Hardware Roundup: AMD Radeon HD 7950 Edition

AMD has released the second entry in the HD 7900 series with the launch of the Radeon HD 7950 card. We have a look at the reference design as well as cards from some of AMD's partners such as XFX, PowerColor and Sapphire. The OEM partners are not satisfied with just issuing copies of the reference design as the cards are overclocked and come with enhanced cooling solutions. The HD 7950 is similar to the HD 7970 in features, but has been scaled down a bit to fit a MSRP of $449 with the overclocked cards from its partners coming in $30-50 higher. That puts the HD 7950 at at 800MHz on the core clock speed versus 925MHz on the HD 7970 and 1,792 stream processors compared to 2,048 on the HD 7970. We have a good collection of reviews including OCC's own look at the XFX & Sapphire HD 7950 3GB cards.

XFX & Sapphire HD 7950 3GB @ OCC
AMD Radeon HD 7950 Video Card @ [H]ardOCP
XFX R7950 DD Black Edition Overclocked @ LanOC Reviews
AMD Radeon HD 7950 3GB Graphics Card @ PC Perspective
AMD Radeon HD 7950 Launch @ Neoseeker
PowerColor, Sapphire, XFX HD 7950 @ Neoseeker
XFX Radeon HD 7950 Black Edition Double Dissipation 3GB @ TweakTown
XFX Radeon R7950 Black Edition Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews
AMD's Radeon HD 7950 graphics processor @ Tech Report

AMD HD 7950 Specifications Nearly Revealed

If you are like me, you are probably waiting on some more graphic cards to be released before deciding whether or not to upgrade. Sure, we have the AMD Radeon HD 7970 out, but that is just one card and you need more to decide what to get. Well, as luck has it more video cards are on the way, and an engineering sample of the AMD Radeon HD 7950 has revealed its specifications to us. The HD 7950 will have a retail price of $449, and includes 1792 Steam processors, 32 ROPs, and features 3GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit interface. The GPU clock of the HD 7950 comes in at 800MHz, while the memory is at 1250MHz (5000MHz QDR). All of this sounds like a great alternative to the HD 7970, and not too far off from the past leak, but it sounds like most of the manufacturers are going to be ditching the reference design in favor of better coolers and higher clock speeds. None of the clock  speeds have been revealed so far, but the picture of the aftermarket cooler below should give you an idea of what is in store.

The AMD Radeon HD 7950 is expected to launch on January 31st for $449, but we will have to wait and see if that holds true.

NVIDIA's Kepler Arriving in March or April - Hard Launch Only

This is some news that many of you have been waiting for, and your wait is close to being over. However, there is not a ton of information here and it could pan out to be just a big rumor, but it is what it is. According to some, NVIDIA will launch its Kepler products in March or April as a hard launch, meaning Kepler will only be available when NVIDIA has enough to meet the demand. There will not be a soft launch, where review samples are out early, but rather the GeForce Kepler products will be available when there is a big enough supply. The Quadro Kepler products will follow a little later, and then the Tesla Kepler products will be last. The ones we are waiting for are the GeForce ones, which will launch first. Just there is no firm date on whether that will be in March or in April, possibly when the Intel Ivy Bridge products are supposed to launch.

AMD Pushes Launch of HD 7950 to February

Just a few days removed from the possible specifications leak of the AMD HD 7950 video card comes the news it will not be available next week. The HD 7970 will be launching next week, January 9th, but the HD 7950 will not launch until the first week of February. The AMD HD 7970 had a paper launch before Christmas, but only review samples were sent out. To avoid another paper launch for the 7950, AMD decided it will release it at the same time as review samples are sent out. This could be good news for some, since NVIDIA is expected to launch its 28nm Kepler products around the end of January or first of February. It could give AMD a leg up with the HD 7970 launching a few weeks prior to the rest, and then the HD 7950 will be competing directly with the NVIDIA products. Whatever the case will be, it looks like the beginning of 2012 will renew the video card rivalry all over again.

