AMD today announced it will hold a press conference and live webcast during Computex 2016 in Taipei, Taiwan. The event will begin on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at 10:00 AM CST / 10:00 PM EDT. The event will feature launch of 7th Generation AMD A-Series Processors, Polaris updates and more.

The event is slated to feature presentations from AMD executives including AMD President and CEO Lisa Su; Senior Vice President and General Manager, Computing and Graphics Business Group, Jim Anderson; and Senior Vice President and Chief Architect, Radeon Technologies Group, Raja Koduri.

In the wake of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 graphics cards, which if live up to their launch marketing, could render AMD's high-end lineup woefully outperformed, AMD reportedly decided to pull the launch of its next big silicon, Vega10, from its scheduled early-2017 launch, to October 2016. Vega10 is a successor to "Grenada," and will be built on the 5th generation Graphics CoreNext architecture (codenamed "Vega").

Vega10 will be a multi-chip module, and feature HBM2 memory. The 14 nm architecture will feature higher performance/Watt than even the upcoming "Polaris" architecture. "Vega10" isn't a successor to "Fiji," though. That honor is reserved for "Vega11." It is speculated that Vega10 will feature 4096 stream processors, and will power graphics cards that compete with the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070. Vega11, on the other hand, is expected to feature 6144 stream processors, and could take on the bigger GP100-based SKUs. Both Vega10 and Vega11 will feature 4096-bit HBM2 memory interfaces, but could differ in standard memory sizes (think 8 GB vs. 16 GB).

Troubles mount for AMD as its Radeon add-in board (AIB) partners have reportedly expressed frustration at the company's lack of competition for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 graphics cards, and the timing of the company's May 26 unveiling of its Polaris 10 graphics card, which could be missing in action at the 2016 Computex expo. NVIDIA recently launched its GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 graphics cards, which are impressive on paper, with timely market availability by May 27 (for GTX 1080) and June 10 (for GTX 1070).

AMD hasn't launched a new performance-segment GPU since 2012. The company has been continuously re-branding its big high-end chips as performance-segment chips of future generations, which inevitably lose out on performance/Watt against NVIDIA, which has been launching new performance-segment chips since the GeForce "Kepler" architecture. AMD reportedly hasn't shared any strategy to counter the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 with its partners, nor has it named a successor to its R9 Fury series. It is, however, pacifying partners with good price-performance gains for its upcoming "Polaris" chips, which should help it win key mid-range and the lower-end of the performance-segment.

AMD released the Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.5.1 Beta, the unified suite of drivers and system software AMD Radeon GPUs. Version 16.5.1 adds optimization for "Forza Motorsport 6: Apex," with the company noting up to 27 percent increase in performance compared to the older drivers (16.4.2), when tested on a Radeon R9 Fury X. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.5.1 Beta for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

AMD released its latest Radeon Software Crimson Edition drivers. Version 16.4.2 adds or updates CrossFire profiles for "Elite Dangerous" and "Need for Speed" (2016). It introduces full support for the XConnect Technology, an external graphics dock standard promoted by AMD. The drivers also fix crucial game-specific bugs related to "The Division," "SteamVR performance assessment," "Hitman (2016)" with CrossFire, and "Fallout 4" with CrossFire. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.4.2 for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

Computex 2016 could see some major consumer graphics action, with AMD reportedly planning to launch two mid-thru-performance segment products on the sidelines of the event - the Radeon R7 470, based on the 14 nm "Baffin" (Polaris 11) silicon, and the Radeon R9 480, based on the 14 nm "Ellesmere" (Polaris 10) silicon. The R7 470 could succeed the R7 370 series in not just performance, but also offer a leap in energy efficiency, with a TDP of less than 50W. The R9 480, on the other hand, could feature a TDP of just 110-135W (R9 380 is rated at 190W).

The R9 480, based on the "Ellesmere" (Polaris 10) is shaping up to be a particularly interesting silicon. It's rumored to feature 2,304 stream processors based on the 4th generation Graphics CoreNext architecture, with 2,560 stream processors being physically present on the chip; and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 (GDDR5X-ready) memory controller. 8 GB could be the standard memory amount. AMD could keep the clock speeds relatively low, with 800-1050 MHz GPU clocks. Imagine R9 390-like performance at half its power-draw.

