AMD today posted the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition. Version 19.2.1 beta ships with optimization for "APEX Legends" and "The Division 2 private beta." It also improves performance of "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" by up to 5 percent, when tested on a Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card. The company also fixed a number of issues.

To begin with, a bug affecting "Battlefield V" in which character outlines remain on the screen after revive has been fixed. Radeon Settings not automatically installing when updating Radeon Software on machines with hybrid graphics has been fixed. Also fixed is a Radeon Settings application crash noticed when switching tabs too quickly with long game lists. Some displays experiencing a loss in video when maximizing to fullscreen any software with FreeSync enabled, also has been fixed. A white-screen bug affecting "Anthem" has been fixed. HDMI Underscan settings not restoring after reboot has been fixed. An inverted color bug with ReLive has been fixed.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.2.1 beta

The change-log follows.

AMD today released the Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.1.1 beta drivers. This latest release brings performance improvements for Fortnite of up to 4% for the Radeon RX 580 at 1080p and up to 3% for the Radeon RX Vega 64 at 1080p compared to the previous 18.12.3 drivers. On top of this there are numerous fixes this time around including; Virtual Super Resolution not showing up on 1440p Ultra-Wide displays, system lag when using Alt-Tab during gameplay, performance metrics overlay feature not scaling correctly when changing resolution in-game just to name a few.

That said, AMD still has a few bugs to squash, as of right now Battlefield V players may still experience character outlines being stuck on screen after they are revived. Meanwhile uninstalling the Radeon Software may result in its failure to remove the Radeon settings. For full details, you can view the entire changelog after the break.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.1.1 Beta

While many have watched or at the very least seen our coverage of AMD's live stream at CES 2019, it just can't compare to seeing the latest graphics card from the company up close and personal. Therefore as soon as we had the opportunity, we took a closer look at the AMD Radeon VII and let us just say the reference card is indeed a bit fancy. The shroud itself is made of metal and has a very similar look and feel to the one used on the Radeon RX Vega 64 liquid cooled reference cards. However, instead of using an AIO for this release AMD instead opted for three uniform fans and a massive heatsink. Not only does this make the card more compatible with small form factor systems, it is also less of a hassle to install. Display outputs consist of 3x DisplayPort and 1x HDMI. Sadly AMD did not include a VirtualLink port (USB Type-C) like NVIDIA for VR headsets, which is rather odd considering AMD is also part of the VirtualLink consortium.

Power delivery is handled by two 8-pin PCIe power connectors giving the card access to a theoretical limit of 375-watts which is 75-watts more than its 300-watt TDP. Considering the Radeon VII has the same power level as the Vega 64 it offers 25% more performance at the same power level. Compute unit count falls between the Vega 56 and Vega 64 at precisely 60 CUs. That said, a few missing CUs are of no consequence when you consider how close the Vega 56 performed to the Vega 64 once tweaked. As for clock speeds AMD has stated the Radeon VII will have a 1.8 GHz core clock, while the 16 GB of HBM2 will deliver 1 TB/s of memory bandwidth over the 4096-bit memory interface.

AMD has released the Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.10.1 beta drivers. These drivers include support for Microsoft's Windows 10 October 2018 Update as well as optimizations for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Along with improved support, AMD has addressed a number of issues with this latest release. First of which is a fix for the HDMI audio drivers not upgrading during the Radeon Software installation in some circumstances. Random reboots when upgrading from Radeon Software versions older than RSAE 18.8.1 on CPUs with more than 16 cores has also been resolved. In regards to gaming fixes, Fortnite sees lighting corruption when effects quality is set to High or Epic resolved, while Sea of Thieves sees texture flickering in multi-GPU configurations fixed. You can grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.10.1 BetaThe change-log follows.

AMD today released the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition. Version 18.9.3 beta comes just in time for "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey," posting up to 5% higher performance at 1440p, when tested with a Radeon RX Vega 64; and up to 3% higher performance at 1080p, tested with an RX 580. The game also comes with optimization for "Forza Horizon 4," although AMD did not put out performance guidance for that game. AMD also addressed a couple of issues, beginning with fixing a stutter observed when exceeding FreeSync refresh-rate range in some high frame-rate scenarios. Also addressed is machines with 16 CPU cores experiencing a random system reboot during driver installation, when upgrading from 18.8.1 drivers. Grab the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.9.3 beta

The change-log follows.

