Earlier this week, we heard reports of some early adopters of the 4 GB variant of AMD Radeon RX 480 claiming that their cards shipped with 8 GB of memory physically present on their cards, but their graphics card BIOS somehow prevented the GPU from addressing more than 4 GB of it. In its Reddit AMA, the company presented a vague answer to the question of whether such 4 GB cards are moddable to 8 GB by flashing it with the BIOS of the 8 GB variant, by stating that the ability to mod is restricted to review samples. This is both true and false. Short answer: retail 4 GB RX 480 can be flashed to 8 GB, and the modified card perfoms on par with the 8 GB variant.

AMD sent out review samples of the 8 GB variant, and to enable reviews to also put up reviews of the 4 GB variant, it sent a special BIOS that converts the 8 GB card to 4 GB, by reducing its address-space and memory clocks, perfectly simulating the 4 GB variant. AMD's claims of 4 GB cards with 8 GB physical memory being restricted to review samples was proven false when early adopters of retail 4 GB cards discovered eight Samsung 8 Gbit memory chips on their card amounting to 8 GB. We currently have an AIB partner-branded retail 4 GB Radeon RX 480 card which we bought online (invoice posted), and which we're using to prepare our 4 GB RX 480 review. We first discovered that our 4 GB retail card had the same exact Samsung 8x 8 Gb chips (including the same bin, specc'd for 8 Gbps) as the 8 GB card. We flashed this card with the 8 GB card's BIOS, and were successful in doing so. The trick here is to extract the BIOS of the 8 GB card with ATIFlash 2.74 and then transplanting that BIOS onto the 4 GB card. The 8 GB card BIOS image which we used, can be found here. Use at your own risk.

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information and diagnostic utility. Version 0.8.9 adds support for AMD "Polaris" GPUs, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, reading overclock on GTX 1080 / GTX 1070; and BIOS extraction support for the GTX 1080 / GTX 1070. It also adds support for NVIDIA Quadro M2000 and AMD E8860. Version 0.8.9 also addresses a few key bugs, such as memory monitoring sometimes resetting when the usage is above 4 GB, doubling of default memory clock on GeForce GT 220 / GT 240, and cards with GDDR5X memory, such as the GTX 1080; and a few UI bugs.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.9 | GPU-Z 0.8.9 ASUS ROG Edition

The change-log follows.

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsytem information, monitoring, and diagnostic utility that no PC enthusiast can leave home without. Version 0.8.8 adds a plethora of new user-interface features, and support for new GPUs. To begin with, we've consolidated all 'expert' features and settings into a convenient new "settings" dialog box, which appears when you click on the "hamburger" menu around the top-right corner of the main tab (next to the "screenshot" button). This is where you'll be able to configure how GPU-Z gets along with your machine, customize the "sensors" tab, and also use the refreshed "ASIC quality" information utility.

In addition to displaying your GPU's ASIC quality, GPU-Z now tells you how your ASIC compares to similar GPUs recorded in our GPU-Z validation database. GPU-Z can now read ASIC quality of AMD "Tonga" and "Fiji" GPUs. Support is added for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, GTX 980 (desktop on laptop), GTX 965M, 940M, 910M, GT 755M, Quadro M6000 24 GB, M4000M, K3100M, M500M, Tesla M40, and M60. GPU-Z can now correctly read BIOS from GPUs installed on motherboards/graphics cards with PLX PEX8747 PCIe bridge chips. Support is also added for Intel Iris Pro 530 "GT3e" graphics. More details in the change-log below.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.8 | GPU-Z 0.8.8 ASUS ROG Themed

The change-log follows.

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information, monitoring, and diagnostic utility. Version 0.8.7 adds support for new GPUs, fixes a variety of bugs, and improves the interface. To begin with, support is added for AMD Radeon R9 380X, R7 350, and the "Mullins" APU; NVIDIA GTX 980 8GB (notebooks), GTX 965M, GTX 750 (GM206), GT 710 (GK208), Quadro K1200, M5000, M2000M, M1000M, K2200M, GRID K160Q, and Tesla K80; and Intel "Skylake" Gen9 Graphics 510, P530, 540.

