AMD released the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.1 WHQL drivers. These are the first WHQL-signed drivers to support Radeon RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56, besides all other Graphics CoreNext based Radeon GPUs. It features optimization for "Quake Champions: Early Access" and "Agents of Mayhem." The drivers also fix stability issues with "Grand Theft Auto V," "Forza Horizon 3," and "Tekken 7." The drivers also iron out issues noted with Enhanced Sync, where online video playback is choppy. Grab the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.8.1 WHQL

The change-log follows.

Update: Related to this story, feast your eyes on Newegg's deal of the day, with a reference, standard Sapphire RX Vega 64 for $689.99 with two "free" games. I don't think I've ever seen such a conturbated launch as this. Also, considering the scope and content of the article, I will be updating the tag for this piece as an Editorial.

There has been somewhat of an uproar in recent times regarding AMD's lack of clarity on pricing of their newly-launched Vega 64. While AMD themselves told reviewers and consumers that their RX Vega graphics cards would be available for $399 (Vega 56) and $499 (Vega 64), recent events have, at the very least, cast some doubts on Vega's supposedly clean-cut pricing. Some popular reviewers and YouTubers have even gone so far as to say they won't be accepting any more samples from AMD due to a perceived slight at the erroneous information provided by the company; when someone reviews and analyses a product based on a fixed price-point advanced by a company, and then that pricing seems to have turned out nothing more than smoke and mirrors... People's work is put out the window.

Now, AMD has come out to put rumors of false Vega pricing announcements to rest. Except the skeptic in me remains, well... skeptic. Here's what AMD has said: "Radeon RX Vega 64 demand continues to exceed expectations. AMD is working closely with its partners to address this demand. Our initial launch quantities included standalone Radeon RX Vega 64 at SEP of $499, Radeon RX Vega 64 Black Packs at SEP of $599, and Radeon RX Vega 64 Aqua Packs at SEP of $699. We are working with our partners to restock all SKUs of Radeon RX Vega 64 including the standalone cards and Gamer Packs over the next few weeks, and you should expect quantities of Vega to start arriving in the coming days."

ASUS today introduced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) STRIX Radeon RX Vega 64 O8G graphics card, among its first (and probably the first) custom-design RX Vega 64 to hit the markets (model: ROG-STRIX-RXVEGA64-O8G-GAMING). The card combines a custom-design PCB by ASUS, with the company's latest generation DirectCU III cooling solution the company deploys on its STRIX GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. The cooler features a heat-pipe direct-contact base, from which the heat-pipes pass through two aluminium fin-stacks on their two ends, which are ventilated by a trio of 100 mm spinners. The fans stay off when the GPU is idling. The cooler features RGB multi-color LED lighting along inserts on the cooler shroud, and an ROG logo on the back-plate.

Moving over to the sparsely populated PCB (thanks in part to AMD's HBM2 move), the card draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors, conditioning it for the GPU with a 13-phase VRM. The O8G variant features factory-overclocked speeds that are close to those of the RX Vega 64 Liquid Edition, although ASUS didn't specify them. There's a "non-O8G" variant that sticks to reference clock speeds, boosting to around 1495-1510 MHz. What ASUS is really selling here is better clock sustainability under load, lower noise, and zero idle-noise; besides all the ROG STRIX bells and whistles. The card also drives two 4-pin PWM case fans in-sync with the cards, like most ROG STRIX graphics cards from this generation. ASUS also rolled out the ROG STRIX RX Vega 56, which features the same exact PCB, and sticks to AMD reference speeds. The company didn't reveal pricing.

SAPPHIRE Technology has announced the launch of the much-anticipated SAPPHIRE Radeon Vega 64 enthusiast graphics cards. The Vega architecture boasts significant improvements focused on maximizing the performance. Vega cards are designed for enthusiasts seeking top-of-the-chart framerates in games of today and tomorrow - in Ultra details and VR.

SAPPHIRE Technology is introducing three Vega-powered models:

• SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB HBM2 Liquid Cooled
• SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB HBM2
• SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB HBM2 Limited Edition

The folks at Techgage have already put out some unboxing pictures on AMD's RX Vega 64 review sample. There's not much more new information here - however, it's an opportunity to see how lavish AMD has become with their review sampling. Gone are the times of cardboard boxes, it seems. AMD may be spending more on packaging and presentation for the review samples than for actual R&D on the graphics cards (I kid, obviously.)

EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer has proven its market leadership once again by presenting Full Cover water blocks for the long awaited AMD Radeon Vega architecture based high-end graphics cards. Customers will be able to transform their GPU into a stunningly beautiful single slot graphics card and the water cooling block will allow it to reach higher frequencies, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks.

EK-FC Radeon Vega
This water block directly cools the GPU, HBM2 memory, and VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the graphics card and it's VRM to remain stable under high overclocks. EK-FC Radeon Vega water block features a central inlet split-flow cooling engine design for best possible cooling performance, which also works flawlessly with reversed water flow without adversely affecting the cooling performance. This kind of efficient cooling will allow your high-end graphics card to reach higher boost clocks, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks. Moreover, such design offers great hydraulic performance allowing this product to be used in liquid cooling systems using weaker water pumps.