NVIDIA finally released the graphics cards it made many wait for: the DirectX 11 compliant GeForce GTX 480 and GeForce GTX 470. The two were unveiled at the PAX East gaming event, in the United States, as publications were allowed to post reviews right away. The two are based on the NVIDIA GF100 GPU, built on the 40 nm process. The higher-end GeForce GTX 480 packs 480 shader units (now referred to by NVIDIA as "CUDA cores"), branched geometry processing along with multiple tessellation units, and a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface to connect to 1536 MB (1.5 GB) of memory.

The GeForce GTX 470 is the more affordable part, it packs 448 CUDA cores, and a 320-bit GDDR5 memory interface to connect to 1280 MB (1.25 GB) of memory. Both models support new features by NVIDIA, such as CUDA 3.0, faster PhysX acceleration, Stereoscopic 3D, 3D Vision surround multi display technology, as well as support for OpenCL and DirectCompute 5.0. While the GeForce GTX 480 has a suggested retail price of US $499, the GTX 470 is suggested to be priced at $349, although final pricing set by board partners could vary. NVIDIA is initially making tens of thousands of these cards, which should be available worldwide a little after April 12th.

Here's MSI with its GeForce GTX 480 offering, the MSI N480GTX. While it's clear that all GeForce GTX 400 series graphics cards, at least initially, will adhere to NVIDIA's reference designs, each manufacturer is throwing in a little something unique. MSI's offering speaks of "Military-class" components, though it's likely that NVIDIA's own choice of components fit MSI's definition of military-class, and the MSI Afterburner software. The software is advertised to work with the card to provide voltage control, advertising up to 15% of performance gains using it. Usual features include DirectX 11 support, support for PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision Surround, 480 CUDA cores, 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit memory interface, and connectivity which includes two DVI-D and a mini HDMI.

Barely a week ahead of NVIDIA's launch of DirectX 11 compliant graphics cards, Unigine released version 2 of its Heaven benchmark. Unigine Heaven is a multi API 3D performance benchmark which supports DirectX 9, 10, 11, and OpenGL, but is popular for its DirectX 11 mode which demonstrates the API's hardware tessellation capabilities using tessellation-intensive scenes. Version 2 expands on the original with even more geometry-heavy tests, even more objects, more dynamic lights, and physics-driven flags, along with the original's complete use of hardware tessellation features, advanced screen-space ambient occlusion (SSAO), dynamic sky and daytime lighting, and interactive modes. The new version also lets you set the degree of tessellation using "extreme" and "moderate" modes. The application is available free of charge.DOWNLOAD: Unigine Heaven 2.0

Leadteak is one of the many NVIDIA partners ready with its offering of GeForce GTX 470 and GeForce GTX 480 graphics cards, pictured ahead of its launch. As with every other GeForce 400 series SKU in the making, these cards stick to NVIDIA's reference design. The Leadtek GeForce GTX 480 is DirectX 11 compliant, has 480 CUDA cores, and 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit memory interface, while the GeForce GTX 470 has 448 CUDA cores, and 1280 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 320-bit memory interface. Both are 3-way SLI capable. The two are expected to be launched later this week.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new version of its successful HD SAPPHIRE HD 5850 TOXIC Edition with a larger frame buffer size of 2GB. The SAPPHIRE HD 5850 TOXIC series are SAPPHIRE original designs based on the latest 40nm graphics architecture from the ATI division of AMD. They feature 1440 stream processors and 72 texture units delivering the fastest performance in class as well as supporting ATI Stream technology.

Designed for the enthusiast or demanding user, the SAPPHIRE HD 5850 2G TOXIC Edition is factory overclocked to 765MHz core and has 2GB of high speed DDR5 memory clocked at 1125MHz (4500MHz effective). SAPPHIRE's World leading Vapor-X technology not only allows the cards to run as much as 15 degrees C cooler and 10dB quieter than the standard models, it provides additional headroom for further performance tuning (overclocking).

Here they are folks, pictures of the GeForce GTX 480 and GeForce GTX 470 complete with partner branding. These come from XFX, both sticking to NVIDIA's reference design. The XFX GeForce GTX 480 comes with the usual feature set of 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory, 480 CUDA cores, and a broad feature set that includes support for DirectX 11, CUDA, PhysX, 3D Vision Surround, and 3-way SLI. The GeForce GTX 470 retains this feature set, albeit with 448 CUDA cores, and 1280 MB of GDDR5 memory. The two will be released on the 26th of March.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, today introduces the first and only graphics solution on the planet: the HD5770 Eyefinity 5. The HD5770 Eyefinity 5 features multi-display eyefinity technology, enables up to 5 monitors to be operated from one card through its five mini displayport onboard design. Gamers can easily make use of this unique feature and have different display configurations to enjoy a wider field of view and get more done at the same time.

