AMD launches its screaming-fast R9 290 graphics card

Advanced Micro Devices has launched its speedy new graphics card, the AMD Radeon R9 290. Naturally, gamers are the target.

The card uses an AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics processing unit (GPU), and it sells for $399. The card is part of a new family of R9 series GPUs, and it targets gamers who want to display images on a 4K, or Ultra HD, screen.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD is refreshing its whole lineup of graphics chips and graphics cards this fall. The graphics cards have 2,560 stream processing units running at 947 megahertz. The card has 4GB of GDDR5 graphics memory and a memory clock speed of 5 gigabits per second.

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

The R9 290 uses AMD’s Graphics Core Next architecture as well as Mantle, a graphics technology similar to Microsoft’s DirectX graphics platform.

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.