The incredible tropical-paradise visuals we were treated to in trailers of FarCry 3 called for some serious hardware muscle. The studio released minimum, recommended, and high-performance system requirements lists for the upcoming AAA title. The lists are quite accommodating of today's mid-range hardware, but can be quite demanding of PCs more than 2 years old. It was also announced that the game will implement a revised Uplay DRM scheme that needs a one-time activation, and doesn't require you to stay logged-in when playing the single-player campaign.The system requirements lists follow.

Years ago, AMD's integrated graphics chipsets offered users the ability to pair integrated graphics processors with entry-level discrete graphics cards to work in tandem, and increased performance ideally by 50%, this technology was called Hybrid CrossFire. With the latest AMD A-Series APUs, AMD is packing much more powerful GPU components, and in the process, giving users the ability to pair the GPU component with a discrete graphics card. In the discrete graphics sphere, AMD CrossFireX already allows the pairing between two graphics cards that use the same ASIC, even if they're different models (for example, you can pair a Radeon HD 5770 with a HD 5750).

The GPU component inside A-Series APUs are essentially similar to lower mid-range discrete GPUs from AMD's current generation, in having 400, 320, or 240 stream processors, giving you the ability to pair them with discrete graphics cards based on Turks (HD 6500 and HD 6600 series) or Caicos (HD 6300 and HD 6400 series). Unlike with Hybrid CrossFireX, AMD gave marketing names to the resulting dual-GPU setup between an APU and a discrete GPU. For example, pairing an A8-3850's APU with a discrete Radeon HD 6670 GDDR5 will give you a configuration "called" Radeon HD 6990D2. We see what you did there, AMD. So the next time you're buying a pre-assembled PC and you see "HD 6990D2" in the specs sheet, and the entire PC is priced under $800, you have no reason to jump through the roof in joy. Refer to the table below for more amazing configuration names.

NVIDIA is reportedly working on a new mainstream GPU for a mid-March launch. The graphics giant is planning to name it GeForce GTX 550 Ti, that's right, "GTX" prefix and "Ti" suffix monikers being extended to the core mainstream, in place of the typical "GTS". The new GPU will be based on the 40 nanometer GF116 silicon. Its exact specifications are not known, except that the GPU will use a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, and will be pin-compatible with GF106, on which is based the GeForce GTS 450. Its performance is estimated to be up to 35% higher than ATI Radeon HD 5770. Due to an electrical redesign over GF106, the GTX 550 Ti is expected to have a TDP of just 110W, nearly the same as that of the GTS 450, except having higher performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti is slated for release on 15 March, 2011.

VisionTek Products and Bigfoot Networks today announced the launch of the VisionTek Killer HD 5770, the world's first single-card, PCI Express solution combining Bigfoot Networks Killer E2100 game networking technology and AMD Radeon HD 5000 graphics family technology to supercharge mainstream PCs for online gaming.

The Killer HD 5770 is a one-card, one-slot solution that combines leading-edge graphics and networking to give consumers explosive HD gaming performance for today's hottest online titles. The Killer HD 5770 card uses the AMD Radeon HD 5770 graphics processing unit (GPU) to deliver Microsoft DirectX 11 support, multimonitor setup and 7.1 audio via HDMI output. The Killer HD 5770 card also uses the Killer E2100 platform to deliver blazing-fast Gigabit Ethernet networking optimized for online gameplay. The Killer E2100 platform is a new, embedded version of the award-winning Killer 2100 gaming network card developed by Bigfoot Networks.

Now that AMD seems to have given the 40 nm Juniper GPU (on which are based the Radeon HD 5700 series models) a new lease of life, manufacturers can continue to get innovative with the Radeon HD 5770 GPU. One such board partner, Yeston, designed a Radeon HD 5770 X2 graphics card, which simply put, is a dual-GPU graphics accelerator that makes use of two Radeon HD 5770 GPUs, each with its own 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, that share the PCI-Express interface using a PLX-made bridge chip (perhaps the same one used on the Radeon HD 5970).

The PCB holds both GPUs on the obverse side, the PCI-Express bridge chip on the reverse side, and memory chips on both sides. A 4+1 phase VRM is used, additional power is drawn in from just one 6-pin PCI-E power connector. Both GPUs work in tandem via an internal CrossFire interface, it can pair with another Juniper-based graphics card for 3-GPU or 4-GPU CrossFireX. The duo are cooled by a large heatsink, air is circulated by two 90 mm fans. AMD reference clock speeds (for the Radeon HD 5770) of 850 MHz core, and 1200 MHz (4800 MHz GDDR5 effective) memory are used. Display connectivity includes two DVI, one HDMI, and a DisplayPort. Knowing Yeston's reach, it's not very likely that this card will be sold in the US more towards the Asian market.