AMD announced the "Raise the Game" bundle. The company is giving away three AAA games with its Radeon RX Vega 64, RX Vega 56, RX 580, and RX 570 graphics cards (you get all three games when you purchase any of those graphics cards). Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the star attraction here. The latest addition to the Assassin's Creed franchise adds a straight $59.99 value to your graphics card purchase. You also get "Strange Brigade," a $39.99 upcoming co-op adventure shooter set in a Tomb Raider-esque setting. Lastly, there's Star Control: Origins, the upcoming space RTS by Stardock.

This is probably the first time that a GPU vendor is bundling only upcoming games, which at launch-prices add tremendous value to your graphics card, especially some of the cheaper RX 570 ones. Assassin's Creed Origins releases this October, while Strange Brigade lands late-August, and Star Control: Origins this September. The bundle is limited to participating retailers, and applicable to graphics cards sold between August 7, 2018 and ends November 3, 2018 (or until stocks last). You get a master coupon that must be redeemed on AMD website before 31st December, which puts out the UPlay and Steam keys for the games.

The same exact graphics cards, made by the same exact manufacturer, in the same exact factory, with the only difference being the "AREZ Strix" branding, priced a whopping USD $160 apart - that's the kind of mess NVIDIA GPP (GeForce Partners Program) left in its wake. Newegg lists the ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX Vega 64 (STRIX-RXVEGA64-O8G-GAMING) graphics card at USD $589.99. This card was made before ASUS decided to re-brand its AMD Radeon graphics cards under the AREZ Strix brand, necessitated by NVIDIA GPP. The post-rebrand AREZ Strix Radeon RX Vega 64 (AREZ RXVEGA64-O8G-GAMING), is priced at $749.99 on the same site, a whopping $160 premium for what is basically a sticker. Just to make sure this isn't a discrepancy between the various sellers from Newegg's marketplace, we also post screenshots that confirm both listings are "sold and shipped by Newegg" (and not a marketplace partner).

We noticed this anomaly on Newegg last week (the week of 9th July), and initially dismissed it for a listing error that would be resolved by the retailer in a couple of days. The week passed, and the listings didn't change. NVIDIA triggered a strong backlash for the language of its GeForce Partners Program (GPP), which implicitly forced its AIC (add-in card) partners to keep their well-established gaming hardware brands (eg: ROG, Aorus, MSI Gaming, etc.,) exclusive to GeForce GTX graphics cards, forcing them to re-brand their AMD Radeon products (and stripping them of those well-established brands, thereby putting AMD at a disadvantage). NVIDIA eventually cancelled GPP, but not before the likes of ASUS and MSI committed changes to their product stacks. AREZ is the Frankenstein's monster that was too late to abort, which now threatens to rip off uninformed consumers.

ASRock rolled out its first Radeon RX Vega series graphics cards under its Phantom Gaming series. These cards stick to AMD reference board design, and aren't much to talk about. The ASRock RX Vega 56 Phantom Gaming X sticks to reference clock speeds of 1156-1471 MHz core and 800 MHz memory; while the RX Vega 64 ticks at 1247-1546 MHz core, and 945 MHz memory. Both cards draw power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors; display outputs include three DisplayPorts and an HDMI. The cards could be launched at close-to-stock prices owing to a slump in demand from crypto-currency miners.Many Thanks to ne6togadno for the tip.

AMD today released Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.3.2 Beta, its second significant driver release for this month. These drivers include heavier optimization for "Final Fantasy XV." This includes up to 4 percent higher frame-rates at 1080p compared to the older 18.3.1 drivers, when tested with a Radeon RX Vega 64; and up to 7 percent higher frame-rates at the same resolution, when tested with the RX 580 8 GB. It also fixes a stuttering issue noticed in the game, when rendering scenes with heavy particle effects. Grab the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.3.2 Beta

The change-log follows.

EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is releasing EK-FC Radeon Vega Strix water blocks that are compatible with the ASUS ROG Strix RX VEGA64. This kind of efficient cooling will allow your high-end graphics card to reach higher boost clocks, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks.

This water block directly cools the GPU, HBM2 memory, and VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the graphics card and it's VRM to remain stable under high overclocks. EK-FC Radeon Vega Strix water block features a central inlet split-flow cooling engine design for best possible cooling performance, which also works flawlessly with reversed water flow without adversely affecting the cooling performance. This kind of efficient cooling will allow your high-end graphics card to reach higher boost clocks, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks. Moreover, such design offers great hydraulic performance allowing this product to be used in liquid cooling systems using weaker water pumps.

EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium PC liquid cooling gear manufacturer is expanding its RGB portfolio by presenting a Full Cover water block for AMD Radeon Vega architecture based high-end graphics cards. Customers will be able to transform their graphics card into a beautiful, bright single slot card while the water cooling block will allow the GPU to reach higher frequencies, thus providing more performance during gaming or other demanding tasks.