This unparalleled graphics solution takes advantage of the HD5770 series features, clocking in at 850 MHz core speed and 1200MHz memory speed, the card is ready to tackle all the latest game titles and enable a superior gaming experience. With support for Microsoft's DirectX 11, the HD5770 Eyefinity 5 provides the most vivid gaming experience like never before. Compatible with ATI Stream technology, the card enables demanding data parallel compute tasks from the CPU to GPU, accelerating daily applications.

MSI's newest 17" gaming notebook-the GE700, just made its debut. It comes equipped with Intel's latest core i5 processor with ATI Radeon HD 5730 discrete graphics card (with 1GB DDR3 VRAM), two cinema-class speakers and a subwoofer, a HD webcam, and dual hard disk architecture, so you can install two hard drives for maximum memory storage. Its superior multimedia, entertainment, and processing capabilities maximize your experience.

MSI Marketing Director Sam Chern points out that the MSI GE700, a 17" gaming and entertainment laptop, utilizes Intel Turbo Boost Technology for dynamic enhanced processing efficiency, a high-end discrete graphics card to increase image processing performance, and cutting-edge SRS Premium Sound. Furthermore, the GE700 boasts MSI's exclusive ECO Engine Power Saving Technology, Cinema Pro, and GPU Boost Technology to give you just the right amount of battery power you need for the task at hand.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to launch the latest in-house designed GIGABYTE GV-R5800 series graphics cards featuring GIGABYTE's own Ultra Durable VGA Technology which can provide outstanding overclocking capability, lower GPU temperature, and excellent power efficiency. Building on the ultimate kernel of ATI Radeon HD 5800 art-of-the-state single-GPU architecture and advanced GDDR5 memory technology, the GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD deliver seamless frame rates with massive graphics processing muscle for any tomorrow's demanding applications. In addition, the GIGABYTE the GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD feature a wide range of the latest graphics technologies, including native DispalyPort, native Golden-Plated HDMI, TeraScale graphics engine, ATI CrossFireX, and ATI Stream, to deliver supreme scalability so gamers can take their games to new heights.

A little earlier this month, NVIDIA tweeted that it would formally unveil the GeForce GTX 400 series graphics cards, NVIDIA's DirectX 11 generation GPUs, at the PAX East gaming event in Boston (MA), United States, on the 26th of March. That's a little under a month's time from now. In its run up, sources that have access to samples of the graphics cards seem to be drawing their "performance expectations" among other details tricking in.

Both the GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 graphics cards are based on NVIDIA's GF100 silicon, which physically packs 512 CUDA cores, 16 geometry units, 64 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and a 384-bit GDDR5 memory interface. While the GTX 480 is a full-featured part, the GTX 470 is slightly watered-down, with probably 448 or 480 CUDA cores enabled, and a slightly narrower memory interface, probably 320-bit GDDR5. Sources tell DonanimHaber that the GeForce GTX 470 performs somewhere between the ATI Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 5870. This part is said to have a power draw of 300W. The GeForce GTX 480, on the other hand, is expected to perform on-par with the GeForce GTX 295 - at least in existing (present-generation) applications. A recent listing by an online store for a pre-order, put the GTX 480 at US $699.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just released two Special Edition graphics cards bundled with the highly acclaimed game Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 2.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5830 is a new graphics card based on the latest 40nm graphics architecture from the ATI division of AMD. It features 1120 stream processors and 56 texture units. With its core clocks of 800MHz and DDR5 memory with speeds of 1000MHz (4GHz effective), it represents a new value proposition in the successful HD 5800 series.

Club 3D B.V. today introduces the Radeon HD 5830 graphics cards as the most affordable addition to award winning Radeon HD 5800 series. The Club 3D Radeon HD 5830 fills the gap between HD 5850 and HD 5770 graphics cards to fulfill the demand for HD 5800 series features at a lower price point.

Club 3D Radeon HD 5830 graphics card features DVI, HDMI and Display Port output to support ATI Eyefinity Technology for an incredibly immersive HD gaming and computing experience and a maximized field of view with up to three displays. Perform tasks on your PC faster with ATI Stream technology and accelerated everyday applications. Step now into the world of DirectX 11 gaming and play the first available games, with unrivalled visual quality, astonishing realism and ultra-fast frame rates to dominate the competition.

The world leading graphics card and mainboard brand-manufacturer, MSI, today officially releases its R5830 Twin Frozr II graphics card. MSI R5830 Twin Frozr II uses ATI Radeon HD 5830 GPU with 1120 units of stream processors and 1GB GDDR5 high speed memory to provide the latest DirectX 11 games with stunning visual effects to gamers. Equipped with excusive Twin Frozr II Thermal design, R5830 Twin Frozr II is 12℃ cooler thanks to dual 8CM PWM fans and quad Heatpipes. The most powerful Afterburner overclocking software supports over voltage function of GPU on R5830 Twin Frozr, tweaking the GPU's voltage to have better overclocking performance. In addition, to have better stability and lifespan, R5830 Twin Frozr II chooses the high quality Military class components to build the best HD 5830 card.