AMD HD 7770 Pictured, Benchmarks Leaked?

The AMD HD 7000 series isn't even officially available yet, and aside from the HD 7970, the performance is not known about any of them. However, some leaked information concerning the AMD HD 7770 may shed some light on the more budget-friendly alternatives in the upcoming Southern Islands family. A photo of the HD 7770 has been revealed, along with some benchmark information. When paired with an Ivy Bridge Core i5 3550K processor running at 3.3GHz, the HD 7770 scored X1077 in 3DMark 11 on the Extreme setting, which makes it 25-30% faster than an HD 6770. The HD 7770 is also said to have 2GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit interface, along with 896 Stream processors, 56 texture units, and 16 ROPs. The price is expected to be right around $140, and if that holds true, AMD could have a winner on its hands in the under $150 video card segment.

The AMD HD 7770 is projected to launch in February or March for $140, but we are still waiting to see what the HD 7800 series can bring. All of this is still just speculation, and until review samples are out, take this information with a grain of salt.

AMD HD 7950 Specifications Leak?

I am sure by now you have seen the reviews of the upcoming AMD HD 7970 video card. The new card had a paper launch just last week, but it will not be available in stores until January 9th. The HD 7970 is just one card with nothing set in stone about any of the other cards in the 7k series. Now, some leaked information has come out about the AMD HD 7950, and it is pretty similar to the HD 7970. The main difference between the two is the 7950 has four fewer Compute Units (28 vs 32), which results in 1792 Stream processors. The HD 7950 also has 3GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit interface, just like the HD 7970, and has the exact same outputs (DVI, HDMI, and two miniDisplayPorts). The only things missing are the TDP, clock speeds, and of course, the price. More information should be revealed by January 9th, so we don't have too much longer to go.

AMD 7900 Series to Launch in January?

Many people, myself included, are waiting on the new graphic card series from AMD and NVIDIA. We know that both companies are planning on releasing the new series (AMD 7000 and NVIDIA 600) sometime next year, but we lack a solid release date as well as exactly what the new cards can do. While nearly all of that information should still be under wraps, we do have a nugget of information concerning the AMD Radeon 7900 cards. According to Donanim Harber, the AMD 7900 video cards will launch on January 9th, 2012, right around CES time. The Radeon 7900 cards will be built on the 28nm process at TSMC and will be part of AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture. The AMD 7900 cards will also make use of a 384-bit memory bus, and anywhere from 1.5 to 3GB of GDDR5 memory.

Remember, all of this is just pure speculation at this point, and while I am sure slides will leak revealing even more information, nothing can be confirmed until AMD's NDA drops. Whether that is before the New Year or in it, no one will be able to say.

NVIDIA Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Tweak Guide

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been out for a while now and has proven to be quite popular. In fact, Raptr has named it the most played game of 2011. In order to make sure you are getting the most of the game, NVIDIA has published a comprehensive tweak guide. In it, you'll find general optimizations and settings along with many hard-to-find, game-changing configuration options. NVIDIA not only shows you how to make the game look its best, you also get detailed information on how different setting affect performance as well as comparing the benefits tweaking can bring.

NVIDIA Launches Special Edition GeForce GTX 560 Ti with 448 CUDA Cores

I'm sure by now you have seen our review of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti that packs just a few more CUDA cores than a regular GTX 560 Ti. Well, NVIDIA has gone ahead and launched a special edition GPU: the GeForce GTX 560 Ti with 448 CUDA cores. The regular GTX 560 Ti has 384 CUDA cores while the GTX 570 has 480, so this special edition 560 Ti sits right between the two in price and performance. The card has 448 CUDA cores (GF110 instead of GF114) running at 1.46GHz, a 748MHz graphics clock, and 1.25GB of GDDR5 memory at 3.8GHz. There is also support for 3-way SLI (the 560 Ti only supports 2-way), plus you will find a DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort connector on the card. NVIDIA is putting this card as a limited edition just for the holidays, so if you need that little extra oomph to play Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, this would make for a great addition.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti with 448 CUDA cores is available now for $289.

