AMD Extends Graphics Performance Lead, Launches World's Fastest Graphics Card. AGAIN!

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Mar. 8, 2011 — AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the launch of the fastest graphics card in the world, the AMD Radeon™ HD 6990, packing so much raw performance it delivered a new single graphics card world record score of P11865 in the industry standard 3DMark11 benchmark[1]. AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards are available immediately from retailers worldwide, with select models starting at £529.99

Designed for the power gamer, AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards include AMD’s second-generation, Microsoft DirectX® 11-capable architecture, advanced image quality features for the best looking games, and AMD PowerTune intelligent technology to enable higher clock speeds and faster gaming.[2] The AMD Radeon HD 6990 offers the ultimate in immersive HD gaming and computing with native support for up to five displays using AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology, with six display support possible via DisplayPort 1.2 components available for purchase later this year.[3] The AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards also feature a dual-BIOS toggle switch, allowing enthusiast gamers to unlock the card and rev up the clocks and voltages for even more performance.[4] Finally, AMD HD3D technology provides a cutting-edge stereoscopic 3D gaming and movie experience, thanks to HDMI 1.4a support.[5]

“Packing more raw performance than any consumer graphics card ever created, the AMD Radeon HD 6990 provides the latest for the ultimate gaming advantage,” said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, GPU division, AMD. “Coupled with AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology, AMD PowerTune power management and AMD HD3D, this card is so powerful it can take on even the most demanding ultra-enthusiast tasks.”

Leading Graphics with second-generation DirectX® 11-capable Technology

[*]New AMD PowerTune technology: Designed to perform real-time intelligent power management, AMD PowerTune technology on the AMD Radeon HD 6990 automatically enables higher clock speeds and faster performance in the hottest games.1

[*]Increased memory for higher image quality: With 4GB of ultra-fast GDDR5 memory, gamers can enjoy superior detail in their favorite games, even on up to five simultaneous displays.

[*]The Ultimate Visual Experience™: As AMD’s most advanced DirectX® 11-capable GPU, AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics processors also enable an exceptional game play experience in DirectX® 9, DirectX® 10, DirectX® 10.1 and OpenGL titles in single card or multi-card AMD CrossFireX™ configurations.[6]

[*]Improved image quality: Advanced anti-aliasing features enable dramatically enhanced image quality for intensely realistic gaming. Enhanced-Quality Anti-Aliasing (EQAA) uses a new sampling technique to help improve visual quality, while Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA) uses DirectCompute acceleration to provide anti-aliasing on any DirectX® 9, DirectX® 10, or DirectX® 11 application.

An Immersive Gaming Experience with AMD Eyefinity Technology and Advanced Display Options

[*]Simple, flexible, affordable multi-display computing with AMD Eyefinity technology: Providing an expanded and more immersive field of view, AMD Eyefinity technology continues to be the most affordable multi-display solution available, offering dozens of possible configurations of up to five simultaneous displays.2 New to the AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics processor is the ability to configure up to five monitors in portrait mode. Making innovative technologies more affordable and accessible than ever before, the AMD Eyefinity Validated & Ready Testing Program helps ensure a seamless customer multi-display experience, with more than 70 tested and validated AMD Eyefinity-compatible titles for the greatest assurance of quality and interoperability. Continued industry leadership in multi-display computing: AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards offer support for both DisplayPort 1.2 features and HDMI 1.4a, offering enthusiasts incredible multi-monitor configuration options, flexibility in display selection, and new DisplayPort audio features.

Faster Applications and Brilliant Video with AMD EyeSpeed Technology

[*]AMD EyeSpeed visual acceleration technology lets you do more, faster: Tapping the tremendous power of the AMD Radeon HD 6990, enthusiasts will enjoy clearer and more vibrant videos, as well as improved performance and new features in top media, entertainment and productivity applications with AMD EyeSpeed technology.[7]

[*]Incredible compute capabilities: Featuring leading support for IEEE 754 double precision floating point ops, the AMD Radeon HD 6990 is equipped to dominate computationally intense workloads.