Dell today announced new Virtual Reality-ready solutions that feature refined criteria for optimal VR experience, whether consuming or creating VR content. Dell has defined VR-ready solutions by three criteria:

• Minimum CPU, memory, and graphics requirements to support optimal VR viewing experiences;
• Graphics drivers that are qualified to work reliably with these solutions; and,
• Passing performance tests conducted by Dell using test criteria based on HMD (head-mounted display) suppliers, ISVs or 3rd party benchmarks where available.

Working closely with its hardware and software partners, Dell is formalizing its commitment to the future of VR by delivering solutions that are optimized for VR consumption and creation alongside ISV applications for professional customers.

Razer, a world leader in connected devices and software for gamers, today announced pricing, availability and compatibility of its 2016 "Best of CES" award-winning Razer Core. The device is the world's first plug-and-play Thunderbolt 3 external graphics enclosure that debuted earlier this year in tandem with the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook, itself an official "Best PC" and "People's Choice" CES winner.

"Razer continues to innovate in the laptops category where big systems brands either cannot or will not," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. "This time, in collaboration with industry leaders, we've created the world's first external graphics card solution of its kind, bringing the GPU power of a desktop PC to the latest Razer laptops, such as the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook, through a single Thunderbolt 3 connection with plug-and-play convenience."

AMD unveiled its latest flagship graphics card, the Radeon Pro Duo. The card is designed for "creators who game, and gamers who create," as the tagline goes. It is a dual-GPU graphics card based on a pair of 28 nm "Fiji" chips, the same ones which drive the R9 Fury X and the R9 Nano. AMD is positioning this card in the gray-area between consumer graphics cards, and FirePro workstation products, as a new "workstation-class" product. Perhaps this allows the company to get away with things such as three 8-pin PCIe power connectors.

The Radeon Pro Duo features two "Fiji" GPUs in their maximum core configuration - 4,096 stream processors, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, each; with 4 GB of HBM memory, each. The card hence packs a total of 8 GB HBM memory, and 16 TFLOP/s total single-precision floating-point performance. The card features a liquid-cooling solution designed by Cooler Master, with a thick 120 mm x 120 mm radiator that's similar to the one that ships with the R9 Fury X. The card's display output configuration is similar to the R9 Fury X, too, with three DisplayPort 1.2a and one HDMI 1.4a connectors. AMD is going ahead and claiming the title of "World's Fastest Graphics Card." The Radeon R9 Pro Duo is expected to be priced at US $1,499.

AMD today announced that it will webcast live from the historical landmark, Ruby Skye, during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. This marquee developer and press event, entitled "Capsaicin," will be hosted by Radeon Technologies Group's Senior Vice President and Chief Architect Raja Koduri on Monday, March 14 at 4:00 PM PT (6:00 PM CT/7:00 PM ET), and showcase AMD's world-class hardware, software and gaming partners.

Named after the compound that delivers a pepper's spicy kick, "Capsaicin" will explore the inner essence of the graphics processing unit (GPU) and how it powers innovations in gaming and virtual reality. The webcast will feature an inside look at the latest technological advancements affecting the enthusiast and developer communities as they approach the burgeoning virtual reality market.

AMD released the latest version of Radeon Software Crimson Edition. Version 16.2.1 is marked "non-WHQL" and hence should be a beta. The driver comes with a CrossFireX profile for "Far Cry Primal," along with a variety of game-specific bug fixes for "Fallout 4," and "Rise of the Tomb Raider." It also fixes an issue of choppy display on systems with both FreeSync and CrossFire being enabled. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.2.1 for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

AMD has joined with The Associated Press to form a new virtual reality experience channel to fuel next-generation journalism. As part of the collaboration between the companies, AP will leverage AMD Radeon graphics technology to render lifelike VR environments built around news and documentary content, and AMD will provide the hardware platforms, software technology and VR expertise to support AP's journalism in VR and 360 video.

VR journalism is a new age of truly captivating and experiential news that can put all of us at the heart of the events that shape our world. On the scene and in the moment, virtual reality can free us to learn and explore another time and place as if we were there. From the shouts and cries to the cheers and parades, VR journalism presents a rare opportunity to experience the world seemingly from within.