GeForce 285.79 Beta Drivers Now Available

NVIDIA today released a new GeForce R285 beta driver with even more optimizations for Battlefield 3. It also adds SLI and 3D Vision profiles for hot new titles like Skyrim (which releases tomorrow).

New in Version 285.79:

- Includes several bug fixes and performance improvements for Battlefield 3.

• Fixes cases of irregular performance (stuttering) primarily seen on DirectX 10 GPUs. The fix improves the performance of both DX10 and DX11 GPUs.
• Fixes shadow map corruption seen with DirectX 10 GPUs.
• Fixes cases of black corruption lines/triangles with DirectX 10 GPUs.

- Fixes black screen during playback using Windows Media Center.

- Added or updated SLI profiles for the following games:

• Aion v3.0
• Anno 2070
• Assassins Creed: Revelations
• Bastion
• Need for Speed: The Run
• Payday: The Heist
• The Adventures of Tintin
• The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

- Added or updated the following 3D Vision game profiles:

• Airline Tycoon 2 – rated Fair
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations – rated Good
• Batman: Arkham City – updated rating to 3D Vision Ready
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution – rated Excellent
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – rated Excellent
• FIFA 12 – rated Good
• Hard Reset – updated rating to 3D Vision Ready
• inMomentum – rated Fair
• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
• Smash Cars – rated Fair
• Two Worlds 2: Castle Defense – rated Good
• Zombie Driver – rated Excellent

You can download the drivers on GeForce.com.

PowerColor Announces Devil 13 HD6970

PowerColor has announced what it is touting as the "ultimate edition of the HD6970," the Devil 13 HD6970. The default clock settings of 880MHz core speed and 1375MHz memory speed can get a quick 10% boost with a built-in OC switch. The new speeds of 960MHz core and 1425MHz should add noticeable gaming performance, and several frames per second as well. The high quality components that are used to construct the Devil 13 result in steady power delivery as well as lower temperatures and reduced conduction loss. The card also features several measurement points to make it easy for overclockers to keep an eye on voltage. Two 92mm fans will blow plenty of cold air over the copper heat sink, featuring several heat pipes. The Devil 13 comes packed with 2GB of GDD5, CrossFireX and Eyefinity support, and plenty of connector options.

AMD Demonstrates 28nm Graphics Processor at Fusion 2011

Many people have speculated on when exactly we would see a 28nm GPU, and AMD has delivered. Talking at Fusion 2011 in Taiwan, Matt Skynner, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of AMD's Graphics Division, demonstrated AMD's 28nm graphics processor. Skynner showed a laptop version of a 28nm GPU running BioWare's Dragon Age 2, with smooth gameplay delivered at a high resolution. The 28nm GPU is an important step for AMD, as it will help enable new innovations in its graphics architecture, which allows for even more powerful video cards to be released. The 28nm graphic processor will appear in AMD's next-generation video cards, something I am sure many of you are eagerly awaiting.

PC Gamer on Sony's External Laptop Graphics: It's Superb

PC Gamer's Adam Oxford recently spent some quality play time with Sony's latest Vaio Z laptop, and came away with some surprisingly pleasant results. The ultralight notebook wasn't really designed to handle PC games, but it comes with one intriguing optional feature: a dock that adds extras such as an optical drive, and a USB hub with monitor ports. However, the dock's best feature is hidden underneath, a built-in AMD Radeon HD6650 GPU that adds some decent graphics muscle to the laptop's puny gaming capabilities.