[*]Enhanced video quality features: AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards feature Unified Video Decoder 3 (UVD3), a dedicated video playback accelerator that helps users get the most out of HD video, online video and Blu-ray™ 3D, while enjoying a range of video quality improvements such as advanced post-processing and scaling, dynamic contrast enhancement, color correction and more.

[*]3D entertainment choices with AMD HD3D technology: AMD continues to deliver a broad and affordable selection of 3D solutions with AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards, featuring AMD HD3D technology, backed by AMD’s open 3D initiative for stereo 3D gaming and movies.3

Supporting Resources

[*]Images: Images of the AMD Radeon™ HD 6990 graphics card

[*]Product page: Learn more about the AMD Radeon™ HD 6990 graphics card

[*]Twitter: Follow AMD graphics news on Twitter at @AMDGraphics

[*]Facebook: Become a fan of AMD on Facebook

About AMD

AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its ground-breaking AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APU). AMD’s graphics and computing technologies power a variety of solutions including PCs, game consoles and the servers that drive the Internet and businesses. For more information, visit www.amd.com.

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

[1] The score of P11865 was achieved using a passively cooled AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics card, AMD Catalyst 11.4 drivers, Windows 7 64-bit operating system, Intel Core i7 Extreme 990X, ASUSTek Rampage III Extreme Motherboard and DDR3 memory. This score exceeds the previous highest single (1x GPU) Nvidia GeForce GTX 580 score as well as the highest AMD Radeon HD 5970 (2xGPU) 3DMark 11 Performance score from hwbot.org:

www.hwbot.org/rankings/benchmark/3dmark11_-_performance/rankings

Highest single card Nvidia GeForce 580 = P9213

www.hwbot.org/community/submission/2113441_romdominance_3dmark11___performance_geforce_gtx_580_9213_marks

Highest single card AMD Radeon HD 5970 graphics card (dual GPU card) = P9643

www.hwbot.org/community/submission/2115439_atomel_3dmark11___performance_radeon_hd_5970_9643_marks

[2] AMD PowerTune technology is an intelligent power management technology native to certain AMD Radeon™ HD GPUs, which enables higher clock speeds as compared to previous generations of ATI Radeon™ and AMD Radeon™ graphics products. AMD PowerTune Technology may not be implemented on all AMD Radeon HD 6990 offerings – please check with the card manufacturer.

[3] AMD Eyefinity technology works with games that support non-standard aspect ratios, which is required for panning across multiple displays. To enable more than two displays, additional panels with native DisplayPort™ connectors, and/or DisplayPort™ compliant active adapters to convert your monitor’s native input to your cards DisplayPort™ or Mini-DisplayPort™ connector(s), are required. Support for six simultaneous displays may require complementary products compatible with DisplayPort 1.2 Multi-Stream Transport. Maximum number of configured displays may vary - check with your component or system manufacturer for specific model capabilities and supported technologies. SLS (“Single Large Surface”) functionality requires an identical display resolution on all configured displays.

[4] AMD’s product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled via AMD hardware or software.

[5] AMD HD3D is a technology designed to enable stereoscopic 3D support in games, movies and/or photos. Requires 3D stereo drivers, glasses, and display.

[6] AMD CrossFireX™ technology requires an AMD CrossFireX Ready motherboard, an AMD CrossFireX™ Bridge Interconnect (for each additional graphics card) and may require a specialised power supply.

[7] AMD EyeSpeed technology is a set of technologies designed to improve video quality and enhance application performance. Full enablement of some features requires support for AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology and/or AMD’s Universal Video Decoder (UVD). AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing technology works with applications designed to take advantage of its GPU acceleration capabilities. Not all products have all features and full enablement of some capabilities and may require complementary products.