For heat dissipation, the MSI R5830 Twin Frozr II graphic card uses the advanced Twin Frozr II thermal design. This is supplemented by dual 8CM PWM fans and quad heat pipes to draw and dissipate waste heat away from the graphics card. Real-world tests show that MSI's proprietary Twin Frozr II cooling can reduce temperatures by up to 12℃ when compared to the reference cooler, making it quite an advanced cooling system.

Today HIS unleashed the revolutionary new HIS Radeon HD 5830 iCooler V 1GB GDDR5 Turbo and Standard version. Combined with the high performance dual slot iCooler V and stellar overclocking performance, it delivers most affordable high performance graphics with ATI Eyefinity technology supported. Prepare to plug in for a ridiculously immersive HD gaming experience unlike anything you've ever seen.

iCooler V features a high performance dual slot cooler. It comes with excellent cooling setup, which transfer heat effectively from the GPU to the internal fins around the central fan. Thanks to the elegant design and smoothness of iCooler fan shroud, massive amount of cool air is drawn from the central cooler to cool down the internal fins directly.

AMD today introduced the ATI Radeon HD 5830 graphics card, bringing gamers the cutting-edge features and performance of the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 5800 series at a lower price than ever before at less than $250 USD. With the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 5830, gamers have another great choice in graphics hardware, with full support for DirectX 11 gaming, ATI Eyefinity technology, and ATI Stream capabilities.

"The ATI Radeon HD 5830 graphics card makes enthusiast-level performance even more accessible to gamers, adding another compelling choice to the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 5800 series," said Matt Skynner, vice president and general manager, AMD Graphics Division. "Cutting-edge features such as full DirectX 11 support, ATI Eyefinity multi-display capabilities and ATI Stream technology position the ATI Radeon HD 5830 graphics card to become a favorite with the gaming community."

NVIDIA built a fair bit of hype over the weekend on Twitter, when it said that come Monday, it would make a "major announcement". It turns out that the company will unveil its GeForce GTX 400 series graphics card at the PAX East gaming event to be held in late March, on the 26th, 31 days away at the time of preparing this report. The PAX East event will be held in Boston, United States.

NVIDIA will unveil two of its high-end, next-generation graphics cards based on the GeForce GTX 480 and GeForce GTX 470. Being DirectX 11 compliant marks that generation shift. An American online retailer listed the GeForce GTX 480 for US $699 on pre-order.

MSI launched the latest 16" entertainment model GE600 for its G series notebooks. This new model uses Intel Core i5 processor with built-in ATI Radeon HD5730 discrete graphics card (including 1GB DDR3 VRAM) and SRS Premium Sound audio. Moreover, bearing the 720p HD webcam also takes the lead in the industry. The high-end video/audio equipment provides you with the experience of all-round multimedia entertainments.

Sam Chern, MSI Notebook Marketing Director, stated that to satisfy customer needs, MSI 16" entertainment model - GE600 - was developed to introduce the most advanced software/hardware devices characterized by all-new exterior design, HD webcam, sub-woofer and leading SRS Premium Sound audio, all of which enables customers to enter a new era of mobile video/audio enjoyment experiences.

An online PC hardware store, SabrePC.com, has listed a graphics card based on NVIDIA's upcoming DirectX 11 compliant GeForce GTX 480 GPU. And the price: $699 before a $20 rebate. The listing is of a graphics card by NVIDIA partner XFX.

The specifications known at this point in time are that the GeForce GTX 480 is based on NVIDIA's GF100 graphics processor. It is DirectX 11 compliant, and has 512 shader units (dubbed CUDA cores), a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, and multiple tessellation units. NVIDIA is expected to announce the card along with a cheaper variant, the GeForce GTX 470, later this quarter. By early Q2, the company expects healthy inventories.

Combining the highly successful HD 5000 series graphics architecture with its award winning Vapor-X cooling technology, SAPPHIRE Technology is now shipping two new graphics cards - the SAPPHIRE HD 5850 TOXIC Edition and the SAPPHIRE HD 5850 Vapor-X model.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5850 TOXIC Edition and the SAPPHIRE HD 5850 Vapor-X models are both SAPPHIRE original designs based on the latest 40nm graphics architecture from the ATI division of AMD. Both models feature 1440 stream processors and 72 texture units delivering the fastest performance in class as well as supporting ATI Stream technology. They support the advanced graphical features of DirectX 11, and deliver spectacular video clarity, speed and visual effects, including over multiple monitors whilst working at lower operating temperatures and significantly more quietly because of the SAPPHIRE award winning Vapor-X cooling technology.

