DirectCU II series, featuring a custom-design PCB, and the company's new generation DirectCU II cooling solution, which features the CoolTech fan that combines a lateral blower with a conventional fan impeller. Based on the 28 nm "Tahiti" silicon, the Radeon R9 280 features 1,792 stream processors 112 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 3 GB of memory.

The Radeon R7 and R9 series are expanding! First announced in September 2013 at the AMD Hawaii tech event, the Radeon R7 and R9 series have added about a dozen more cards to the product lineup. These new cards offer better performance than the competition while being more affordable at the same time. To close the gap between the very powerful yet affordable R9 270X and the immensely popular R9 280X, we are pleased to introduce the brand new Club 3D Radeon R9 280 royalKing!

Being a royalKing, the R9 280 is a proud new addition to our widely awarded and recognized PokerSeries. Fitted with a revised Tahiti PRO 2 GPU, the R9 280 has 1792 Stream Processors, 3072Mb of GDDR5 memory at 5000MHz and a 384 bit memory bus. This new addition to the R9 series offers significantly better specs and performance than the competition with a suggested end user price of $279 (SEP).

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, expands its R9 series with latest PowerColor TurboDuo R9 280 OC, promising no-compromise performance and flawless image quality for the most demanding games. The TurboDuo R9 280 OC feature awarding-winning GCN Architecutre for unrivalled efficiency, and enable astonishing performance and breathtaking image quality, making it a top choice for enthusiasts who eager for the best.

The TurboDuo R9 280 OC has a new architecture with a total of 1792 stream processors, delivering massively parallel computing power for graphics. Its core clock speed of 855 MHz, even up to 960 MHz with boost, together with a high speed interface to 3 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 1250 MHz (5.0 Gbps) delivers class leading performance.

AMD today announced the introduction of its AM1 platform featuring the AMD quad-core and dual-core "Kabini" APU into the component channel for system builders. Combined with motherboards from leading manufacturers, the new AM1 platform will deliver award-winning Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture and AMD "Jaguar" CPU cores, and bear the AMD Athlon and AMD Sempron APU brands. This will create an ecosystem of flexible and upgradable platforms at compelling price points that also feature USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s support, and microATX and miniITX motherboards for sleek and power-efficient small form factor PCs.

Availability of "Kabini" desktops and components are slated to be on-shelf in select regions beginning early April, with global availability expected on April 9.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced that it has begun delivering products from its newly formed Embedded Systems Business Unit, targeting graphics intensive embedded system designs and small format computing solutions for a wide range of applications. SAPPHIRE Technology is a leading manufacturer and global supplier of a broad range of innovative technologies for PC enthusiasts, home users and professionals. The company was first formed over a decade ago as a manufacturer and global supplier of state-of-the-art graphics add-in boards, for which it is now recognized as a premier AMD add-in graphics board partner for both consumer and professional products. The company's extensive product line has grown to include motherboards, mini PCs and Professional AV products.

Israel-based system builder Compulab announced the fourth generation Fit-PC, the Fit-PC4, which builds on the proven nettop platform. Fit-PC4 comes in two main variants, the $299 Fit-PC4 Value, and the $380 Fit-PC4 Pro. The Value variant runs an AMD A4-1250 APU, with a manageable 8W TDP to speak of. The Pro variant, on the other hand, runs a peppier AMD GX-420CA quad-core SoC, with Radeon HD 8400E graphics.

Both variants feature two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, which can hold up to 16 GB of memory; an internal 2.5-inch drive bay with SATA 6 Gb/s interface, an mPCIe+mSATA 6 Gb/s slot, and a micro-SDXC card slot, wrapping up the storage department. Display outputs include two HDMI 1.4a ports on both variants, with 7.1-channel digital audio streams. 7.1-channel digital audio is also given out by TOSLINK SPDIF, on both variants. Analog audio outputs include just the stereo headset jacks. Networking includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces on both variants. While the Value variant offers 802.11 b/g/n WLAN with Bluetooth 3.0, the Pro variant tops that with 802.11 ac and Bluetooth 4.0. The Pro variant measures 16 cm x 19 cm x 3.7 cm; while the Value variant is more compact, at 16 cm x 16 cm x 2.5 cm.