AMD Center Giveaway: ASUS Radeon R7 250

by Anand Lal Shimpi on 2/20/2014 9:00 AM EST
Comments Locked

1570 Comments

Back to Article

  • danjw - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure, if you are going to force it on me. ;-)
  • wiz329 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yep
  • UnlikelyKiller - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    would be cool
  • Qubix - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    At this point, I just want to win something. I could actually upgrade the card in my kids computer with this.
  • Ammohunt - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Thats my thought as well my sons rig is in desperate need of a new video card and my daughters machine needs the GTX650 hand me down from his.
  • JLWTechV - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Why would you replace a GTX 650 with a r7 250?
    The GTX 650 is the faster card
  • Keller.jeff - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Does it help if we beg?
  • quadrivial - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    count me in
  • skytech76 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yep, enter me in
  • kelnas - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'm in too
  • DragonMantis - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I think that I could manage to find a home for one as well.
  • DanNeely - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Free is always good.
  • makerofthegames - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I know a guy who could use this. I'll enter.
  • HexiumVII - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    woo!
  • Panzerknacker - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Still using 5 year old laptop as main system, if I'd win this card i'd build a small and cheap system around it so I can play Titanfall with my friends. Don't really have they money for something bigger anyway.
  • strategee - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well let's start by saying First. Free gpu, sure why not, sign me up please.
  • Taurothar - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Twist my arm ;)
  • daltaya - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please.
  • tharizdun - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Always good to have a back up card. Put my namein
  • marka_450 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    OK I'm in.
  • SwaggerLIlyJohnson - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently using a borrowed gpu for my computer and don't really have the money to get a new one so any help from you guys would be appreciated i promise to do an extensive review :)
  • chicago62 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure, why not?
  • tylanz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes, please!
  • Duken4evr1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up as my meager gaming is done on my i5's integrated graphics. This would be a nice upgrade.
  • Slomo4shO - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The GTX 750 is much more appealing...
  • piroroadkill - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Different class, different price bracket.
  • remy1701 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My friend is building a new system to get back into PC gaming. Unfortunately we don't have much money, so he'd have to rely on using the APU for graphics. So getting this card would be a huge step up for him and definitely keep him gaming happily for much longer.
  • smillerc - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes please! I'd love to try this out
  • varnish - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Does it do dishes? I'd be willing to test...
  • dwatterworth - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Great card for a HTPC setup.
  • russelms - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Love AMD parts
  • Talyrius - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The onboard graphics of my Home Theater PC just aren't cutting it anymore. It has an old Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 with 2GB of RAM. I'd like to use one of these for some light gaming and Blu-ray disc playback.
  • NXTwoThou - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Woot!
  • squishyTurtle - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would go in my little media box. Currently I've got an old Athlon x3 in there and am using the integrated graphics to drive my projector. It mostly works, but I would like to be able to use it for a bit more than streaming video. Also, I would very much like it if I could consolidate cabling (because the integrated graphics don't support audio over hdmi...). I would use it for light gaming, (continued) media streaming, and demoing/testing research I do involving 3d models (for which I use OpenGL, which the integrated graphics don't support all the extensions I use)
  • RamarC - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    might as well add me too
  • sloopjkb - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use the update.
  • keatre - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • lethien - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i've been thinking of building a low budget gaming pc. I guess this card goes well with my amd fx 4300
