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.

As promised yesterday, AMD has issued a new Catalyst 13.11 driver build to fix the crashing bug reported by Battlefield 4 players with Windows 8 machines. This release is the Beta8 and it contains all the goodies of previous builds. The driver is available for Windows 8.1/8/7 and features support for the Radeon R9, R7, HD 7000, HD 6000 and HD 5000 Series cards.

Download: Catalyst 13.11 Beta8 for Windows

Just like its arch-rival NVIDIA, AMD has kicked off the week by rolling out a new graphics driver, the seventh beta build of the Catalyst 13.11. This fresh release includes all the features found in the previous betas and brings improved (by up to 20%) CrossFire scaling in EA's Battlefield 4.

The Catalyst 13.11 Beta7 is available for Windows 8.1/8/7 and offers support for the Radeon R9, R7, HD 7000, HD 6000 and HD 5000 Series cards.

Download: Catalyst 13.11 Beta7 for Windows

HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced a HyperX memory and solid-state drive bundle with exclusive collector's edition Battlefield 4 gaming mouse pads. HyperX is working with QPAD, an award-winning designer of headsets, keyboards, mice and mouse pads for gamers. The limited-edition HyperX memory and mouse pad product bundle creates more value for gaming fans and will be available in the United States at Newegg.com, Amazon.com and TigerDirect.com shortly after the highly anticipated Battlefield 4 game launch.

The bundle provides value for Battlefield 4 enthusiasts by giving them an opportunity to own an exclusive collector's edition soft mouse pad along with the best gaming memory on the market. QPAD, based in Sweden, have been big supporters of eSports since 1997 and most gamers are familiar with their high-quality mouse pads as well as award-winning gaming mice, headsets and keyboards. Battlefield 4 is the first-person shooter that follows the immensely popular Battlefield 3 released in 2011, from Electronic Arts Inc.

NVIDIA today made available a new and WHQL-certified graphics driver, the GeForce 331.65. This release is claimed to deliver the 'best possible gaming experience in Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts' and comes with GeForce Experience v1.7 which offers support for both NVIDIA GameStream (allows users to stream PC games from their GeForce GTX-equipped PC directly to a SHIELD device) and for GeForce ShadowPlay (game capture tool, currently in beta).

The GeForce 331.65 WHQL supports GeForce 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 Series cards.

Download: Windows 8.1/8/7 32-bit / Windows 8.1/8/7 64-bit / Windows XP 32-bit / Windows XP 64-bit

If reviews of the Radeon R9 290X showed anything other than that it's fast enough to make the GTX TITAN look like a bad choice, it's that it's hot and noisy, and that the reference design cooling solution is hopelessly inadequate at keeping the temperatures and noise in check. At some point in the future, AMD was going to allow its add-in board (AIB) partners the freedom to launch non-reference design Radeon R9 290X, or at least cards with custom-design cooling solutions. That point is closer than we think, and could be as early as late-November, according to a SweClockers report.

According to the report, AMD's AIB partners will launch R9 290X graphics cards with custom-design air- and liquid-cooling solutions by late November, 2013. It's when the likes of DirectCU II, WindForce 450W, TwinFrozr IV, Vapor-X, and IceQ X2 will begin to associate with even the most basic R9 290X cards (which start at $549.99). AMD's R9 290X is currently available in only two SKUs, both of which are based on the AMD reference cooler design; the $549.99 standard edition, and the $569.99 Battlefield 4 Edition, which includes an Origin-redeemable key to Battlefield 4 (standard edition).

GIGABYTE announced its Radeon R9 290X graphics cards. Available as a base-model priced at $549.99, and a Battlefield 4 Edition priced $25 more, GIGABYTE's R9 290X sticks to AMD-reference board design and clock speeds, of 1000 MHz core, and 5.00 GHz memory (GDDR5-effective). The company's OC Guru II software is part of the package. Based on the 28 nm "Hawaii" silicon, the Radeon R9 290X features 2,816 Graphics CoreNext stream processors, 176 TMUs, 64 ROPs, four independent tessellation units, and a 512-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 4 GB of memory.

ASUS today announced the launch of R9 290X, a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics-processing unit (GPU).

The new card benefits from exclusive ASUS GPU Tweak, an easy-to-use tuning tool for instant performance boosts, 4 GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions, and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and bring in-game audio to life with more accurate environmental sounds.

In the past weeks you have probably read about the new AMD Radeon R9 and R7 series graphics cards. As replacement for the outgoing HD 7XXX series AMD has announced the all new R9 series high end gaming cards and the R7 series mid range all rounders. The R9 270X and 280X are great cards, packed with features and offering a level of performance never seen before at their respective price points. But the moment is finally there to announce the all new flagship of the range, the Radeon R9 290X!

A new era in gaming has begun and gamers who demand the best deserve a new class of GPU's. These GPU's will carry the R9 label from now on. When you see an R9 card you can easily distinguish it as an enthusiast product. With the new R9 290X cards representing the absolute top of the charts.

