AMD is working on a new SKU to seal the price-performance gap between the Radeon R7 250 and the R7 260. Called the Radeon R7 250X, the chip is said to be based on the 28 nm "Oland" silicon, and could feature a stream processor count of 640, with 40 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 1 GB or 2 GB of memory. The GPU is said to be clocked around 1.00 GHz, and memory around 4.50 GHz (72 GB/s). VideoCardz scored pictures of two of the first R7 250X graphics cards, branded by Sapphire and ASUS. AMD will slip the R7 250X into the channel rather quietly. It's already showing up on European retailers for around €90 (incl. VAT).

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new metal-cased model in its EDGE Series of mini-PCs targeted for use in professional AV solutions and as a Digital Signage player.

The SAPPHIRE EDGE DS8 is based on the powerful 4-core Trinity A8 accelerated processing unit (APU) from AMD, delivering excellent performance and high quality graphics, housed in a robust wall-mountable metal enclosure measuring only 168 mm x 235 mm by 46 mm thick. It is designed for 24/7 operation in the more demanding applications of ProAV installations, POS applications and especially as a Digital Signage player.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just introduced a passively cooled card in its new R7 series. The SAPPHIRE R7 250 ULTIMATE is the first totally silent card to embody all the features of this new generation of products based on the highly successful graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD.

The SAPPHIRE R7 250 ULTIMATE is the first card in this generation to use a passive heatpipe and heatsink cooler with no fan to deliver totally silent cooling, and increased reliability as it has no mechanical moving parts. It shares all the features of the R7 series and the highly acclaimed GCN graphics processing architecture making it ideal for HTPCs and any general purpose PC where operational noise needs to be kept to a minimum. Casual and online gamers will find its silent operation attractive, as the GCN architecture supports gaming at 1080p with moderate settings.

Sapphire rolled out a variant of its Radeon R9 270X Dual-X graphics card with double the standard memory amount, at 4 GB, which makes the card meet the recommended system requirements of games such as Battlefield 4. The card features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 5.60 GHz (GDDR5-effective), across a 256-bit wide memory interface, churning out 179 GB/s of bandwidth. It's practically identical to the R9 270X Dual-X graphics card. The card features a non-reference design PCB, and the company's compact Dual-X cooling solution. The card could retail for a $30 to $50 premium over the $199 reference design when it hits western markets. Currently, it's restricted to markets in the greater China region.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced two new models of its top of the range R9 290 and R9 290X graphics cards. Both models feature the SAPPHIRE exclusive Tri-X triple fan cooler, enhanced clocks and dual BIOS.

The SAPPHIRE R9 290X Tri-X features the latest GCN (graphics core next) architecture from AMD with 2816 stream processing units and an enhanced engine clock of up to 1040 MHz. It is equipped with 4 GB of the latest high performance GDDR5 memory on a 512-bit interface and now clocked at 1300 MHz (5.2 GHz effective) delivering higher bandwidth than the reference design. The SAPPHIRE R9 290 Tri-X has 2560 stream processing units and an engine clock of up to 1000 Mhz. It is also equipped with 4 GB of the latest high performance GDDR5 memory on a 512-bit interface and clocked at 1300 MHz (5.2 GHz effective).

Continuing the roll-out of the exciting new generation of graphics cards based on the latest GCN (graphics core next) architectures from AMD, SAPPHIRE Technology is now delivering the first members of the R7-Series, bringing many of the features of the R9-Series to users on a more limited budget.

The new R7 260X from SAPPHIRE has the budget gamer firmly in its sights as well as having many advanced features for the home or professional user. With 2 GB of the latest GDDR5 memory clocked at 1650 MHz (6.6 GHz effective), 896 stream processors and core clocks of 1150 MHz this card is no slouch. Support for DirectX 11.2 means the architecture is built to support the latest applications and to play even the very latest games at HD resolutions and above. Performance can be further enhanced by using multiple cards in AMD CrossFire on a suitably enabled mainboard.

In a bid to make it a watertight option in the crucial sub-$200 market segment, Sapphire decked up its Radeon R9 270 graphics card in a new factory-overclocked variant, the Boost OC Edition. The card looks identical to the R9 270 Dual-X which the company launched in mid-November, but comes with factory-overclocked speeds of 920 MHz core, 945 MHz PowerTune Boost, and 5.60 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory; against AMD reference speeds of 900/925/5600 MHz.