Both Crysis and Deus Ex: Human Revolution ran at silky smooth framerates on the laptop's 1600x900 13 inch monitor, configured with medium graphics settings. Prepare to dial the visual options down a bit more if you're planning to use an external HD monitor, though. Furthermore, the Sony Vaio Z won't win over a lot of mobile PC gamers with its almost $2,500 price tag. If you're in the market for a competent gaming laptop there are a lot of better options, such as the Asus G73, or Alienware's latest M11x or M17x configurations. Still, what's promising about the Vaio Z dock is that its graphics card connects to the laptop by using Sony's implementation of Intel's Light Peak technology through the USB 3.0 port, much like the Thunderbolt ports found in Apple's latest MacBook Pro. Sony isn't the first to promote the idea of external graphics, but the company deserves credit for pulling it off in a more accessible manner. If other companies catch up with Sony's solution, all the the better.

It's still a far cry from what a high-end desktop gaming system can offer, but it's one positive step forward for mobile PC gaming. 

AMD Radeon HD 7900 Armed with Latest XDR2 Rambus Memory

A leaked AMD next-gen road map revealed what could possibly be the company's upcoming Radeon GPU roster for this Fall. Initially consisting of four new GPUs, these will be manufactured using the 28nm VLIW4 architecture and utilize GDDR5 memory. However, the high-end 7900 cards codenamed "Tahiti" will be armed with the much faster XDR2 memory interface, which AMD claims is twice as fast as that of GDDR5, and consume 30 percent less power. Both the Radeon HD 7970 and 7950 also come equipped with an enormous bandwidth of 32 GB/s, thanks to the PCIe Gen3 interface. The flagship Radeon HD 7970 has 2,048 Radeon Cores, 1,000 MHz GPU clock and 2GB XDR2 memory running at 8,000 MHz. Furthermore, the VLIW4 architecture found in the mainstream 7000 series will be replaced in favor of AMD's new Graphics CoreNext GPU architecture. The 7970 is expected to consume an average of 190 watts of power, which is 60 watts lower than the Radeon 6970's average power consumption. These are all impressive specs to be sure, but we won't be seeing the 7970 and 7950 cards strut their stuff until Q1 2012, at the earliest. All the same, AMD's next GPU salvo lines up pretty well with its much anticipated 8-core Bulldozer FX CPUs, which should be available Q4 2011.

NVIDIA Releases GPUDirect

NVIDIA has just introduced what it calls GPUDirect for Video. It’s a technology that makes it possible for application developers to provide on-air broadcast graphics in higher quality and with added realism. The technology takes advantage of the parallel processing power of GPUs when it comes to image processing. GPUDirect allows industry-standard video I/O devices to communicate with NVIDIA’s professional Quadro and Tesla graphics cards at very low latency. NVIDIA claims that the technology is the fastest and most deterministic way to get video to the GPU for processing. In the past, video production professionals and broadcasters have struggled with delays of as many as ten frames per second, which can easily be seen by the naked eye. That’s because the GPU and the video I/O device couldn’t communicate directly to ensure synchronization. This new technology might not affect you much on a day-to-day basis, since the production companies do what they can to compensate for the delay. But in the not too distant future, it should be possible to notice the benefits of the technology.

Sapphire Unveils Radeon HD 6950 TOXIC Edition Video Card

Sapphire today unveiled its latest video card, the Radeon HD 6950 TOXIC Edition. As with all TOXIC edition cards, the new card features a factory overclock and a custom heat sink. The TOXIC 6950 includes a "Cayman" 40nm GPU running at 880MHz, compared to the stock speed of 800MHz. This is coupled with a 2GB GDDR5 memory buffer clocked at 5200MHz, a 200MHz increase over the 5000MHz stock speed. The "Cayman" GPU is also equipped with 1408 stream processors and 88 texture processing units for an immersive visual experience. Cooling is provided by a vapor chamber, one fan and a perforated backplate for enhanced airflow. Standard features include CrossFireX support for multi-GPU configurations, along with a selection of outputs including dual-DVI, two mini DisplayPort connectors and one HDMI port. Other features of the TOXIC 6950 include dual-BIOS support, 8 + 6 pin power connectors, and digital VRMs. The Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 TOXIC Edition video card will be available in an optional Dirt 3 bundle. Sapphire did not disclose details regarding the pricing or availability of the TOXIC 6950.