AMD today announced several new ATI Catalyst graphics driver features designed to enable higher performance, industry-leading stability and an even more intuitive computing experience for ATI Radeon graphics customers. Two ATI Catalyst driver updates unlock the new features, the first coming today in ATI Catalyst update, version 10.2, and the second scheduled for release in March. The releases represent AMD's ongoing commitment to providing regular driver updates focusing on stability, performance and innovation for users of ATI Radeon graphics processors.

"As the first and, to date, only company to provide DirectX 11 technology and ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology, AMD continues to demonstrate our commitment to innovation in graphics," said Ben Bar-Haim, corporate vice-president, Software, AMD. "Our monthly ATI Catalyst driver updates further illustrate that commitment as we focus on continually enabling greater performance, even more rock solid stability, and intuitive, innovative features."

Club 3D announces the Radeon HD 5570 and Radeon HD 5550 graphics cards. Club 3D's newest offer out of the Radeon HD 5000 graphics card series delivers big performance into the mainstream market. Watch HD video content, play games, and accelerate demanding applications with Club 3D Radeon HD 5500 graphics card series. Get a multi-purpose graphics solution for maximum versatility with the most features and functionality in its class. The Club 3D Radeon HD 5500 graphics cards series consumes less power than previous generations graphics cards, eliminates the need for an external power connection and makes installation a snap.

Club 3D Radeon HD 5570 is available first in two different versions, 512MB and 1024MB model offering DDR3 memory technology. While the Radeon HD 5550 model will be available as 512MB and 1024MB model with DDR2 memory technology.

AMD, in its presentation at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2010, presented its plan to build its much talked about 'Fusion' processor platform, codenamed Llano, central to which, is the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). AMD's APU is expected to be the first design to embed a multi-core x86 CPU and a GPU onto a single die. This design goes a notch ahead of Intel's recently released 'Clarkdale' processor, where Intel strapped a 32 nm dual-core CPU die and a 45 nm northbridge die with integrated graphics, onto an MCM (multi chip module) package. Llano is also expected to feature four processing cores, along with other design innovations.

Some of the most notable announcements in AMD's presentation is that the company will begin sampling the chip to its industry partners within the first half of 2010. The Llano die will be build on a 32 nm High-K Metal Gate process. On this process, each x86 core will be as small as 9.69 mm². Other important components on the Llano die are a DDR3 memory controller, on-die northbridge, and a DirectX 11 compliant graphics core derived from the Evergreen family of GPUs. The x86 cores are expected to run at speeds of over 3 GHz. Each core has 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache, taking the total chip cache size to 4 MB.

SAPPHIRE Technology is now shipping a new family of graphics cards in the highly successful HD 5000 series. The SAPPHIRE HD 5570 is a new low profile model aimed at the mainstream market, whist sharing many of the exciting features of the latest high end series.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5500 series is based on the latest graphics architecture from the ATI division of AMD, the second generation of GPU to be built in its 40nm process. It supports the advanced graphical features of Microsoft DirectX 11, and delivers superb video clarity and visual effects, whilst consuming very low power levels.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, today introduces the graphics for HD gaming and advanced home entertainment: PowerColor HD5500 series. Compatible with all the latest features, HD5500 series takes advantage of DirectX 11 technology and makes incredible visual realism possible for all popular HD games and Blu-Ray. HD 5500 series will enhance your home entertainment experience and you can be environmentally friendly at the same time with a card that consumes less than 45 watts under full load.

Also, PowerColor includes a special version in the latest HD5500 series lineup, HD5570 low profile edition. With a single-slot low profile design, HD5570 low profile edition enables smooth frame rates at HD setting, delivers vivid HD experience while watching Blu-Ray videos and other HD contents. It is the best choice for small form factor and home theater PCs.

Leading graphics card and motherboard manufacturer, MSI, is launching today R5570-MD1G graphics card in low-profile design to meet the demands of home theatre personal computer (HTPC) users. Powered by ATI Radeon HD 5570 GPU supporting DirectX 11 and Dolby 7.1 channels loss-less surround stereo and equipped with HDMI output for Full HD movie playback, MSI R5570-MD1G is featured with the compact size benefited from the low-profile design, making the product the best-ever choice for building any HTPC.

The brand new MSI R5570-MD1G features as low-profile design to fit the HTPC conventionally with limited space, especially for smaller or slim cases. On the other hand, the low-profile design is good for thermal dissipation to facilitate interior air ventilation. Ultimately, the mini size of R5570-MD1G makes installation much easier and more convenient.