Among the bug fixes include improved Radeon Software version number detection, correct DirectX hardware-support readout on Intel "Skylake" IGPs, accurate 1.55V voltage reading for AMD "Fiji" GPUs in ULPS modes, a BSOD on Intel "Cloverview" Atom Z2760, SKU naming for AMD "Beema" chips; improved detection of CUDA devices running on Bus ID greater than 9, and a better explanation for OpenCL detection errors. The Armenian language pack has been improved.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.7 | GPU-Z 0.8.7 ASUS ROG Themed

The change-log follows.

TechPowerUp released version 0.8.6 of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information and diagnostics utility, which gives you detailed info on your installed graphics chips, and lets you monitor the various sensors of your GPUs. To begin with, the new version comes with DirectX 12 support, with the ability to tell which feature-level of Direct3D your hardware supports. Command-line usage has been added with the "/help" argument. Support was added for several GPUs, notably GTX 950, Microsoft Surface Book GPU, R9 Nano, and AMD "Carrizo" iGPU.

The app can now wake up AMD GPUs in laptops that are power-gated to conserve power (and which would hence not get properly detected). BIOS reading is improved, and incorrect fan-speed reading, and a rare BSOD in AMD R9 Fury series GPUs, are fixed. Several stability improvements for Intel iGPUs were made, with the addition of support for Intel "Braswell," "Cherry Lake," and "Skylake" iGPUs. AMD GPU clock speed detection with no AMD driver installed, has been improved. A rare case of misreading BIOS in multi-GPU setups, has been fixed. Voltage monitoring on some Sapphire graphics cards has been fixed.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.6 | GPU-Z 0.8.6 ASUS ROG Themed

The change-log follows.

PowerColor and TechPowerUp GPU-Z Radeon R9 Fury X Contest drew to a close last weekend, and two winners have been picked. These two get a scorching fast PowerColor Radeon R9 Fury X graphics card, each. Without further ado, the winners:

• Diego from Italy
• Eric from Canada

A huge Congrats to you two! TechPowerUp will return with more such exciting contests and giveaways.

Did you know, TechPowerUp and PowerColor are giving away PowerColor Radeon R9 Fury X graphics cards to two lucky winners of our GPU-Z 0.8.4 PowerColor Fury X Contest? It's not too late to try your luck, if you haven't already! Simply download the latest version of TechPowerUp GPU-Z, and fill up a short questionnaire. Two lucky winners stand a chance to win a PowerColor Radeon R9 Fury X graphics card, each! The contest closes on 25th July 2015, so hurry!

TechPowerUp announced GPU-Z version 0.8.4. The latest version of the popular video subsystem information, monitoring, and diagnostic utility, comes with full support for AMD Radeon R9 Fury X graphics card, and support for two other chips, namely the Radeon R7 370, and Intel "Broadwell" GT3e. The user-interface has been polished up, to include high-DPI aware visual elements, such as vendor logos. The video BIOS UEFI support indicator has been improved.

With GPU-Z 0.8.4, TechPowerUp and PowerColor bring you a new GPU-Z Giveaway! Two lucky winners stand to win a PowerColor Radeon R9 Fury X graphics card, each, by simply filling up a small form, and answering a simple question, in the "PowerColor Giveaway" tab of the main version of GPU-Z. The Radeon R9 Fury X is AMD's new flagship graphics card. Good Luck!DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.4 | GPU-Z 0.8.4 ASUS ROG Themed

The change-log follows.

TechPowerUp announced the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics system information, monitoring, and diagnostic utility. Version 0.8.3 adds support for new GPUs, updates support for existing ones, adds new features, and addresses some bugs. To begin with, GPU-Z adds a new feature that tells you if the video BIOS embeds a UEFI module or not, letting you use some of the newer OS features such as Secure Boot and Fast Boot.

GPU-Z 0.8.3 comes with support for new and upcoming GPUs, such as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, GTX 965M, GTX 950M, NVS315, and GT 750 (GK106). On the AMD front, it adds support for AMD "Fiji" GPU, with its new memory technology; and "Mullins" APU (Radeon R2 and R3 series). It also adds support for the integrated graphics cores inside several Intel Core "Broadwell" CPUs. OpenCL detection code is improved, and a missing PerfCap sensor bug is fixed.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.3 | GPU-Z 0.8.3 ASUS ROG Themed

The complete change-log follows.

NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 980 Ti graphics card is shaping up to be the "almost Titan-X for two-thirds its price" product the company wants, out in the market. A leaked GPU-Z screenshot of the card by Korean tech-publication HardwareBattle (the same site that broke the card's core config,) reveals its reference clock speeds. All the values displayed by GPU-Z 0.8.2 in the screenshot are pulled from the system, and not an internal lookup table (all the LUT-based values are grayed out, because version 0.8.2 lacks those values for the GTX 980 Ti). The card offers clock speeds that are similar to those of the GTX Titan-X. The core is clocked at 1000 MHz, with a maximum GPU Boost frequency of 1076 MHz (1089 MHz on the GTX Titan-X), while the memory ticks at 7012 MHz (GDDR5-effective).

From our older article, it's known that the GTX 980 Ti will feature a lower CUDA core count, at 2,816 cores, compared to 3,072 on the GTX Titan-X. The TMU count is proportionately lower, at 176. The ROP count is a bigger mystery than Nessie. The card features 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, across a 384-bit wide memory interface. While the reference board design is something that's beginning to look dated, NVIDIA will allow its AIC (add-in card) partners to come up with custom-design boards factory-overclocked to Kingdom come, from day-one. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is expected to be launched on the sidelines of Computex 2015, in the first week of June.

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular video hardware information and diagnostic utility. Version 0.8.2 brings with it a vast number of changes, support for new hardware, and bug-fixes. To begin with, the user-interface of GPU-Z received a major update, with the addition of a "Lookup" button that takes you to our GPU Database page corresponding to your GPU. The app can now tell you if your drivers are WHQL-signed. GPU manufacturer logos are updated.

Among the new hardware supported includes NVIDIA GeForce TITAN-X, GTX 980M, GTX 970M, GGTX 965M, GTX 845M, GTX 760 Ti OEM, GTX 660 (960 shaders), GT 705, GT 720, GT 745M, NVS 310, and Grid; AMD Radeon R9 255, FirePro W7100, HD 8370D, AMD R9 M280X, and R9 M295X; and Intel "Broadwell" integrated graphics. Specifications are revised for GeForce GTX 970.

A large number of bugs were fixed, and overall usability improved, including notably GPU-Z now supports Windows 10. We implemented a new working way of extracting BIOS from NVIDIA GPUs on systems with WIndows 8 and higher, to avoid a system hang. A large number of bugs were fixed, and overall usability of the app improved, as detailed in the change-log.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.2 | GPU-Z 0.8.2 ASUS ROG-themed

The Change-log follows.

It looks like NVIDIA's first response to the GeForce GTX 970 memory allocation controversy clearly came from engineers who were pulled out of their weekend plans, and hence was too ambiguously technical (even for us). It's only on Monday that NVIDIA PR swung into action, offering a more user-friendly explanation on what the GTX 970 issue is, and how exactly did they carve the GM204 up, when creating the card.

According to an Anandtech report, which cites that easy explanation from NVIDIA, the company was not truthful about specs of GTX 970, at launch. For example, the non-public document NVIDIA gave out to reviewers (which gives them detailed tech-specs), had clearly mentioned ROP count of the GTX 970 to be 64. Reviewers used that count in their reviews. TechPowerUp GPU-Z shows ROP count as reported by the driver, but it has no way of telling just how many of those "enabled" ROPs are "active." The media reviewing the card were hence led to believe that the GTX 970 was carved out by simply disabling three out of sixteen streaming multiprocessors (SMMs), the basic indivisible subunits of the GM204 chip, with no mention of other components like the ROP count, and L2 cache amount being changed from the GTX 980 (a full-fledged implementation of this silicon).

Somebody sent our GPU-Z validation database a curious looking entry. Labeled "NVIDIA Quadro M6000" (not to be confused with AMD FirePro M6000), with a device ID of 10DE - 17F0, this card is running on existing Forceware 347.09 drivers, and features a BIOS string that's unlike anything we've seen. Could this be the fabled GM200/GM210 silicon?

The specs certainly look plausible - 3,072 CUDA cores, 50 percent more than those on the GM204; a staggering 96 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 12 GB of memory. The memory is clocked at 6.60 GHz (GDDR5-effective), belting out 317 GB/s of bandwidth. The usable bandwidth is higher than that, due to NVIDIA's new lossless texture compression algorithms. The core is running at gigahertz-scraping 988 MHz. The process node and die-size are values we manually program GPU-Z to show, since they're not things the drivers report (to GPU-Z). NVIDIA is planning to hold a presser on the 8th of January, along the sidelines of the 2015 International CES. We're expecting a big announcement (pun intended).