"VR can help people achieve a visceral experience of news and documentaries so they can feel what it's like to actually be there," said Raja Koduri, senior vice president and chief architect, Radeon Technologies Group. "The technology can enable us to figuratively walk in another's shoes, leading to greater understanding and empathy. The Associated Press is one of the most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, and AMD is a leading innovator for computing and visualization technologies. AMD Radeon graphics are designed to power the most realistic experience possible for audiences everywhere, and together with AP we'll work to fuel the expansion of the global VR ecosystem."

AMD today launched new thermal solutions, including the flagship AMD Wraith Cooler, as well as the new AMD A10-7860K and new AMD Athlon X4 845 desktop processors. Designed for the consumer who cares about how their desktop PC runs, sounds, and looks, AMD now offers new thermal solutions that generate less than one-tenth the noise of their predecessors -- running at a near-silent 39 decibels, about as quiet as a library.

The new AMD Wraith Cooler combines near-silent operation with unique styling via a sleek fan shroud and LED illumination. Providing superb cooling, the new design delivers 34 percent more airflow and 24 percent more surface area for heat dissipation than its predecessor.

AMD rolled out the latest version of its Radeon Software Crimson Edition drivers. Version 16.1.1 Beta adds optimizations for "Rise of the Tomb Raider." This includes performance/quality optimizations for the game. In addition to this, the company added a long overdue CrossFireX profile for "Fallout 4." A number of GPU- and game-specific bugs were fixed. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1.1 Beta for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

AMD Radeon Technologies Group (RTG) head Raja Koduri, in an interview with Venture Beat, confirmed that the company is currently working on two 14 nm FinFET GPUs based on the "Polaris" (4th generation Graphics CoreNext) architecture. He was quoted as referring to the two chips as "Polaris 10" and "Polaris 11." He remarked that the two chips are "extremely power efficient."

Koduri ran Venture Beat through what's new with these chips, besides being built on the 14 nm process and GCN 4.0 stream processors - a redesigned front-end, new geometry processors, a new multimedia engine, and new display controllers. GCN 4.0 lends the chip an up-to-date API support besides significantly higher performance, the new multimedia engine features native h.265 hardware acceleration, and the display controllers support the latest DisplayPort 1.3 and HDMI 2.0a connectors.

AMD unveiled Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1 Beta. The latest version of AMD's suite, which provides drivers and system software for its Radeon GPUs, comes with a large complement of game-specific performance/stability improvements. This includes bug-fixes specific to Fallout 4, Just Cause 3, Star Wars: Battlefront, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Grab the driver from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1 Beta for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

AMD provided customers with a glimpse of its upcoming 2016 Polaris GPU architecture, highlighting a wide range of significant architectural improvements including HDR monitor support, and industry-leading performance-per-watt. AMD expects shipments of Polaris architecture-based GPUs to begin in mid-2016.

AMD's Polaris architecture-based 14nm FinFET GPUs deliver a remarkable generational jump in power efficiency. Polaris-based GPUs are designed for fluid frame rates in graphics, gaming, VR and multimedia applications running on compelling small form-factor thin and light computer designs.

"Our new Polaris architecture showcases significant advances in performance, power efficiency and features," said Lisa Su, president and CEO, AMD. "2016 will be a very exciting year for Radeon fans driven by our Polaris architecture, Radeon Software Crimson Edition and a host of other innovations in the pipeline from our Radeon Technologies Group."

AMD released the WHQL-signed version of Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.11.1 as the new 15.12 WHQL. It addresses a variety of game-specific issues, including rendering errors on Star Wars: Battlefront; bugs on Fallout 4; texture-compression issues with Just Cause 3; poor CrossFire performance with Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. It also addresses a critical issue in which the driver would either spool fan-speeds all the way up to 100% on load, or lock them down at 30%, causing certain GPUs to overheat. A variety of bugs specific to the Radeon Settings app were also addressed.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.12 WHQL for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

AMD is readying a slew of feature-set additions to its Radeon GPUs, in 2016, targeted at display technology. To begin with, AMD is redesigning FreeSync, its adaptive-sync technology, to work over HDMI. The tech currently requires DisplayPort 1.2a. For this to work, the display should support FreeSync over HDMI on its end, as well. It's not as if every current HDMI display gets adaptive sync. AMD posted a partial list of upcoming displays that support FreeSync over HDMI. With this, AMD is pushing for a new generation of notebooks and convertibles that feature FreeSync displays.

