AMD RX 490 release date, specs, features, news & update: new GPU slated for mid-2017 release at a lower price than competitors

Tech company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is reportedly releasing a new video card by the middle of next year, 2017. The card, known as AMD RX 490, is basically a graphics processing unit (GPU) that helps video game players get a smoother and hassle-free gaming experience through its powerful specs.

The AMD RX 490 was initially expected to be out by the end of the year, but was reportedly delayed for unknown reasons. Anticipating fans may have to wait a bit longer as the release is currently set halfway through 2017.

According to speculations, the upcoming video card will make use of the latest AMD Vega 10 architecture, which makes it the first of AMD's GPUs to apply such feature. This was also one of the speculated reasons as to why the video card's launch was delayed. It is said that the switch from Polaris architecture to Vega 10 may have prompted the company to extend work time for the card.

As for specs, the upcoming GPU will be capable of both 4K display support and virtual reality (VR) support. This is good news for those who already got Sony's newest PlayStation 4 (PS4) Pro.

Furthermore, the card has a base clock of 1,200 MHz and a memory clock of up to 350 (1400) MHz. It also carries power of 9,830 Gigaflops with more than 256-bit of memory interface.

Most surprising, however, is that the expected price for the AMD RX 490 is at a lower cost than that of its main competitors. Most experts compared it to NVIDIA's GTX 1080 which is currently priced at $700. If AMD RX 490 will indeed cost lower than that, then it might easily be favored by consumers next year.

As of this writing, fans are still advised to wait for AMD's official announcement about the upcoming GPU or video card for further confirmation of the information reported about it.