After recent photo exposés of the Cayman XT (Radeon HD 5870 successor) and Caicos (Radeon HD 5400 series successor), the third, juicy set of pictures exposes the XT variant of Barts reference board (Radeon HD 5770 successor), which will likely go on to become Radeon HD 6770.

While the specifications of the GPU are not known, what we can tell from the pictures is that the card is powered by two 6-pin power connectors, uses 4+1 phase digital PWM circuitry, and looks to have a 256-bit wide memory interface for a near 80~100% increase in memory bandwidth compared to the previous generation. Display outputs include two DVI, one HDMI, and two mini-DisplayPort. There is one CrossFire connector for 2-way CrossFire support. AMD will kickstart its next-generation Radeon graphics series launches later this year. Don't mind the puny looking GPU-cooler, AMD uses it on prototypes. The actual cooler's outline is drawn on the PCB.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to launch the latest in-house designed GIGABYTE GV-R577SL-1GD, featuring GIGABYTE's own Ultra Durable VGA Technology and silent-cell cooling design. GIGABYTE's GV-R577SL-1GD is built on the highly anticipated ATI Radeon HD 5770 Series GPU, which utilizes the latest 826 million transistors on 40nm fabrication process and GDDR5 memory. GIGABYTE GV-R577SL-1GD is equipped with Microsoft DirectX 11, ATI Eyefinity Technology, ATI Stream technology, ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU support, UVD 2 and PowerPlay, setting a new standard for HD gaming performance.

The GIGABYTE GV-R577SL-1GD features GIGABYTE's own Ultra Durable VGA Technology, which can provide outstanding overclocking capability, lower GPU temperature, and excellent power efficiency. GIGABYTE's unique technology Ultra Durable VGA features 2 oz copper PCB board, Samsung and Hynix memory, Japanese solid capacitor, Ferrite /Metal Core Chokes, and Low RDS (on) MOSFET. Compared with traditional graphics accelerators, Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerators can lower GPU temperature by 5%~10%, decrease power switching loss by 10%~30%, and increase overclocking capability by 10%~30%. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerator GV-R577SL-1GD can provide truly "high-performance" and "green" graphic card solutions.

Gigabyte is readying a new passively-cooled Radeon HD 5770 graphics card called the Gigabyte HD 5770 Silent Cell, carrying model number GV-R577SL-1GD. This 100% non-reference design card is built using Gigabyte's Ultra Durable VGA technology (comprising of 2 oz copper PCB, ferrite-core chokes, Low RDS (on) MOSFETs, and binned high-performance memory chips. What's more peculiar is its large GPU cooler that covers the length and height of the card, and extends a couple of inches over the length of the card. At its end, the heatsink also extends a good couple of inches over the height of the card, some of its fins even protrude out of the rear panel. The heatsink is a densely-packed aluminum fin array to which heat is conveyed by four 6 mm thick heat pipes.

Cooling assembly aside, the card sticks to AMD reference clock speeds - 850 MHz core, 1200 MHz (4800 MHz effective) memory, and uses 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide memory interface. The 40 nm Juniper GPU packs 800 stream processors, and supports the latest PC graphics technologies including DirectX 11. The card can pair with up to three more of its kind for CrossFireX. Display connectivity options include one each of DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Gigabyte did not give out a price.

SAPPHIRE Technology introduces the SAPPHIRE HD 5770 FleX, the latest graphics card in the highly successful SAPPHIRE HD 5000 series. This is the first graphics solution to support three screens in ATI Eyefinity mode, out of the box, without the need for DisplayPort monitors or active adapters. The SAPPHIRE HD 5770 FleX can also support four monitors in ATI Eyefinity mode with a single card.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5770 FleX is a SAPPHIRE original design based on the latest 40nm graphics architecture from the ATI division of AMD. It supports the advanced graphical features of DirectX 11, and delivers spectacular video clarity, speed and visual effects.

AMD announced that Apple has selected the world renowned ATI Radeon graphics solutions for the new line of Apple iMac and Mac Pro tower. Now featured in Apple Stores as well as online retail, ATI Radeon graphics offer outstanding power and performance as the standard configuration for the new iMac and Mac Pro tower which will hit store shelves soon.