HIS announced its Radeon R9 290X graphics card duo, both of which stick to AMD's reference board design, with reference clock speeds of 1000 MHz core, and 5.00 GHz memory; and differ only with the packaging. The HIS R9 290X Fan is the base model, while the HIS R9 290X Fan Battlefield 4 Edition is practically the same card, but with an Origin key to Battlefield 4. The base model is priced at $549.99, while the Battlefield 4 Edition could charge a $25 premium over that (still cheaper than buying the game off Origin). Based on the 28 nm "Hawaii" silicon, the R9 290X features 2,816 stream processors, 176 TMUs, 4 Tessellation Units, 64 ROPs, and a 512-bit wide memory interface, holding 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.

XFX announced its Radeon R9 290X graphics card, the R9-290X-ENFC. The card is every bit identical to AMD's reference design, and includes an Origin key to Battlefield 4. Based on the 28 nm "Hawaii" silicon, it 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. It features reference clock speeds of 1000 MHz core, and 5.00 GHz memory. Available now, the XFX Radeon R9 290X is priced at $570.

renowned brand of graphics card maker - VTX3D, today launched an unrivaled member into R9 series, VTX3D R9 290X X-Edition. The R9 290X X-Edition has the strongest specification and is equipped the latest AMD technologies, such as Graphics Core Next Architecture, AMD Eyefinity technology and AMD ZeroCore technology. Benefiting from this unrivaled graphics card that brings the best performance in every game.

The advanced R9 290X X-Edition is based on a high-end specification and built to play graphically demanding upcoming titles like "Battlefield 4". Suited for 2560x1440 resolution and fitted with 4GB of GDDR5 memory connected via a high speed 512bit memory interface. With overclock setting, R9 290X X-Edition clocks at 1030 MHz core and 1250MHz (5.0Gbps) memory speed. Providing the incredible graphics performance and to satisfy the demand of gamers that playing current and upcoming PC titles.

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.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today introduces the most high end products at R9 series, the PowerColor R9 290X. Being a total new GPU, the R9 290X is packed with dozens of latest technology; gamers now can get intense gaming performance and unrivalled image quality with lifelike imagery by utilizing the newest DirectX 11.2. Also with the support of Windows 8.1, the PowerColor R9 290X deliver all the benefits for Windows users. Most important, the new card supports 4K ultra HD gaming in single and multi-display configurations, users can get the most out of every square inch of screen.

Being the highest end of R9 series, we overclocked the core of R9 290X to 1030 MHz, and together with 1250 MHz memory. What's more, it equipped with high standard 4 GB of GDDR5 and new 512-bit high speed interface, delivering more speed and higher bandwidth for high-performance GPUs. Also, the PowerColor R9 290X features 2816 stream processors offering massively parallel computing power for heavy application.

Leadtek announced the WinFast GeForce GTX 760 Hurricane graphics card with 4 GB of memory (model: WFGTX760-4GD5DF3OC), in what could be among the first of many upcoming GTX 760 graphics cards to ship with double the standard memory amount, to meet with Battlefield 4 recommended system requirements that mandate at least 3 GB of graphics memory. Leadtek's card features a compact dual-slot aluminium fin-stack heatsink that uses four 8 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes to convey heat from the GPU to two fin-stacks; which are ventilated by a pair of 74 mm fans. Apart from 4 GB of memory, the card ships with factory overclocked speeds of 1111 MHz core (compared to 980 MHz reference), and 6280 MHz memory (compared to 6008 MHz reference, GDDR5-effective). Based on the 28 nm GK104 silicon, the GeForce GTX 760 features 1,152 CUDA cores, and a 256-bit wide memory interface.

Ahead of its formal launch, various AIB-branded Radeon R9 290X graphics card packages smiled for the camera, revealing three things - they're all based on AMD's reference design, barring minor factory-overclock, they're otherwise identical, and that it could be a while before we'll see non-reference design R9 290X graphics cards. Pictured below are cards from three AIB partners, Sapphire, Club3D, and GIGABYTE. Barring Club3D, the other two offer Origin keys to Battlefield 4 (standard edition) as part of the package. We know of one other AIB that offers Battlefield 4, XFX.

NVIDIA has today made available a new, WHQL-certified graphics card drive, the GeForce 331.58. This release is the recommended driver for Battlefield 4 and Batman: Arkham Origins and offers support for GeForce 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 Series cards and ION GPUs.

Download links:
Windows 8.1/8/7 32-bit / Windows 8.1/8/7 64-bit / Windows XP 32-bit / Windows XP 64-bit

Here's the first picture of XFX' Radeon R9 290X graphics card, leaked to the web by Danish retailer ProShop. The card sticks to AMD reference design, and we're hearing that it will be a while after its launch, that we'll begin to see non-reference design R9 290X graphics cards. In the mean time, AMD's add-in board partners are spicing up their R9 290X packages with goodies, and factory overclocks that the reference design cooler can handle. This card, for example, includes an Origin key to Battlefield 4 (standard edition). ProShop is pricing the card at the equivalent of $1,550, although we're inclined to believe it's just a placeholder price. Radeon R9 290X should be available from October 24.