EK-FC Radeon Vega RGB
This water block directly cools the GPU, HBM2 memory, and VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the graphics card and it's VRM to remain stable under high overclocks. EK-FC Radeon Vega water block features a central inlet split-flow cooling engine design for best possible cooling performance, which also works flawlessly with reversed water flow without adversely affecting the cooling performance. This kind of efficient cooling will allow your high-end graphics card to reach higher boost clocks, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks. Moreover, such design offers great hydraulic performance allowing this product to be used in liquid cooling systems using weaker water pumps.

MSI today rolled out its first quasi-custom design Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card, the MSI RX Vega 64 Air Boost. This card combines an AMD reference-design (or at least close-to-reference) PCB, with a custom-design lateral-flow cooling solution by MSI. The lateral blower features a large base plate with a copper core; the base plate draws heat from the VRM, the copper core from the "Vega 10" MCM. The card ships with slightly overclocked speeds of 1272 MHz core, and 1575 MHz boost. Drawing power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, the card puts out three DisplayPort 1.4 connectors, and an HDMI 2.0 port. The company didn't reveal pricing.

BIOSTAR officially releases its AMD Radeon powerful value packed graphics cards based on the RX Vega architecture - the BIOSTAR Radeon RX Vega Series: BIOSTAR Radeon RX Vega 56 (VAVAL5VM88) and top-end BIOSTAR Radeon RX Vega 64 models which is available in air-cooled edition (VAVAT5VM88) and liquid-cooled edition (VAVAX5VM88). The BIOSTAR Radeon RX Vega graphics cards are great for 4K gaming and one of best graphics cards on the market for crypto mining.

4K Gaming Performance
The BIOSTAR Radeon RX Vega Series graphics cards are AMD Radeon's most powerful graphics to date with smooth 4K graphics for gaming with optimization for DirectX 12 and Vulkan game titles. It also supports Radeon FreeSync Technology that eliminates image tearing giving you smooth and fluid gameplay. The BIOSTAR Radeon RX Vega Series also features AMD XConnect which supports external GPU enclosures that transforms notebooks and mini PCs into high-performance gaming machines. Virtual Super Resolution offers superb gaming graphics that rivals up to 4K.

The EK Fluid Gaming lineup is finally supporting AMD Radeon RX Vega based graphics cards! EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer is releasing a new kit, the A240R and the EK-AC Radeon Vega aluminum based full cover water block! The EK-AC Radeon Vega full cover water block brings a pure and minimalistic design for liquid cooling enthusiasts and the same can be said for the EK Fluid Gaming A240R kit. The kit is equipped with an EK-Supremacy AX CPU water block, an evolution of the renowned high-end EKWB water block that brings excellent performance and an attractive appearance! It's a universal water block that suits all modern CPU sockets on the market, both Intel and AMD.

The included EK-AluStream SE radiator offer high-class cooling performance for its thickness of 28mm. Dense aluminum fins combined with a slim profile provide a huge cooling surface, while the radiator remains highly compatible with most cases on the market. AluStream SE radiators are optimized for maximum heat dissipation across the entire operational range of the included high-static pressure EK-Vardar fans which deliver exceptional performance at both low and high RPM operation.

GIGABYTE has a custom-design Radeon RX Vega series after all, with the company announcing the RX Vega 64 WindForce 2X and RX Vega 56 WindForce 2X graphics cards. These cards combine a 100% custom-design PCB by GIGABYTE, with a large WindForce 2X cooling-solution that the company is debuting with these cards. The cooler features a split aluminium fin-stack heatsink to which heat drawn by 8 mm-thick copper heat-pipes is fed; ventilated by a pair of large 100 mm fans, which stay off when the GPU is idling. The heat-pipes make direct contact with the GPU and HBM2 stacks, while a base-plate conveys heat drawn from the VRM MOSFETs.

The back-plate has a copper center-plate and a flat heat-pipe of its own, drawing heat from the PCB via non-electrically-conductive thermal pads. The two fans blow air onto the heatsink, but one fan spins clockwise to do this, while the other spins counter-clockwise. The custom-design PCB features a 13-phase VRM, and draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Both cards come with factory-overclocked speeds, with the engine-clock boosting up to 1560 MHz, while the memory clock is left untouched. The card features an unusual display connector loadout, including three each of DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 ports, all located on the rear panel. The company didn't reveal pricing.

