SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced two new models in the successful R-series of graphics cards, bringing the company's industry leading cooling technologies into the mainstream. The SAPPHIRE R7 250X Vapor-X and SAPPHIRE R7 250X are based on the successful graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD and deliver advanced features at new affordable price levels.

The SAPPHIRE R7 250X Vapor-X has 1 GB of the latest DDR5 memory clocked at 1300 MHz (5.2 GB/s effective) and a GCN architecture with 640 stream processors and core clocks of 1100 MHz to deliver new levels of performance in its price segment. It features a dual fan SAPPHIRE exclusive Vapor-X cooler, which delivers quiet and efficient cooling even under load. SAPPHIRE pioneered the use of Vapor Chamber cooler technology in graphics cards and has received industry acclaim for its use in previous models.For users on a tighter budget, SAPPHIRE has introduced the SAPPHIRE R7 250X standard model, which should be available for as little as $99! It shares the same architecture as the Vapor-X model, but with the slightly reduced clocks of 1125 MHz (4.5GB/s effective) for the memory and 950MHz for the core. It has a single fan heatsink cooler.

Performance of both models is optimised with the latest version of AMD's PowerTune technology and can be further enhanced with SAPPHIRE TriXX software, available free to download from the SAPPHIRE website. Both models support all the features offered by the GCN architecture, including multi-screen use for work or play with AMD Eyefinity, AMD HD3D support and native support for video decoding, performance enhancement with AMD CrossFire as well as APP acceleration.

APP Acceleration is the name given to the enhanced performance of a wide range of applications using the stream processing capabilities and specific hardware features of the GCN graphics architecture. The R-series has been optimised for this type of task. Typical applications include Video encoding and decoding, compression and multiplexing for media distribution, gaming and video conferencing. APP acceleration can also enhance everyday tasks such as Internet browsing, Office applications and file compression with supported software suites.