Next up, AMD is implementing high dynamic range (HDR) display support on next-generation Radeon GPUs. Current Radeon GPUs already support 10-bit (30-bit color or 1.07 billion colors, compared to 16.7 million colors on 32-bit); on desktop, Direct3D, and OpenGL apps. HDR will make images look more life-like. AMD claims that 1080p HDR content will look better than 4K SDR (standard dynamic range) content. AMD will also work with game developers to get HDR content on upcoming games.

Today at Autodesk University 2015, AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) unveiled the AMD FirePro W4300 for the best Computer-Aided Design (CAD) performance that fits both small form factor (SFF) and tower workstations. The AMD FirePro W4300 card expertly integrates a powerful GPU and 4GB of GDDR5 memory within a low-profile design for installation in SFF as well as full-sized systems. Organizations can now confidently simplify their IT management by standardizing on a single, capable professional graphics solution throughout their workstation deployment.

The AMD FirePro W4300 professional graphics card is optimized for the latest CAD applications including Autodesk AutoCAD, Inventor as well as Revit, Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS and CATIA, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, and many more. Engineering professionals can efficiently work with large geometry-intense models and apply GPU-accelerated features in their projects, such as the new Order Independent Transparency (OIT) mode supported in SOLIDWORKS. Users can help increase productivity by visualizing their workflows across up to six displays, and up to 4K and 5K resolution.

AMD today released Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.11.1 Update. A follow up to last week's major release, version 15.11.1 addresses a major issue with driver-level VGA fan speed control, which saw the driver either crank fan-speeds up to 100%, or lock them down to 30%, causing GPUs to overheat. In addition, the driver addresses several game-specific bugs related to Just Cause 3, Fallout 4, Star Wars: Battlefront, and Call of Duty Black Ops III.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.11.1 for Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bitImage Courtesy: PCAuthority.com.au

AMD's ambitious Radeon Sofware Crimson Edition drivers are seeing its first user experience issue in the form of a fan-speed bug. The driver, in some cases, spins graphics card fans up to 100%, and in others, the fan-speed is locked at 30% regardless of load. Over the past weekend, AMD acknowledged the issue and is tasked with a hotfix driver scheduled for release later today.

AMD today released its completely reimagined graphics software suite, Radeon Software Crimson Edition, giving users an exceptional new user experience, 12 new or enhanced features, up to 20 percent more graphics performance, adjustability that can nearly double generational energy efficiency2, and rock-solid stability across the full spectrum of AMD graphics products. The release is the first from the Radeon Technologies Group, which recently announced a renewed focus on software placing it on par with hardware initiatives.

"As the primary way that people interact with our products, our software deserves to be viewed as a top priority, and going forward that's exactly what we're doing, delivering easy-to-use software that is packed with real user benefits, starting with Radeon Software Crimson Edition," said Raja Koduri, senior vice president and chief architect, Radeon Technologies Group. "Radeon Technologies Group is laser-focused on the vertical integration of all things graphics, propelling the industry forward by driving performance per watt, creating innovative technologies and ensuring that the software supporting our GPUs is world class."DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

Sapphire announced its latest version of the TriXX overclocking utility, which it bundles with its graphics cards. Version 5.2.1 is one of the first pieces of software to support voltage control on AMD "Fiji" GPU graphics cards (R9 Fury, R9 Fury X, and R9 Nano), and HBM overclocking. The utility comes with a new "dashboard" themed user interface that gives you an analog readout of your card's main sensors - clocks, voltage, and temperatures; and a simpler layout. In addition, it also supports voltage control on other Radeon R9 300 series GPUs.DOWNLOAD: Sapphire TriXX 5.2.1

AMD has a knack of pulling off some of the season's biggest game bundles, with its Never Settle Bundle legacy. The company is preparing to give away one of the season's biggest games, Star Wars Battlefront, with its Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards. Given away by participating retailers, purchases of the three cards will come with a voucher that can be redeemed on AMD website for an Origin key to the game. R9 Fury X and Nano are not included in this promotion.