AMD Releases Radeon R9 290 Graphics Card For Just $399

By Nathan Kirsch

AMD Radeon R9 290 Graphics Card Delivers Stunning UltraHD Performance for Just $399

Pushing the limits of visual and audio realism, AMD Radeon R9 290 GPU brings class-leading features and smooth frame rates to enthusiast gamers and shatters the 4K gaming graphics price barrier


AMD Radeon R9 290

SUNNYVALE, Calif. 11/5/2013

AMD today launched the AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics card, the latest addition to the award-winning AMD Radeon R9 Series GPUs, a powerful roster of ultimate-class GPUs from AMD. The AMD Radeon R9 290 joins the recently introduced AMD Radeon R9 270X, R9 280X and R9 290X graphics cards that deliver next-generation performance and features for gamers who demand the very best.

With the AMD Radeon R9 290 GPU, AMD cements its position as the provider of ultimate gaming experiences, said Matt Skynner, general manager and corporate vice president, AMD Graphics Business Unit. We deliver on the promise of world-class performance and features with the R9 Series graphics cards. With new innovations like Mantle and AMD TrueAudio technology, AMD brings an exceptional gaming experience for enthusiasts while defying the limits of audio and visual realism.

Built on AMDs award-winning Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics cards boast a truly unique advantage with Mantle, an industry-changing technology developed by AMD. With Mantle, top game developers can empower their games to speak the native language of GCN architecture, enabling an incomparable level of hardware optimization that yields revolutionary performance1.

Armed with the new AMD TrueAudio technology and made to perform for ultra-resolution gaming, the AMD Radeon R9 290 GPU enables todays most immersive PC gaming experience for enthusiasts2.

AMD TrueAudio technology brings a new level of audio immersion, surrounding gamers with realistic audio environments through stereo headsets and speakers. With a dedicated audio processor built into the GPU core, the AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics card enables a richer and deeply immersive soundscape, including true-to-life acoustic environments, simultaneous sound effects and fully positional sounds.

Designed for UltraHD (4K) and AMD Eyefinity technology, the AMD Radeon R9 290 GPU joins the AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU as definitive leaders in the high-resolution content experience, boasting hardware-level optimization for gaming on next-generation display configurations3.

Features of the AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics cards include:

  • 2,560 stream processing units
  • Up to 947MHz engine clock
  • 4GB GDDR5 memory
  • Up to 5.0Gbps memory clock speed
  • 320GB/s memory bandwidth (maximum)
  • 4.85 TFLOPS Single Precision compute power
  • API support for DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.3 and Mantle

The AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics cards will be available on Nov. 5, 2013 at a starting price of $399 USD and 289 (excluding VAT)4.

About AMD

AMD (NYSE: AMD) designs and integrates technology that powers millions of intelligent devices, including personal computers, tablets, game consoles and cloud servers that define the new era of surround computing. AMD solutions enable people everywhere to realize the full potential of their favorite devices and applications to push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information, visit www.amd.com.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo and Radeon are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

  1. Application support for Mantle is required. Testing performed at AMD Labs by isolating API CPU performance. Draw defined as the minimum unique entity that can be rendered by an API draw command and a typical unique state associated with it. Mantle performed an average draw of 0.36 microseconds over two CPU threads. DirectX 11 performed an average draw of 3.89 microseconds over a single API thread and a single driver thread. Mantle results discounted by 20% for conservatism (i.e. 3.89/0.36/1.2 = 9.00). Test configuration: Intel Core 2 CPU X9650 at 3GHz, 4 GB of PC2-6400 RAM, AMD Radeon HD 7970 video card with 3 GB VRAM.

  2. AMD TrueAudio technology is offered on select AMD Radeon R9 and R7 200 Series GPUs and is designed to improve acoustic realism. Requires an enabled game or application. Not all audio equipment supports all audio effects; additional audio equipment may be required for some audio effects. Not all products feature all technologiescheck with your component or system manufacturer for specific capabilities.

  3. AMD Eyefinity technology supports multiple monitors on an enabled graphics card. Supported display quantity, type and resolution vary by model and board design; confirm specifications with manufacturer before purchase. To enable more than two displays, or multiple displays from a single output, additional hardware such as DisplayPort-ready monitors or DisplayPort 1.2 MST-enabled hubs may be required. A maximum of two active adapters is recommended for consumer systems. See www.amd.com/eyefinityfaq for full details. Requires 4K display and content. Supported resolution varies by GPU model and board design; confirm specifications with manufacturer before purchase.

  4. SEP as of November 5, 2013.