TechPowerUp rolled out the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information, diagnostic, and monitoring app, which no enthusiast can leave home without. Version 0.8.0 introduces support for a large number of new GPUs, and fixes several bugs. To begin with, GPU-Z 0.8.0 adds full support for GeForce GTX 980 and GTX 970, including a reliable method of extracting BIOS from GeForce "Maxwell" GPUs. Support is also added for Quadro K420, K620, K2000D, K2200, K4200, K5200; and Radeon R5 M240, R5 M255, FirePro W2100, W4100, W8100, FireStream 9270, FirePro 2450. Preliminary support is added for AMD "Topaz" GPU.

GPU-Z 0.8.0 now accurately measures dedicated and dynamic memory usage on Windows 8 and 8.1 systems. A system hang is fixed on systems with AMD "Hawaii" GPUs, when GPU-Z is running alongside an accelerated video playback. GPU-Z now correctly reads the ROP and stream processor counts of AMD "Tonga" GPU, with updated die-size info. Stuttering on systems with CrossFire ULPS is fixed. The change-log details other relevant changes.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.8.0 | GPU-Z 0.8.0 ASUS ROG Themed

The change-log follows.

Here are some of the first pictures of an AIC partner branded NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 graphics card, the Galaxy GTX 970 GC. Spotted across Chinese PC enthusiast forums and social networks, the latest set of leaks cover not just pictures of what the GTX 970 looks like, but also what's under its hood. To begin with, Galaxy's card appears to be built for the high-end market segment. A meaty twin-fan aluminium fin-stack heatsink, coupled by a spacey backplate cover a signature Galaxy blue PCB, holding NVIDIA's new GTX 970 GPU, and 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. The card appears to feature a high-grade VRM that draws power from a combination of 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connectors.

A Coolaler.com community member claims to have scored a GeForce GTX 870 sample, ahead of its September 2014 launch. GPU-Z cannot correctly detect the GPU at this point. It is, however, programmed to pull out some details of unknown GPUs. It reads the card's name as "D17U-20" featuring a GPU name "13C2." The Device ID and BIOS fields are conveniently redacted, so we cannot say for sure if this is genuine.

The card's CUDA core count is 1,664. Given how streaming multiprocessors in "Maxwell" GPUs launched so far feature 128 cores, this particular chip features 13. Other features read out are 138 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide memory interface, holding 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. The sample features clock speeds of 1051 MHz core, 1178 MHz GPU Boost, and 1753 MHz (7012 MHz GDDR5 effective) memory, yielding 224 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The test-bed including a Core i7-4820K "Ivy Bridge-E" quad-core processor. The card was put through 3DMark 11, in its performance (P) and extreme (X) presets. It scored P11919 points in the performance preset, and X4625 in the extreme preset; which makes the card roughly as fast as a GeForce GTX 780. And these are pre-release drivers, and probably a pre-launch qualification sample altogether. Color us intrigued.

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular PC graphics information, monitoring, and diagnostics utility, which gives you up to date information on your installed graphics processing hardware, and lets you monitor them in real-time. Version 0.7.9 of GPU-Z adds support for several new GPUs, and fixes various outstanding bugs.

To begin with, support is added for new and upcoming GPUs, such as AMD "Tonga," Radeon R9 M275X, FirePro W5100, W9100; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 6 GB, GTX 860M, GT 830M, GTX 780M, GT 740, GT 730, GT 720, Quadro NVS 510, FX 380M, GRID K520, and Tesla K40c. Bug fixes include correct release date for Radeon R9 290, more robust NVIDIA PhysX detection, improved fan-speed monitoring on some newer AMD cards, sensor graph overflow/underflow, and fixed French translation.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.9 | GPU-Z 0.7.9 ASUS ROG Themed

The complete change-log follows.

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular PC graphics diagnostic and monitoring utility, which gives you up to date information of the GPUs installed in your system, and lets you monitor their clock speeds, temperatures, fan-speeds, voltages, dedicated memory usage, among other things. Version 0.7.8 introduces a few handy user-interface features, beginning with the ability to resize the app's window, when the "Sensors" tab is being viewed. With modern graphics cards giving us dozens of sensors to track, throwing in a scroll-bar is making the tab cluttered, and so we decided to give it resizing. The window returns to the normal size when other tabs, such as the main "Graphics Card" tabs are clicked, and remembers your window size preference when you select the "Sensors" tab again. At this time, this feature is available only on our main (non-skinned) version.