"Apple buyers demand the best, and AMD's award-winning ATI Radeon graphics enable exceptional visual experiences for iMac users," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice- president and general manager, GPU division, AMD. "AMD has conducted extensive testing and research to create superior graphics products for the iMac. This research is designed to dramatically enhance the Mac-user experience so that Apple users can enjoy responsive performance and play the newest games."

There seems to be a single-slot ATI Radeon HD 5700 series trend going on, with XFX designing two single-slot ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards, a base model (HD-577X-ZMF3), and an Eyefinity-5 model (HD-577X-Z5F3). Both cards use PCB and cooler designed by XFX. The cooler particularly looks familiar in design to the countless single-slot GeForce graphics cards designed by the company, one of the recent ones being a GeForce 9800 GT. The cooler makes generous use of copper.

Both cards stick to the reference AMD clock speeds, 850 MHz core and 1200 MHz (4800 MHz effective) memory, and feature 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide memory interface. Power is taken in from a single 6-pin PCI-E input. While the base model has display outputs which includes two DVI and one mini-DisplayPort, the Eyefinity-5 model features five mini-DisplayPort connectors. The cards will be released around the middle of this month, and Japan prices (which tend to be higher than US/EU prices) indicate 17,500 JPY (US $202) for the base model, and 18,000 JPY ($208).

Apple today announced a large-scale refresh of its Mac line of computers. The refresh includes new models, and hardware updates on existing ones. Highlights include: 1. a complete transition to Intel 2010 Core Series processors (i3/i5/i7, across the board), a speed step up on existing SKUs, and a brilliant new Cinema display. To begin with, the entire range of iMac desktops now feature Core i3/i5/i7 processors, moving forward from Core 2 Duo that featured on the lower models. The lineup starts with Core i3 processors with speeds of up to 3.06 GHz (at the 21.5" $1,199 point), Core i3 3.20 GHz (at 21.5" $1,499 and 27" $1,699 points), and 2.80 GHz Core i5 quad-core (at the 27" $1,999 point).

Earlier, the 27", $1,999 model featured a 2.66 GHz Core i5 processor. Each of these models optionally offer faster processors. While the 21.5" $1,199 model packs ATI Radeon HD 4670 512 MB graphics, the $1,499 and $1,699 models come with ATI Radeon HD 5670 512 MB graphics, and the 27" one packs ATI Radeon HD 5750 1 GB. All models pack 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1333 MHz memory.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, introduced an innovative cooling technology into the PCS+ HD5770 series: the PCS+ HD5770 Vortex Edition. This special edition offers the flexibility for users to manually adjust the fan and its physical attributes, providing better air flow to effectively cool down the temperature up to 15°C when compare to reference design.

The PCS+ HD5770 Vortex Edition also features factory overclocking with core and memory
clocks at 900 MHz and 1225 MHz respectively. With the cooling ability seen in the Vortex
Edition, it allows more headroom for overclocking that maximizes performance releasing
more potential for gaming power.

PowerColor's upcoming mid-range graphics card, the Vortex HD 5770, is said to feature a new feature that gives the user greater control of the fan's airflow, beyond fan-speed control. The cooler lets the user to fine-tune the direction and sweep of the fan air-flow, by allowing extension of the fan frame. With these adjustments, users can fine-tune the cooler's efficiency by directing airflow to specific parts of the aluminum heatsink underneath. Depending on how the fan is protruded or tilted, the card could occupy 2 to 3 expansion slots.

Apart from this cooling solution, the card reuses the PCB found on the PCS+ HD 5770, which is said to have factory-overclocked speeds, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory. The Radeon HD 5770 is based on the 40 nm Juniper die. It is DirectX 11 compliant, and has 800 stream processors, a tessellation unit, and connects to 1 GB of memory over a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. Display outputs on this card include two DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort, with ATI Eyefinity support. The PowerColor Vortex HD 5770 will be released in a few weeks' time. Incidentally, two PowerColor Vortex HD 5770 is up for grabs on the PowerColor and TechPowerUp GPU-Z Giveaway, so you can try your luck there.

Call it the admin's graphics card or the gamer's network card, but PowerColor seems to have come up with an unusual combination of a graphics processor (ATI Radeon HD 5770) with a hardware-accelerated network processor (Bigfoot Killer), which are seated on the same board, and share the system bus using a PCI-Express bridge chip. The GPU is a fairly standard HD 5770 that packs DirectX 11 support, 800 stream processors, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide interface, while the NPU is an ARM-derived system-on-chip (SoC) which offloads network stack processing completely from the host in a bid to cut system latencies. The inclusion of a PCI-Express bridge chip and the NPU significantly increased the size of PCB, yet the card seems to make do with just a single 6-pin power input. Given that a standalone PCI-E Killer NIC easily costs over $120 and the HD 5770 around the $150 mark, with the $10-odd PCI-E bridge chip, one can expect this product to easily cost over $250.