The card features a custom-design black PCB by Sapphire, a compact Dual-X cooler that uses a pair of fans to cool a full-fledged aluminium fin-stack heatsink to which heat is conveyed by copper heat pipes; and draws power from a single 6-pin PCIe power connector. Based on the 28 nm "Curacao" silicon, the R9 270 features 1,280 stream processors, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 2 GB of memory. Expect this card to retail for around $180.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced that it is releasing a performance enhancing BIOS for the recently introduced SAPPHIRE R9 290 graphics card.

Based on the latest GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD, the new SAPPHIRE R9 290 introduced enthusiast level performance and some exciting new features at a more affordable price point than the flagship R9 290X model.

SAPPHIRE Technology, the world leading supplier of graphics cards based on the latest GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD, has just announced that it will now bundle vouchers for the exciting new game Battlefield 4 with several new products in its recently launched R-Series of graphics accelerators.

Battlefield 4 has been heralded as the most exciting and realistic game to be launched for some time, and looks its best and runs most smoothly on GCN based graphics cards. SAPPHIRE originally launched a Special Edition of the flagship R9 290X graphics accelerator bundled with a Battlefield 4 voucher.

Sapphire announces its first Radeon R9 270 (non-X) graphics card, with the company's lightweight Dual-X cooling solution, which combines a compact heat-pipe fed aluminium fin stack, with a pair of 70 mm spinners. The card sticks to AMD reference clock speeds of up to 925 MHz core, 5.60 GHz memory, and draws power from a single 6-pin PCIe power connector. An OC variant is also in the pipeline, with a 10 percent OC. Based on the 28 nm "Curacao" silicon, the R9 270 features 1,280 stream processors, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 2 GB of memory. At its sub-$150 price, it's designed to go up against the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost.

A Sapphire-branded Radeon R9 290 was pictured by ChipHell. The card is based on AMD's reference board design, which in turn is identical to that of the R9 290X, including the same number of memory chips, the same combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors, dual-BIOS, and the same number of VRM phases. Leaked specifications reveal that the R9 290 will feature 2,560 stream processors, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 4 GB of memory across a 512-bit wide memory interface. It's also reportedly priced at $449.99.

Sapphire announced its Radeon R9 290X graphics card lineup, which includes a reference design board that sticks to AMD reference clock speeds of 1000 MHz core, and 5.00 GHz memory; and a Battlefield 4 Special Edition SKU that includes an Origin key to the game. Both products are based on AMD's reference board design. Based on the 28 nm "Hawaii" silicon, the R9 290X features 2,816 stream processors, 176 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 4 tessellation units, and a 512-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 4 GB of memory. The lineup starts at US $549.99.

Sapphire announced a large contingent of Radeon R9/R7 series products, including three Radeon R9 280X products, the base model Dual-X, Vapor-X, and the Toxic. The three feature three different grades of factory-OC, and are priced in the range of $299 and $349. The Radeon R9 270X family from Sapphire is just as exhaustive, with three models with the same brand-extensions, priced in the range of $199 and $239. The rest of Sapphire's lineup includes R7 260X, R7 250, and R7 240 SKUs.

AMD today announced SAPPHIRE Technology as its exclusive global distribution partner for AMD FirePro professional graphics. An international supplier and leading manufacturer of innovative technologies, SAPPHIRE has successfully collaborated with AMD for more than a decade, managing AMD products in various markets and acting as an AMD FirePro professional graphics channel partner in Asia.

The distribution partnership will be beneficial in driving stronger support for AMD FirePro professional graphics by delivering new distribution resources to AMD's channel ecosystem companies worldwide.

Sapphire's Radeon HD 7990 Atomic made its first appearance at Computex, early last month. While launch of the card itself is less than a few weeks away, pictures of its PCB and cooling solution made it to the web. Its PCB, pictured below, features a pair of 28 nm "Tahiti XT2" GPUs, a total of 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, and a PLX PEX8747 PCI-Express gen 3.0 x48 bridge chip, powered by a gargantuan 18-phase VRM that draws power from three 8-pin PCI-Express power connectors.