Apart from the resizeable window for "Sensors" tab, GPU-Z 0.7.8 adds tested support for AMD Radeon R9 295X2 "Vesuvius," R9 M275, HD 7500G, and FirePro W9000. It also adds support for NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN-Z, GTX 745, GTX 880M, GTX 870M, GTX 860M, GTX 850M, GTX 775M, and Quadro NVS 510. Release dates have been fixed for GTX 780 Ti, and GTX TITAN Black.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.8, GPU-Z 0.7.8 ASUS ROG Themed

The change-log follows.

TechPowerUp rolled out the version 0.7.7 of GPU-Z, the popular graphics sub-system information, monitoring, and diagnostic utility. Hot on the heels of the previous version, the latest version adds a handful new features, support for new GPUs, and fixes a few bugs and inaccuracies. To begin with, GPU-Z 0.7.7 improves support for GPUs based on NVIDIA's "Maxwell" GPU architecture. The CUDA core and TMU counts on upcoming GTX 750 and 750 Ti should correct now. Support for CHiL 8214 voltage controller is improved, for cards running AMD's "Curacao" and "Pitcairn" graphics processors. Along the way, GPU-Z 0.7.7 adds support for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, Tesla K20Xm, and AMD Radeon HD 8210.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.7 | GPU-Z 0.7.7 with ASUS ROG skin

The change-log follows.

Here are the firs pictures of AIC partner branded GeForce GTX 750 Ti and GTX 750 graphics cards. From the looks of the board design the first two AIC partners that come to mind are Palit and Galaxy. Specifications of the GM107 silicon, on which the two are based, is detailed in our older article with a die-shot. What's new here, however, is that CUDA core counts and clock speeds aren't the only two specifications that separate the GTX 750 Ti from the GTX 750; it's also the standard memory amount. The former will ship with 2 GB of it, while the latter just 1 GB.

British tech publication UK Gaming Computers got their hands on the two cards, and took a peek under the hood using GPU-Z 0.7.6 (which supports the two). It confirms specifications from the older article, and also reveals clock speeds. The GTX 750 Ti features 1085 MHz core, 1163 MHz GPU Boost, and 5.50 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory, which churns out 88 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GTX 750, on the other hand, features the same GPU clock speeds, but slightly slower memory, at 5.10 GHz, at which the memory bandwidth is 81 GB/s. The site also put the two through a quick 3DMark 11 run (performance preset). The GTX 750 Ti scored P5963 points, and the GTX 750 scored P5250 points. Since the two are custom design cards, we're not sure if the clock speeds will stick. For all we know, the two could be factory-overclocked. Impressive performance nonetheless.

TechPowerUp released GPU-Z version 0.7.6, the latest version of the popular lightweight graphics subsystem information, monitoring, and diagnostic utility. Version 0.7.6 comes with support for new GPUs, including NVIDIA's upcoming Maxwell architecture. It also introduces the ability to tell the vendor of memory chips on your discrete graphics card, and a reliable new BIOS reading method for NVIDIA GPUs.

To begin with, GPU-Z adds support for NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX TITAN Black, GeForce GTX 750 Ti, GTX 750 (non-Ti), both of which are based on NVIDIA's "Maxwell" micro-architecture, GTX 840M, and new GTX 760 "lite" (192-bit). On the AMD front, it adds support for AMD A-Series "Kaveri" iGPUs, Radeon R7 M265, FireStream 9350, HD 8530M, and HD 8650D. A new Intel Iris Pro 5200 variant is supported.

GPU-Z 0.7.6 comes with a revolutionary new feature, the ability to tell the vendor of the memory chips on your graphics card, so you don't have to take your card apart to tell the same. GPU-Z 0.7.6 also integrates NVIDIA NVFlash to reliably read BIOS of NVIDIA GPUs. Voltage monitoring of GeForce GTX 780 Ti is improved.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.6 | TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.6 ASUS ROG Edition

The change-log follows.