MSI N580GTX Lightning Breaks 3 Records

Overclockers Splave of the USA, and Smoke of Russia, have recently set three world records with the MSI N580GTX Lightning graphics card. In June, Splave used an LN2 cooling system to push the graphics card up to 2501.6 in the Unigine Heaven (DX11) benchmark; the world record for single-card, single-core score. Apparently that was not good enough as he set the new record this week, of 2562.51. Over the past few days, Smoke, also using LN2, has set the world records for the 3DMark 11 and 3DMark Vantage benchmarks with single-card, single-core scores of 11,390 and 46,546 respectively.

Congratulations Smoke and Splave! For more information on the overclocks, check out the MSI News item.

AMD Announces HD 6990M Mobile GPU

I know, I know. NVIDIA just announced the GeForce GTX 580M mobile GPU a couple of weeks ago and said it was the world's fastest. Well, a bit of time has passed and now, AMD is touting the world's fastest mobile GPU in the shape of the Radeon HD 6990M. The 6990M is said to be up to 25% faster than the 580M, giving AMD a leg up in performance if all holds out. The 6990M has a 715MHz engine clock speed, 2GB GDDR5 running at 900MHz, and 1120 Stream processors. AMD is stating the card has 1.6 TFLOPS of computing power and a memory bandwidth of 115.2GB/s. All pretty impressive specifications, and if you're hoping to get a laptop running this monster, you should know the Alienware M18x and Clevo's P170HM and P150HM will be packing it. The Alienware will also have the NVIDIA 580M as an option, so you'll have to decide which side you want to be on.

NVIDIA Announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M GPUs

NVIDIA has gone ahead and released two new mobile GPUs after doing a bit of a tease with them yesterday during its Crysis 2 DX11 demo. The two new GPUs are the GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, and both promise to give you blistering performance in any game. The 580M replaces the 485M while the 570M replaces the 470M, with the 580M promising to be six times faster during tesselation performance than the AMD Radeon HD 6970M. The 570M is about 20% faster than the 470M, while both the 580M and 570M are built on the 40nm process. The 580M packs 384 cores and 2GB of 256-bit GDDR5 RAM, while the 570M has 336 cores and either 1.5 or 3GB of 192-bit GDDR5 RAM. Both support DirectX 11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus technology, SLI, and 3DTV Play, so basically everything you would want in a mobile GPU, these two have.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M will start shipping in the Alienware M17x and M18x, while the 570M will be available in the MSI GT780R.

PowerColor Announces the HD6870X2

PowerColor has announced the first dual GPU solution based on the BART XT graphics engine, the PowerColor HD6870X2. The new card features 2240 stream processors with a 900MHz core speed. The 2GB of GDDR5 memory runs at a clock speed of 1050MHz. The combination of these two provides for computing power of 4.03 teraflops. To keep everything cool, PowerColor has opted for Heat Pipe Direct Touch technology, placing six heat pipes in direct contact with the GPU core. This allows for cooling performance up to 50 times greater than a simple copper base according to the company. Gamers will also find DiRT3 bundled with the card, giving them something to test the card with right out of the box.

MSI Breaks World Records with Two Video Cards

MSI is no stranger to the world of overclocked video cards as both its Hawk and Lightning series offer some impressively high overclocks for enthusiasts. The cards offer a good stock cooling solution for those wishing to stick with air cooling, or you can swap it out for a waterblock. For the heavy overclockers, there is liquid nitrogen which is what helped the MSI N580GTX Lightning break some world records. Using LN2, overclockers can raise the card's core clock to 1665MHz, which is the highest recorded clock speed for the GTX 580. Using that high clock speed, a score of 2501.96 was acheived in the Unigine Heaven benchmark. For the Hawk series, Belgian overclocker Massman used an MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk to reach a core clock speed of 1500MHz, which is another world record and was tested in 3DMark 11. No scores from that were included, but that clock speed is mighty impressive. MSI says that these results show that its cards are ideal for overclockers of any kind, whether it is getting a bit more frames per second in a game or setting world records.