The second creation from PowerColor that caught our eye is their HD 5770 Evolution, a graphics card with a Lucid Hydra Engine chip on board, which allows it to be paired with any other ATI or NVIDIA graphics card. The Lucid Hydra engine drives the graphics subsystem with whatever resources that are available to it. Apart from this unique feature, the HD 5770 is fairly standard, with an ATI Radeon HD 5770 GPU, reference clock speeds, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory. Its display connectivity includes one each of DVI-D, DisplayPort and HDMI.

Here are some of the industry's first low-profile graphics cards based on the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series GPUs. PowerColor's approach is straightforward, with a somewhat long PCB that houses the HD 5700 series GPU, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory with chips on either sides of the PCB. With over a billion transistors, the Juniper GPU still needs a reasonable amount of cooling, so the card is given a double-slot cooler with an aluminum heatsink that is cooled by two 50~60 mm fans. The card draws power from a single 6-pin power connector. Output connectivity includes one DVI-D, and an HDMI. PowerColor will release both Radeon HD 5770 and Radeon HD 5750 in using this low-profile design.

While AMD has no new GPU product launches slated for this year's Computex event, its partners are letting their imagination go places. PowerColor is doing just that, with as many as five new products and technologies. To begin with, the company is working on the PowerColor HD 5770 Sniper Edition. This graphics card packs a Bigfoot Killer NIC on-board, so graphics and network processing is packaged into a single addon card. From what we can tell, the card is designed using a PCI-Express bridge which is connected to the PCI-Express x16 interface, which gives the Radeon HD 5770 GPU an x16 link and the Killer SoC an x1 link. The Killer network processor has its own dedicated memory and ROM, with which the SoC can offload network processing from Windows, in a bid to reduce latencies, even if improving performance is inconsequential with today's systems with powerful processors.

Next up, is the PowerColor HD 5770 Evolution. Again, another novelty graphics card based on the Radeon HD 5770. This one packs a Lucid Hydra Engine chip on-board, which allows it work in tandem with any other graphics card, ATI or NVIDIA, with 2-way or 3-way multi-GPU support. Third card is probably what will interest a lot more buyers, PowerColor HD 5770 Single Slot Edition. As the name suggests, the card will occupy only one expansion slot. The next card is an even more practical product in the making, a series of low-profile Radeon HD 5770 and HD 5750 cards. Lastly, PowerColor will demonstrate what it calls the Vortex Cooling technology, a unique video card cooler which allows users to adjust the fan's height from the heatsink, and vector its air-flow. Not wanting to reveal too much, PowerColor left us with tiny images, some of which are outlines of the actual images.

PowerColor is working on a new Radeon HD 5770 graphics card that's geared for overclocking, the HD 5770 PCS++. The new model, while retains the same out of the box clock speeds and cooling as the HD 5770 PCS+, uses a redesigned PCB with high-grade VRM for higher overclocking potential. It has out of the box clock speeds of 875/1225 MHz (core/memory), against reference speeds of 850/1200 MHz. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 GPU packs 800 stream processors, and connects to 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide memory interface.

The PowerColor HD 5770 PCS++ borrows its PCB design from the PowerColor HD 5750 Go! Green, (HD 5750 and HD 5770 are based on the same Juniper GPU and are hence pin-compatible) which we recently reviewed. To do away with the 6-pin auxiliary power connector, the Go! Green card relied on a high-efficiency digital PWM circuit with three vGPU and two vMem phases, driven by a Volterra VT1165 voltage controller which supports software voltage control. From the looks of it, the PCS++ reuses the same PCB, but with the 6-pin power connector in place for added power. Despite the lack of this connector, and having passive cooling, the Go! Green card managed GPU and memory overclocks of 10% and 25%, making us expect even higher with this card. Its cooling system includes a GPU cooler made by Arctic Cooling, with independent heatsinks over the memory and VRM chips. It is expected that PowerColor prices the HD 5770 PCS++ at 10 EUR / 15 USD higher than the HD 5770 PCS+, which is around US $170.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, today introduces the first and only graphics solution on the planet: the HD5770 Eyefinity 5. The HD5770 Eyefinity 5 features multi-display eyefinity technology, enables up to 5 monitors to be operated from one card through its five mini displayport onboard design. Gamers can easily make use of this unique feature and have different display configurations to enjoy a wider field of view and get more done at the same time.