TUL Corporation, a leading and innovative manufacturer of AMD graphic cards since 1997, has launched a new PowerColor Red Devil RX VEGA 64 and Red Devil RX VEGA 56 and opened up a new generation of the graphics cards market. The VEGA series are for the extreme gamers looking for the highest resolutions, highest framerates in maximum video setting.

The PowerColor RX VEGA graphics are designed to deliver exhilarating performance in the latest DirectX 12 and Vulkan game titles. With a dedicated High-Bandwidth Cache, the VEGA utilizes HBM2, the latest in graphic memory technology, to provide incredible levels of power efficiency and memory performance. The Next-Gen Pixel Engine found in the Vega GPU is designed to boost shading performance more efficiently to bring the latest VR and extreme resolution games to life.

PowerColor teased its first Radeon RX Vega series graphics card, under its flagship Red Devil branding. The company could use this common board design for both RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 SKUs. It combines a custom-design, triple-slot, triple-fan cooling solution, with a semi-custom design PCB. The cooler is an upscale of the company's RX 580 Red Devil, with a massive 2.5-slot thick aluminum fin-stack heatsink, which draws heat from the "Vega 10" GPU and a base-plate conveying heat from the VRM MOSFETs surrounding it, ventilated by a trio of 100 mm fans.

PowerColor's PCB for this card is a variation of AMD's reference "Vega 10" board, in that it's slightly taller towards the front. The company went with two each of DisplayPort and HDMI connectors, instead of the standard three DP + one HDMI layout. The VRM is the same 12-phase setup from the reference-design PCB, with PowerColor sticking to International Rectifier IR6894 and IR6211DirectFETs, and IR3598 phase-doublers, while customizing the chokes. The PCB is enlarged height-wise to give easy access to the BIOS switch. Two inverted 8-pin PCIe power inputs are located toward the end. Given how heavily this board is based on the reference PCB, it remains to be seen if fan idle-power off is featured. PowerColor is expected to launch the RX Vega 64 Red Devil and RX Vega 56 Red Devil before Holiday.

It's likely that we'll (relatively) soon start to see custom models of AMD's latest high-end graphics cards based on the Vega micro-architecture. The launch and availability of AMD's latest poster child has been target of continued debate and rumors of problems, ranging from low GPU yields, to low packaging yields, and manufacturing discrepancies making AMD's AIB partners' job in creating and delivering fully custom models ever more difficult. However, the end for market absence of true custom models may be nigh, since the guys over at HWBattle have managed to snag themselves a sample of Sapphire's RX Vega 64 Nitro, and the card really is a sight to behold.

TechPowerUp today released the latest version of TechPowerUp GPU-Z, the graphics subsystem information, monitor, and diagnostic tool for PC enthusiasts and gamers. Version 2.5.0 introduces a slew of new features, support for new graphics cards, under the hood improvements, and bug fixes. To begin with, we've re-done the main tab to show graphics driver date and WHQL status in new fields. A refresh button is added, so you can manually refresh graphics card information, after a driver update for example. The BIOS string for NVIDIA BIOSes are now consistently cased, and driver version name titled "NVIDIA" instead of the retired "ForceWare" brand.

TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.5.0 adds support for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, with its new WDDM 2.3 driver model, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, GTX 1050 Ti Mobile (GP106), Quadro GP100, and Quadro M620; from the AMD stable, support is added for Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Edition, and FirePro M4150; from Intel, support for Intel UHD 600-series "Coffee Lake" graphics was added. Among the new sensors added are Vega SOC Clock, VR SOC and VR Mem. The internal NVFlash module used to extract video BIOS, has been updated. A crash associated with failed BIOS uploads to our database, has been fixed. Grab TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.5.0 from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.5.0The change-log follows.

XFX is known for its audacious graphics card designs. The company even adds uniqueness to the design of its retail boxes, with the signature X-shaped cartons. It looks like the company is finally getting its design mojo back, with a boldly-styled custom-design Radeon RX Vega series graphics card, which it teased in three pictures released to social media. The design of this card involves a tall aluminium fin-stack cooler, which consists of two dense fin-stacks, to which heat drawn from the GPU is fed by a series of copper heat pipes, along their ends.

These fin-stacks are ventilated by large (100-120 mm) fans. The gap between these fans cuts out to the shape of an "X" with the PCIe power connectors being located bang in the middle. From the looks of it, XFX's custom-design PCB for the RX Vega is just 3/5 the length of the card, taking advantage of AMD's compact multi-chip module approach for the "Vega 10" silicon, about the length of the reference R9 Fury PCB. Carbon fiber finish, and a glowing XFX logo on top finishes off the design. XFX and other AMD add-in board (AIB) partners could launch custom-design RX Vega series graphics cards before Holiday 2017. XFX could use this board design for both RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56.