MSI Announces N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition

MSI has announced the "Most Powerful Graphics Card on the Planet" at Computex, the N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition. The card will feature 3GB of memory and some serious graphics horsepower. In order to keep everything cool, the card comes with Twin Frozr III cooling. The propeller blade fans are paired with what looks like a large heatsink and Smart Temp Sensors and Dust Removal technology. The Smart Temp Sensor shows the user when temperatures get above 45 degrees Celcius by turning the fans from blue to white. The Dust Removal technology works by spinning in reverse on startup to help remove dust from the heatsink fins.

NVIDIA Brings 500-Series GPUs to the Mobile Market

Today NVIDIA unveiled the GeForce GTX 560M notebook GPU, the first in the GeForce 500M series of mobile graphics processors. This means that gamers can enjoy full 1080p resolutions while playing DirectX 11 titles. It also means that notebook makers will begin offering units equipped with GeForce GTX gaming GPUs with NVIDIA Optimus technology. Along with improved gaming performance and longer battery life using NVIDIA Optimus, users will also get:

• NVIDIA 3D Vision™ technology support, the #1 3D technology for notebooks
• NVIDIA PhysX® technology support, for in-game real-time physics effects
• NVIDIA CUDA® architecture support, for GPU computing applications

NVIDIA also introduced the GeForce GT 520MX GPU for thin and light notebooks which offers a step up from the existing GT 520M processor and a more advanced set of features than users get from integrated graphics.

NVIDIA released its partner list for the new GPUs and said Alienware and Toshiba are set to roll out new notebooks combining the GeForce GT 560M GPUs with Optimus technology. ASUS, Clevo and MSI, among others, will be offering notebooks featuring GeForce GTX 560M with ASUS, Samsung and others offering notebooks featuring the GeForce GT 520MX.

NVIDIA Releases New Laptop GPUs

NVIDIA has enabled higher graphic performance and portability for laptops with the release of two new graphics units in the 500M series.  These new GPUs fall at opposite ends of the performance spectrum, but both are advances over the previous models.  The release of the GTX 560M allows for a much higher level of gaming performance while retaining good battery life by utilizing the Optimus™ technology.  This mix of technology will not only allow for full 1080p resolution when gaming, along with the possibility of 3D, but also longer battery life when not performing graphically intensive tasks.  The basic level GT 520MX is an update of the GT 520M, which adds new features and support.  The GTX 560M has 192 CUDA cores, and clock speeds of 1550 and 1250 MHz for the cores and memory, respectively.  In comparison, the GT 520M has 48 CUDA cores with a clock speed of 1800 MHz for the cores and 800MHz for the memory.

NVIDIA Releases 3D Vision Wired Glasses

NVIDIA's GeForce 3D Vision line has been out for a couple of years now, having been first introduced at the CES 2009 show. The design has come a long way since then and NVIDIA has just announced a wired version of the 3D Vision glasses for only $99. This means you can have all the 3D quality and 3D experience offered by the wireless version for a lower price. With more than 525 full-HD 3D games now available and support more than 65 different3D Vision monitors, you can enjoy 3D gaming via the 10-foot USB 2.0 cable for direct, easy connection to a 3D Vision PC or notebook. It also means you don't need batteries since power is supplied via the cable. As mentioned, the glasses will carry a MSRP of $99US and will be available in late June 2011.

ZOTAC Announces GeForce GTX 560 Multiview Video Card

Zotac is getting things going at Comptuex with the announcement of the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Multiview video card which is being hailed as the world's first GeForce GTX 560 capable of natively driving three displays simultaneously. The new card is able to use three matching 1080p displays using dual-link DVI and DisplayPort output to display resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 on one monitor while a pair of HDMI outputs connect to two other displays with resolutions up to 1920 x 1080.

