AMD launches the new rebadge called R9 280

Heart-pounding release of the junior enthusiast renamed part

AMD Radeon Logo 2013Today AMD renames, I mean launches, a new card called the Radeon R9 280 with no trailing X. If you are thinking this is just another rebadge with cut down specs, you are dead on.

It is hard to get excited about yet another rebadge, in this case the smaller brother to the R9 280X that you knew was coming. It came. Yay? One thing AMD did manage to make this card not just stand out, but to make sure it positively pops out of the lineup as you can see below.

AMD Radeon R9 card lineup

Spot the difference, and yes it is a trick question

With all that visual ‘wow’, the R9 280 packs a real enthusiast punch. If you only look at the specs, not the inevitable babe in a chrome bikini and a 10-foot sword on the box, you would miss all the great features of this card. Take a look at what this ‘new’ card has to offer.

AMD Radeon R9 280 card lineup

The *YAWN* specs in detail

I know it may look like a slightly downclocked R9 280X with slower memory and 4 shader clusters fused off, but it could end up being more than just 80% the performance of the R9 280X. How that will come about we are not sure, the specs are pretty definitive in his regard but try to look on the bright side here. We could be missing an important bullet point or something that changes everything. Besides… look, outside, weather!

If you are reading this, there are three possible options. First is that you hacked the site and found our unpublished stories. Second we screwed up with setting the embargo time and you got it early. Last and most likely the R9 280 is now officially announced and you can buy one in the “First week of March” for about $279. Exciting stuff here kids.S|A

Have you signed up for our newsletter yet?

Did you know that you can access all our past subscription-only articles with a simple Student Membership for 100 USD per year? If you want in-depth analysis and exclusive exclusives, we don’t make the news, we just report it so there is no guarantee when exclusives are added to the Professional level but that’s where you’ll find the deep dive analysis.

The following two tabs change content below.

Charlie Demerjian

Roving engine of chaos and snide remarks at SemiAccurate
Charlie Demerjian is the founder of Stone Arch Networking Services and SemiAccurate.com. SemiAccurate.com is a technology news site; addressing hardware design, software selection, customization, securing and maintenance, with over one million views per month. He is a technologist and analyst specializing in semiconductors, system and network architecture. As head writer of SemiAccurate.com, he regularly advises writers, analysts, and industry executives on technical matters and long lead industry trends. Charlie is also available through Guidepoint and Mosaic. FullyAccurate