In the run up to its rumored February 18th launch, GeForce GTX 750 Ti, the first retail GPU based on NVIDIA's next-generation "Maxwell" GPU architecture, the card is finding itself in the hands of more leaky PC enthusiasts, this time, members of Chinese PC enthusiast community site PCOnline. The site used an early driver to test the GTX 750 Ti, which it put through 3DMark 11 (performance preset) and 3DMark Fire Strike. In the former, the card scored P4188 points, and 3170 points in the latter. The test-bed details are not mentioned, but one can make out a stock Core i7-4770K from one of the screenshots. Also accompanying the two is an alleged GPU-Z 0.7.5 screenshot of the GTX 750 Ti, which reads out its CUDA core count as 960. Version 0.7.5 doesn't support GTX 750 Ti, but it has fall-backs that help it detect unknown GPUs, particularly from NVIDIA. Its successor, GPU-Z 0.7.6, which we're releasing later today, comes with support for the chip.

TechPowerUp announced the latest update to GPU-Z, our popular graphics sub-system information, diagnostic, and monitoring utility. Version 0.7.5 introduces support for some of the newly launched GPUs, a handful of bug-fixes, and stability updates. To begin with, GPU-Z 0.7.5 introduces support for six AMD GPUs, including Radeon R7 260, HD 7600A, HD 8850M, HD 8400, HD 8240, HD 7620G; six NVIDIA GPUs, including GeForce 705A, GTX 645, GTX 650 OEM, Grid K260Q, Quadro K5100M, K6000; and GMA (Bay Trail), and HD 4200 from Intel.

TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.5 also addresses a few rare crashes noted when detecting NVIDIA CUDA, or when running NVIDIA Optimus. Voltage monitoring support for graphics cards based on AMD "Bonaire" and "Pitcairn" GPUs is improved. BIOS reading (for extraction or uploading) on graphics cards based on AMD "Mars" and "Oland" GPUs is improved. Developers taking advantage of the shared memory area of GPU-Z for their apps can rejoice with data update frequency restored to 1 second.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.5 | GPU-Z 0.7.5 ASUS ROG Themed

The complete change-log follows.

TechPowerUp announced GPU-Z 0.7.4, the latest version of the popular PC graphics subsystem information, monitoring, and diagnostics utility. Version 0.7.4 introduces support for several of the recently launched, and upcoming high-end graphics chips, including Radeon R9 290X, Radeon R9 290, and Radeon R9 270; from AMD's stable, and the GeForce GTX 780 Ti from NVIDIA. Among the other chips supported from the two, include the Radeon HD 8280, HD 7310; and GeForce GT 635, and Quadro K3100M.

GPU-Z 0.7.4 also introduces a number of fixes, including accuracy in reporting release date of the Radeon R9 280X, die-size of AMD "Tahiti," ROP counts on Intel "Haswell" and "Ivy Bridge" IGPs. The new GPU-Z also lets you extract video BIOS from AMD Radeon cards even without any driver for the GPU being installed. The mini stress-test that clogs the PCIe bus interface, forcing it to run at maximum possible speeds (thereby giving you an accurate picture of the PCIe configuration), can now be paused by left-clicking the stress render window. A few rare crashes with systems running Intel IGPs, were addressed.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.4 | GPU-Z 0.7.4 ASUS ROG-themed

The change-log follows.

Radeon R9 290X is looking increasingly good on paper. Most of its rumored specifications, and SEP pricing were reported late last week, but the ones that eluded us were clock speeds. A source that goes by the name Grant Kim, with access to a Radeon R9 290X sample, disclosed its clock speeds, and ran a few tests for us. To begin with, the GPU core is clocked at 1050 MHz. There is no dynamic-overclocking feature, but the chip can lower its clocks, taking load and temperatures into account. The memory is clocked at 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz GDDR5-effective). At that speed, the chip churns out 288 GB/s of memory bandwidth, over its 512-bit wide memory interface. Those clock speeds were reported by the GPU-Z client to us, so we give it the benefit of our doubt, even if it goes against AMD's ">300 GB/s memory bandwidth" bullet-point in its presentation.

Among the tests run on the card include frame-rates and frame-latency for Aliens vs. Predators, Battlefield 3, Crysis 3, GRID 2, Tomb Raider (2013), RAGE, and TESV: Skyrim, in no-antialiasing, FXAA, and MSAA modes; at 5760 x 1080 pixels resolution. An NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN was pitted against it, running the latest WHQL driver. We must remind you that at that resolution, AMD and NVIDIA GPUs tend to behave a little differently due to the way they handle multi-display, and so it may be an apples-to-coconuts comparison. In Tomb Raider (2013), the R9 290X romps ahead of the GTX TITAN, with higher average, maximum, and minimum frame rates in most tests.