This unparalleled graphics solution takes advantage of the HD5770 series features, clocking in at 850 MHz core speed and 1200MHz memory speed, the card is ready to tackle all the latest game titles and enable a superior gaming experience. With support for Microsoft's DirectX 11, the HD5770 Eyefinity 5 provides the most vivid gaming experience like never before. Compatible with ATI Stream technology, the card enables demanding data parallel compute tasks from the CPU to GPU, accelerating daily applications.

ASUS today launched the EAH5000 Series, a new range of self-conceived graphics cards boasting an innovative thermal design that enables extreme overclocking. This makes these cards the instant choice of discerning DIY PC buffs and champion overclockers everywhere.

For PC-building enthusiasts worried about cooling, ASUS EAH5850 and EAH5830 graphics cards feature DirectCU technology, with specially-flattened copper heat pipes that dissipate heat up to 20%* more efficiently during gameplay and enable up to 35%* quieter operation in idle mode.

The ASUS EAH5770 packs new CUcore technology, integrating a distinct copper rod weighing up to 5.8oz within the fan assembly to better absorb and disperse heat.

Without making much noise, HIS released a custom-design ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card with its coveted IceQ moniker. The HIS HD 5770 IceQ 5 graphics card comes months after the company released the HD 5750 IceQ. The two differ in design and features sharply. The HD 5770 IceQ 5 features a longer PCB, a more complex cooling unit that makes use of 8 mm thick heatpipes (earlier used for HD 4870 based cards), 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, and reference clock speeds of 850 MHz (core) and 1200 MHz (memory). A "Turbo" variant that comes with higher clock speeds out of the box cannot be ruled out at this point. The Radeon HD 5770 features DirectX 11 support, has 800 stream processors, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. The IceQ family of graphics cards from HIS are known for higher cooling performance, and are usually quieter. The PCB is characteristically blue, and the cooler-shroud is reactive to UV case lighting. Pricing and availability are not known as yet.

MSI is readying a new ATI Radeon HD 5770 based graphics card with its new "HAWK" branding. Its design will involve overclocking headroom, and a cooler superior to the reference design in terms of cooling performance. The MSI R5770 HAWK is said to feature "Military Grade" components, and a cooler which looks like a shrunk version of the Twin Frozr II found on many of MSI's Lightning series graphics cards. Another interesting feature is its voltage measure points that pop out by two wires. These let you measure vGPU and vMem voltages. The PCB features just one CrossFire finger. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI-D, HDMI, and DisplayPort. The AMD Juniper GPU powering it is DirectX 11 compliant, features 800 stream processors, and 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface, with which it connects to 1 GB of memory. There's no word on the release date or price yet, but we expect it to be out very soon.

Having reclaimed the positions of having the fastest graphics cards and the most powerful GPU with the DirectX 11 compliant Radeon HD 5000 series, AMD is looking to make DirectX 11 accessible to all market segments. Later this month, AMD is expected to announce its lower-mainstream Radeon HD 5600 products, but with it, also an addition to the Radeon HD 5800 series: the Radeon HD 5830. This product is expected to fill the gap between Radeon HD 5770 and Radeon HD 5850.

The Radeon HD 5770 is priced in the sub-$200 range, while the HD 5850 at around $300. This gap is currently held by the previous-generation Radeon HD 4890, which faces competition from some NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200 series products. It is expected that the Radeon HD 5830 will be about as powerful as a Radeon HD 4890 in current applications, while being priced slightly lower, and a little more competitive owing to its feature set and future-proofing. The new product could be announced on the 25th Jan. No additional details or specifications are known at this point.

HIS released a custom-design graphics card based on the ATI Radeon HD 5770 GPU, part of its generally cost-effective "Fan" series. The HIS HD 5770 Fan 1GB (H577FL1GDG) uses a GPU cooler which uses heat pipes to transfer heat to a circular aluminum fin array surrounding a fan. Unlike with older Fan series models (such as the HD 4850 Fan) which had seemingly skimpy cooling, HIS placed a plastic shroud on top of the cooler. It uses reference AMD clock speeds: 850 MHz (core), 1200 MHz (memory), and sports 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit interface. Connectivity includes one each DVI-D, HDMI, and DisplayPort. It is expected to be priced around $140~$150.