  • naeonline - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently have my workstation acting as a media server that sits behind my TV and using remote desktop. With this card I would actually hook it back up directly to the TV and play some games like the new Titanfall Beta since right now it only has the Sandy Bridge on-chip Intel graphics.
  • mga318 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    If I won this card, it would go toward replacing my aging desktop system.
  • BuckBuckGoose - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    send it my way
  • stym - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yay Free GPU upgrade!
  • Antman56 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Winning can be hard, but I'll take the Radeon R7 250 if I have to!
  • ianreese - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hey, I could always upgrade the old HTPC
  • bankerdude - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently rolling with a 9800Gt, would like to upgrade to get a better experience out of my games.
  • Sadrak85 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    We're migrating the wife to a desktop from her pitiful old laptop, which means the current media-computer will be her desktop, and we'll need a new one for Living Room use; I really like the idea of a Kaveri-based system, because it's a lower-cost, higher-GPU usage case. A Radeon R7 250 would be the perfect addition so that we could still do some pretty good gaming on our TV!
  • Jnutt - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    ok.
  • Nam Khuong - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a fantastic price for me. I have a Athlon II X3 with integrated graphic and am thinking about upgrading to Kaveri sooner or later. An additional AMD graphic card such as this will be perfect for crossfire and will allow me to play some games which is something I haven't been able to do much with my current setup. Thank you, AMD and thank you anandtech!
  • cmdtx - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a Lenovo ThinkCentre M91p tower that greatly limits what can be installed - i7-2600 CPU (still respectable), 32GB RAM (run some VMware systems too), 1 x16 PCIe slot with a x1 PCIe adjacent to it - so a dual slot graphics card kills any reasonable expansion. The power supply is small, with no GPU power connectors - so a Radeon R7 250 would be as good as it gets for this system. No gaming, but I do have a 4K monitor connected (Radeon 5670 card for now), and run videos and Google Earth on the system.
  • ss284 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    OK
  • VI_tres - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Why is posting a comment for free stuff so difficult? Takes me like 8 minutes every time
  • humjaba - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I like free things :)
  • dlmatty - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Just right for my htpc.
  • BPB - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My son will be the happiest kid if I win this.
  • duranduran1984 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • ERJ - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd take it.
  • ricemaster - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would work great for a family member that I game with. He is currently using an APU but this would give him an extra boost in framerate.
  • Azuroth - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've been pricing out an HTPC and trying to decide between integrated gpu or a cheap dedicated. It will mostly be a streaming/network storage machine, but with Steam in-home streaming, I may also play a few games on my tv. I've primarily been an NVIDIA user, and never felt comfortable spending money to try the "other side" because of mixed reviews about hardware quality and driver quality. With a cheap test unit I could find out if driver quality is as bad as forums make it out to be.
  • Morphuess - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I built a small computer for my best friend's mother last year. It was a Trinity based A10-5800K with a small SSD. I knew that she wouldn't be gaming much or downloading much (hence no HDD or discrete GPU), so I thought this would be the perfect fit for her. She is quite happy with the machine, but a little more graphical horsepower could go a long way to improving the few shortfalls it has.
  • bloinkXP - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    IT'S SO FLUFFY! I mean I'd like one.
  • Shraken - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be for my 9 and 5 year olds shared computer. It is a Phenom II X4, 8GB ram and a 9600GT/ They are really quite limited on what they can play and at low resolutions/detail levels.
    I'm sure there are more deserving people out there, but the wee ones would love it.
  • landerf - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I win
  • Lyrick_ - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    would be neat to have
  • arnavvdesai - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hope to WIN!!!
  • Gyro231995 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The R7-250 would be perfect for me, not for myself, but rather for a friend. During the past year, my entire friend group switched from console gaming to PC gaming. He is the last one to switch and unfortunately does not have a steady income. He has a prebuilt desktop with a decent Sandy Bridge quadcore i5 but running integrated graphics.