ASUS may have been among the first to unveil its custom-design Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics cards with the ROG Strix Radeon RX Vega 64 (model: ROG-STRIX-RXVEGA64-O8G-GAMING), but kept its clock-speeds under the wraps. The company updated its product page, revealing the clock speeds. Out of the box, the card is clocked at 1298 MHz core, with 1590 MHz boost, and an untouched 945 MHz memory, against AMD-reference clock speeds of "up to 1546 MHz" GPU clock for the air-cooled RX Vega 64. It still pales in comparison to the RX Vega 64 Liquid Edition SKU, which ticks at 1677 MHz core and 1750 MHz boost. The company is yet to update the product page of its ROG Strix RX Vega 56 O8G.

Remember previous reports that Gigabyte wouldn't be launching a custom version for AMD's RX Vega graphics cards? Always remember that facts can change, and what is true today could see itself being rendered a myth by lunchtime tomorrow. Case in point: previous reports pegged Gigabyte as skipping custom versions of AMD's RX Vega GPUs, due to both availability and manufacturing issues. However, as Videocardz reports (with pictures!), that may no longer be the case.

Apparently, Gigabyte has received a new batch of AMD RX Vega GPUs just in time for the mid-October expected release window of RX Vega custom cards, and are already at work on a Gaming OC custom version of the graphics card with a dual fan configuration (likely a revised WindForce 2X cooler). The card is expected to feature an output configuration of 3x HDMI + 3x DisplayPort, and in Videocardz image comparison, occupies slightly more space in our usual three dimensions than the AMD reference design (as expected).

Still reeling under supply issues and overpricing, AMD's Radeon RX Vega line of graphics cards may finally be available in custom-design products from the company's AIB (add-in board) partners by mid-October, according to a Hardware.fr report. ASUS was the first to announce custom-design RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 graphics cards under its ROG Strix series, back in August. The cards were, however, nowhere to be found in the markets.

AIB partners will begin announcing their custom-design RX Vega series products in the coming weeks, with retail availability slated for mid-October. Radeon RX Vega 64 is currently available in three AMD-reference design SKUs, the standard reference-design, the premium "silver" air-cooled reference-design, which features a brushed aluminium cooler shroud and LED ornaments; and a more premium AIO liquid-cooled variant with higher clocks. The RX Vega 56 is available in vanilla standard reference-design.

Aqua Computer today introduced its Kryographics Vega line of full-coverage water-blocks, which are compatible with reference-design Radeon RX Vega 64, Radeon RX Vega 56, and even Radeon Pro Vega Frontier Edition, since the three are based on a common PCB design. Available in two principal variants based on block material, exposed copper, and nickel-plated copper; the Kryographics Vega features a rather compact main block, since all the significantly hot components of the "Vega 10" PCB are nucleated toward the center. The block has bases for the "Vega 10" ASIC, and the VRM MOSFETs surrounding it. A POM-acetal extension gives the block a "full-coverage" look as it spans the rest of the PCB. The block features a clear-acrylic top, with an LED lighting strip on the nickel-plated variant. It features standard G 1/4 threading. The exposed copper variant is priced at 109.90€, and the nickel-plated variant at 129.90€.

The Radeon RX Vega series launch has been particularly disappointing for gamers and PC enthusiasts because their otherwise interesting price-performance ratios at $499 for the RX Vega 64 and $399 for the RX Vega 56, were quickly stripped away by dwindling stock and sky-rocketing prices, with the RX Vega 64 even going above $1k in some places. We are not even sure if the miners are to blame or whether supplier-level pricing has been adjusted after the launch to a higher price point that makes AMD's promised pricing impossible to achieve.

It turns out that retailers might not be the ones making a quick buck at this madness. Leaked invoices show that distributors (entities that supply inventory to retailers) have inflated prices even at their level. A San Jose-based distributor, Ma Laboratories Inc., is quoting USD $675 per unit of a reference-design (not Limited Edition), Radeon RX Vega 64 SKU to a computer store. The $499 price AMD launched the RX Vega 64 at, is supposed to be the end-user price (minus government taxes). The retailer we're in touch with confirmed that they were offered no volume pricing discount due to low stock at the distributor itself. A distributor should ideally sell the product to a retailer at a much lesser price than $499, so the retailer can make their margin. The higher up the supply-chain, the more control AMD gets. The company is in a better position to rein in on distributors than retailers. If distributors are inflating prices with apparent impunity, it wouldn't surprise us if this goes even higher up.