Each GPU system hence gets a 6+2+1 phase power supply (Vcc+VDDCI+MVDD). The Vcc phases appear to consist of two 50A chokes per phase, and driver-MOSFETs; while the ancillary phases use more conventional LFPAK MOSFETs. Tantalum capacitors handle most electricals on this 12-layer PCB. The PCB features two sets of video BIOS for each GPU. Display outputs include six mini-DisplayPort connectors. The card can pair with any other Radeon HD 7900 series card using CrossFireX.

It was only a matter of time after AMD's launch of the more energy-efficient Radeon HD 7990 "Malta" graphics card, that Sapphire would design a liquid-cooled Atomic variant. The card is based on a custom-design 12-layer PCB, ships with factory-overclocked speeds, and uses a high-grade VRM with 12-phase vGPU, 4-phase VDDCI, and 2-phase MVDD, which draw power from three 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The card is cooled by a full-coverage water-block, and features an aluminum back-plate to cool memory chips on the reverse side of the PCB. The card features 6 GB of total memory, 3 GB per GPU.

On the demo system, the full-coverage block was seen connected to a conventional-looking liquid-cooling loop, and not something closed-loop/AIO. Coolant tubes from the card run to a conventional-looking reservoir, a 240 x 120 mm radiator, and a pump that occupies a 5.25-inch drive bay, and features a pressure gauge. We're not sure if the Sapphire Atomic-branded FB blocks for the CPU and chipset are part of the package, but Sapphire has, in the past, given CPU blocks with its Atomic-branded cards. This is one card to watch out for.

Sapphire unveiled its first socket LGA1150 motherboards, designed for 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors, although they're not completely out of the pipeline, and Sapphire is yet to finalize heatsink designs. Among the boards shown at Computex are the micro-ATX Pure Platinum Z87M-PR, and the ATX Pure Platinum Z87A-MA, both of which offer a pretty mid-range feature-set. The Z87M-PR gives you a 5-phase VRM that powers the CPU, four DDR3 DIMM slots, a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16, and one each of mPCIe, PCIe 2.0 x1, and legacy PCI. The board offers four each of SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 ports, eight USB 2.0/1.1 ports, DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI display outputs, gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel HD audio.

The Z87A-MA, on the other hand, offers the same CPU VRM as its little sibling, one PCI-Express 3.0 x16, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical gen 2.0 x4, wired to the PCH), two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI. You get six each of SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 ports, but oddly enough, the rest of the connectivity is a notch worse. 8-channel HD audio makes way for 6-channel. Sapphire's other motherboards are more interesting finds, but more on that later.

AMD's recent free SimCity game bundle with most A8- and A10-series sub-$150 APUs baffled analysts, particularly with how AMD is bundling a gift with market price of $60, with products starting at $80. It looks like certain AMD add-in board (AIB) partners are striking similar deals with EA. A case in point is Sapphire, which decided to bundle the game with a special edition Radeon HD 7790 graphics card, which for now appears to be a Japan-exclusive. We're not sure how the SimCity inclusion affects the Never Settle bundle eligibility of the card, which should also fetch its owners Far Cry 3, and a 20% discount coupon for Medal of Honor: Warfighter. We don't imagine Sapphire to price its card significantly higher than its stock trim. The card itself looks identical to the HD 7790 2 GB the company recently announced, albeit with just 1 GB of memory, lacking a back-plate, and featuring reference AMD clock speeds of 1000 MHz core and 6.00 GHz memory.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced that it will start shipping the HD 7990 - the fastest graphics card available based on the highly acclaimed graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD.

The SAPPHIRE HD 7990 has a dual GPU architecture with a total of 4096 Stream processors and core clock speeds of 1GHz (with Boost enabled), delivering up to 8.2 TeraFlops of compute power. It is equipped with 6GB of the latest DDR5 memory, and its output configuration of Dual-Link DVI plus four DisplayPorts supports up to 5 simultaneous displays in AMD Eyefinity. A large heatpipe assembly cooled by three axial fans ensures that the card runs quietly even under load.