CyberPower Inc., a global manufacturer of custom gaming PCs, gaming laptops, and performance workstations, today announced the gaming bundle of the year, which features the next generation GPU from AMD and the highly anticipated Battlefield 4 first person shooter.

CYBERPOWERPC is taking pre-orders for the Radeon R9 290X next gen graphics card. This gaming bundle includes the blazing fast R9 290X video card paired with AMD's 8-core FX-8350, 9370, or 9590 CPUs. This powerful combination nets you a high-performance gaming PC ready for the next generation of games including Battlefield 4 from Electronic Arts; which you get as part of this spectacular bundle.

MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder of custom gaming desktops and notebooks has been working closely with AMD and EA to build two exclusive branded flagship systems that will sport the new AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics solutions to offer the best PC gaming experience for the highly anticipated BATTLEFIELD 4 game.

The flagship MAINGEAR SHIFT and F131 desktops will be equipped with the new AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics card that harnesses the visionary GCN architecture, providing higher clockspeeds on the whim and offering better performance on high performance for PC gamers such as BF4. The SHIFT will offer two R9 290X cards in CrossFire with options to configure up to 3 cards, while the F131 will start with one R9 290X and configurable up to two cards in CrossFire.

If with great power comes great responsibility then definitely with new graphics cards come brand new drivers. Enter the AMD Radeon R9 and R7 Series cards and the first (publicly-available) driver to support them, the Catalyst 13.11. Still in beta mode, this fresh Catalyst works with the Radeon R9 280X, R9 270X, R7 260X, R7 250 and R7 240, as well as the Radeon HD 7000, HD 6000 and HD 5000 Series cards.

The Catalyst 13.11 Beta (V1) is supposed to feature some fixes, plus improvements for Battlefield 4 as well as for TESV: Skyrim and Total War: Rome 2. To download the driver just click on the links below.

• AMD Catalyst 13.11 Beta V1 Driver for Windows 7/8/8.1
• AMD Catalyst 13.11 Beta V1 Driver for Linux

Online retailers are beginning to take pre-orders for AMD's Radeon R9 290X Battlefield 4 Edition bundle, which combines an R9 290X graphics card, with a Battlefield 4 Premium copy, which gives you access to not just the game, but its entire trunk of expansion packs. The bundle is sold directly by AMD, and doesn't bear any AIB partner markings. Swedish retailer Webhallen.com listed the bundle for 7,299 SEK (including all applicable taxes and shipping), which roughly converts to US $1,145. The store page also mentions that it will begin shipping the pre-orders on the 11th of October, 2013. Based on the 28 nm "Hawaii" silicon, the Radeon R9 290X features 2,816 GCN stream processors, 176 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and a 512-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 4 GB of memory. It features full support for DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.3, and Mantle.

AMD has now let loose the second beta version of the Catalyst 13.10 graphics driver. The Beta2 features support for Radeon HD 5000, HD 6000, and HD 7000 Series desktop cards and HD 5000M, HD 6000M, HD 7000M and 8000M Series mobile GPUs, and is available for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 systems. Download links are just below.

• AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta2 for Windows
• AMD Mobility Catalyst 13.10 Beta2 for Windows (64-bit)
• AMD Mobility Catalyst 13.10 Beta2 for Windows (32-bit)

NVIDIA has just made available a new graphics driver, the beta-tagged GeForce 331.40 which includes support for the GeForce 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700-series desktop GPUs and the ION desktop GPUs. This new build is claimed to deliver a performance boost (compared to the GeForce 327.23 drivers) for the GeForce 400/500/600/700 Series GPUs and implements Horizon Based Ambient Occlusion plus (HBAO+) for DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 applications.

GeForce 331.40 Beta Download Links
Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 32bit / Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 64bit / Windows XP 32bit / Windows XP 64bit

At its spot in AMD's GPU'14 tech day, EA-DICE confirmed to major technical features of Battlefield 4, one of the hottest online multiplayer shooters of the season. To begin with, the game will include 64-bit binaries that let the game take advantage of vast amounts of system- and video-memory. 8 GB of system- and 3 GB of video-memory are part of the game's recommended system requirements list. The next big feature is a DirectX 11.1 renderer, which takes advantage of shader tracing, and seamless switching between various DirectX feature levels. DirectX 11.1 is exclusive to Windows 8 (and above), and isn't fully implemented on GeForce GTX 600 series GPUs.

DICE did announce that there are fallbacks to both. Out of data pulled by Origin, DICE claims that 91 percent of Battlefield 3 players run 64-bit operating systems, which encouraged their 64-bit move, but the game should also include fallbacks to 32-bit for the remaining 9 percent. The percentage of gamers running DirectX 11.1-ready GPUs and Windows 8 (and above) will no doubt be a small percentage, and for them not much should be lost. Battlefield 4 should launch on October 29. In December, the studio plans to roll out a major update that includes support for a new 3D graphics API built by DICE, codenamed "Mantle."