Here are some of the details:

• World's first triple-display capable GeForce GTX 560 powered graphics card
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 GPU
• Engine clock: 820 MHz
• 336 unified shaders
• Shader clock: 1640 MHz
• 1GB DDR5 memory
• Memory clock: 4008 MHz
• 256-bit memory interface
• Dual dual-link DVI, DisplayPort & Dual HDMI
• (Triple-display only capable with one DVI or DP and dual HDMI displays)
• PCI Express 2.0 interface (Compatible with 1.1)
• Microsoft DirectX 11 & OpenGL 4.1 compatible
• NVIDIA CUDA technology with CUDA C/C++
• NVIDIA PhysX technology
• ZOTAC Boost Premium software bundle included

ASUS Announces Pair of Graphics Cards

ASUS has announced a pair of new NVIDIA based graphics cards, larger than any I've ever seen. The Matrix GTX 580 will be available in standard and Platinum variations, each featuring 1.5GB of RAM. In order to keep everything cool, there is a giant active cooling solution. A cooling system that big will take a lot of space to house, as it takes up three PCI slots. The MARS II hasn't been seen yet, but it might be even bigger. It will be a dual GPU card and feature 3GB of RAM. No prices or release dates have been specified, but full details are expected at Computex.

PowerColor Creates Passive Cooled HD6850

PowerColor has announced a new HD6850 graphics card, the SCS3. What makes the SCS3 unique is the passive cooling solution. A massive heatsink featuring 62 fins and five heat pipes promises effective heat dissipation in silence. The cooling plate covers both the memory and PCB, allowing for all over cooling. Also included is the "Gold Power Kit," which includes a Shielded Alloy Choke, solid capacitors, and 3+1 phase power design. The SCS3 has core speed of 775MHz, 1GHz memory speed, and 1GB of DDR5.

PowerColor Announces LCS HD6990

The top-end card from AMD is the HD 6990, a dual-GPU beast that can power through anything you throw at it. Now, thanks to the folks at PowerColor, it is getting even better with the addition of a full-cover waterblock. The PowerColor LCS HD6990 features a full-cover waterblock from EKwaterblocks to bring high-performance liquid cooling to the AMD HD 6990. The waterblock cools the card up to 30% better under full load than the air cooler. It features high-flow 3/8" and 1/2" fittings to better maximize the flow with captured o-rings to prevent leakage. You can use either fitting to better work with your setup. The LCD HD6990 features a dual BIOS switch to alternate between the stock and the overclocked setting, and when you flip it, you will get a core clock of 880MHz and a memory clock of 1250MHz. You will find four mini-DisplayPorts and one DVI port to connect any monitor you wish to the card.

The PowerColor LCS HD6990 should be available soon though no price was mentioned.

News Not Good for NVIDIA in Latest GPU Market Numbers

The latest numbers in the world of GPUs are in, and it does not look good for NVIDIA. According to JPR, NVIDIA's shipping numbers are down 28% from last year due to increased competition from Intel and AMD. Intel has had five straight quarters of having a GPU and CPU in the same package and that is starting to eat away at NVIDIA's market share. AMD is also getting in on the GPU/CPU front with its Fusion products, something that speaks to both AMD and Intel growing. AMD posted a 15.4% growth in GPU shipments while Intel had a 9.4% growth, something NVIDIA did not have. From quarter-to-quarter, NVIDIA is down 1.7% while AMD is up 13.3%, and Intel at 14.2%. It seems as if NVIDIA's bus licensing dispute with Intel is starting to be more of a hindrance than anything else. Currently, the problem lies only in the integrated graphics processor market for NVIDIA, but don't expect that to last for long as it will make its way to the discrete solution. Intel and AMD both have big plans for its on-die GPUs with performance expected to cut into the mid-range segments before long, so it looks like NVIDIA may have a few rough quarters ahead until Project Denver can come through.