According to the latest global graphics card market share seen by Taiwanese tech industry observer DigiTimes, Palit Microsystems and PC Partner have each surpassed ASUSTek. The two relegated ASUS to the position of third biggest graphics card vendor by volume. ASUS is a vendor-neutral graphics card vendor, selling both NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon graphics cards; while Palit beat it with a predominantly GeForce-based product stack. Although Palit Microsystems is vendor-neutral on paper, it virtually stopped making AMD Radeon-based products.

Palit Microsystems runs two major brands, Palit, and Gainward, which target different global markets, and are seldom found in the same market. PC Partner, on the other hand, runs Sapphire, which focuses on AMD Radeon products, and ZOTAC, focusing on NVIDIA GeForce. Both Palit Microsystems and PC Partners also contract-manufacture graphics cards for other companies. With the surge of Palit Microsystems and PC Partner, ASUSTek is pushed down to the third place in global market-share, followed by MSI and GIGABYTE.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just added a 2 GB model to the recently introduced HD 7790 series of graphics cards. Like the other members of the series, the SAPPHIRE HD 7790 2 GB OC is based on the latest Bonaire chipset featuring the highly acclaimed graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD and sets a new standard for performance in mainstream graphics.

The SAPPHIRE HD 7790 2 GB OC Edition has 2 GB of the latest DDR5 memory and is factory overclocked, with core clocks of 1050 MHz and memory clocks of 1600 MHz (6.4 GT/s effective), to deliver new levels of performance in its price segment. Performance is optimized with the latest version of AMD's PowerTune technology.

Sapphire rolled out its Radeon HD 7790 lineup with two models, both of which feature non-reference designs. The Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 (base model) features a single-fan aluminum fin-stack cooler, which utilizes a pair of 8 mm-thick copper heat pipes, AMD-reference clock speeds of 1000 MHz core, 6000 MHz memory; and a price of $149.99; while the premium Radeon HD 7790 Dual-X features a more meaty dual-fan cooling solution that uses a pair of 80 mm fans to ventilate an aluminum fin-stack, factory-overclocked speeds of 1075 MHz core, and 6400 MHz memory. Based on the 28 nm "Bonaire" silicon, the Radeon HD 7790 packs 896 stream processors, dual tessellation units, 56 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface holding 1 GB of memory; and a brand new dynamic-clock technology. The base model is priced at $149.99, the Dual-X OC at $159.99.

SAPPHIRE Technology, the leading manufacturer and global supplier of graphics solutions based on AMD technology, has just announced an exciting new graphics accelerator compatible with the Apple Mac Pro series of desktop computers.

Exclusive to SAPPHIRE, the HD 7950 Mac Edition is based on AMD's latest Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture. This highly acclaimed architecture delivers a significant graphics performance boost for Mac Pro users in a wide range of applications including gaming, audio or video editing and content creation. For example, gaming frame rates are increased by over 200%, general benchmark performance increased by around 30% and graphics intensive benchmarks increased by as much as 300% compared with the NV 8800GT commonly used in these machines (SAPPHIRE internal data).

Here are the first pictures of Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 Dual-X, the company's premium offering based on AMD's new GPU. The card features Sapphire's in-house PCB and cooler designs, including an aluminium fin-stack heatsink ventilated by a pair of 80 mm fans, and a 21.5 cm long PCB. The card draws power from a single 6-pin PCIe power connector, its display outputs are similar to the HD 7850, with a pair of DVI connectors, HDMI, and DisplayPort. It can pair with another of its kind, only.

Sapphire unveiled the Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition graphics card for Apple Mac Pro workstations. Featuring lateral-flow cooling assembly akin to AMD's reference design, and a glossy, curvy white cooler shroud, the card features a custom design, pitch-black PCB with the firmware required to get the card running on a Mac Pro.

The card features older Radeon HD 7950 ASIC, which lacks PowerTune with Boost; and features clock speeds of 800 MHz core, 5.00 GHz memory. It packs 3 GB of memory across a 384-bit GDDR5 interface. It draws power from two 6-pin PCIe connectors. Display outputs include a dual-link DVI, an HDMI, and two mini-DisplayPorts. The card is expected to be priced in the range of €400 and €500, a hefty premium over the roughly €250 common HD 7950 cards charge today.