    The R7-250, with its very low TDP and , as a result, no need for a PCIe power connector, is perfect for a prebuilt computer with a crappy power supply. This card would allow us all to play our games together without leaving him in the cold. He and all of our friends would appreciate this card and, when he inevitably moves on to a custom built computer, this 750 will move on to others in a similar situation.
  • bdub951 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Just 2 days ago my son and I built his first computer together using an A10-7850k apu along with the new GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI itx motherboard complete with 8GB of 2400 DDR3. We used a node 304 case and modular CX500M powersupply. The case, PSU, and hard drive I had sitting around so he didn't need to buy those.

    He drained his allowance to purchase the other components in hopes to play some of the newer games. I helped him select his components so he could have an upgrade ready system should he choose to spend future allowance on a new video card. Overall the system is pretty capable at 720p or lower res but he would love to play at 1080p and I think the r250 would be a fantastic addition to the system that would allow him to learn even more about computer hardware and configuration as well as enjoy 1080p through use of Dual Graphics. He only earns about $15 month allowance so it will be a while before he can afford this on his own.

    If AMD comes through on this, they'd make my kids day, week, month maybe more!
  • sssbbb - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Current system config: I've postponed rebuilding a desktop for 10 years! A newish ultrabook gets all the daily tasks done (lenovo t431s w/12gb RAM, samsung 840).
    Why this matters to me: Gaming on a laptop sucks!
    What I'd use it for: I'd rebuild my desktop around this card and use it for gaming, vm hosting, a home nas, and research (gpu intensive multithreaded applications)
  • Static_FX - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    funny how people cant follow direction.. Core2Duo E8500 oc'd 3.6ghz 8gb ram, win 8.1, Radeon HD 6870 - I think this would be a slight upgrade but I dont know for sure.. any little extra performance toward titanfall would be great!!!
  • lmcd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would not help, tbh. It might lower your total power consumption, but a 6870 would beat this card by a little bit. Maybe it would help at BF4 with Mantle?
  • Gyro231995 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The 6870 is quite a bit better than the 750.
  • Reziarfg - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This card would serve as a replacement for the integrated graphics in an HTPC and TV-connected gaming computer(midrange gaming) system. The low TDP would be ideal for a smaller case and less ventilated cabinet. My current desktop gaming rig with a AMD Radeon 7870 includes a card that is too long and too(relatively) power hungry for this use.
  • Player433 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have friends that could use something like this since they feel that PC gaming is not for them. As for me I would want something far faster unless it's for my HTPC.
  • konroh77 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please! Should be a nice upgrade to the 6450 in my HTPC
  • Ionizer86 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a friend that's building an AMD FX quad core rig. This would be perfect for him!
  • shumyikwing - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I need one. Please!
  • excise - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take a shot
  • Assimilator87 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    For a long time, I'd been using a repurposed, full tower gaming machine as my HTPC. I was really itchin to do a Mini ITX build, but was waiting for Kaveri to hit the market. I honestly haven't been as excited for a processor release since Sledgehammer. The combination of HSA and GCN 1.1 sounded completely revolutionary to me. I ended up buying the A10 7850K as soon as Micro Center got them in stock and built my dream HTPC around the Cooler Master Elite 130. I wanted a low power, compact system that could handle all sorts of media playback, including Blu-ray, and also be able to do some light gaming. I'm completely satisfied with the IGP's performance, but the addition of an R7 250 would extend the gaming performance even further, while still keeping power consumption relatively low. The only thing that confuses me though is that Oland is based on GCN 1.0, unlike Kaveri. Does that mean I'd lose True Audio when running Crossfire? Wouldn't Bonaire be a better match since its the same architecture and supports XDMA? I really wish there was more extensive information about Dual Graphics.
  • schizoide - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in!

    I have a HTPC already with integrated graphics and would like to turn it into a Steambox. Seems like this would do the trick!
  • ellroy80 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently running integrated graphics on my desktop. Would be nice to have a dedicated GPU :-)
  • nafhan - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm interested. This would be a moderate upgrade over my aging 5750.
  • muigleb - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i would use it to upgrade my htpc
  • kwrzesien - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just rebuilt some old parts into a decent machine for my 10 year old son, but it's using the integrated graphics on a i3 530 and I think this is causing some issues, especially if overclocking the CPU. Would love to get a decent discrete card for his machine, he wants to start running some simple games and a R7 250 would be a perfect fit!
  • Slappi2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!!
  • marcustyphoon - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Interesting - a giveaway I'm safely out of the market for, since my laptop GT 750M is probably faster, and has two displayport outputs. while the R7 250 appears to have none. That'd be a touch review to spin positively, free hardware or no.
  • TheTick077 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    What I am looking at doing is building a PC using parts from several other old PC builds for my 8 year old son to start using. He is interested in computers and wants to learn, but the system still lacks a couple of pieces. One of which is a graphics card (the other is a HDD if you wanted to throw that in too ;-) ). I would use it to teach him the basics of building a pc and then let him learn to type, teach him some basic programming, and of course play some games.
  • Angrychair - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll use it for a backup.
  • neilbin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am in!
  • nwalk7800 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Happy birthday to me.
  • Aonex - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd like to sign up. I recently picked up a Kaveri A10-7850K APU and would love to try out dual graphics.
  • Mayuyu - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    me
  • FoolOnTheHill - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for all the giveaways!
  • mike8813 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd use it for an upcoming HTPC build. I'd be very happy to receive it and report my findings!
  • br0k3n - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    LETS DO THIS.. LEEEEEROOYYYYYYYYY JENKINNNNNNNNNNNSSS
  • stotty5 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up :)
  • jburgett - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please enter me in the contest.
    I am planning a new build to help teach my daughter about computers. I am interested in a value type of video card to keep energy use low (in a mini-Itx form factor), provide some gaming muscle at 1080p, and perhaps serve HTPC duty. I can provide several paragraphs of build description and run some requested benchmarks. Thanks!
  • HagbardCeline - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My goal is to put this card in a Mini-ITX system with a Kaveri A8-7600. This system will be used both for OpenCL compute development (HSA looks really promising), but also as a Steam OS platform for living room gaming.
  • archie1968 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!
  • mgilbert - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm still running an AMD4870. I could use this card...
  • Looperted - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would offer virtually no improvement other than newer direct x support.
  • XeroG1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wife has a business in Second Life, and her business partner has a 9800gt and needs an upgrade. I don't know if she has a pci-e power lead from her PSU, so we were actually thinking of buying a 250 anyway.
  • milo09885 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Why not?
  • smwinn7 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i'm looking to put together a new system this year and this would really help me out.
  • goober982 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks!
  • gshayban - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Go AMD! HSA and Compute are incredible.
  • ShirowShadow - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Oh it's so tiny!
  • fusedpro - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Just moved into my first home and still working out my media needs. I definitely want an HTPC that doubles as a light gaming machine, which I am in the process of building. Been holding out on the CPU/GPU front to see where APU and discrete cards go, and it looks like something like this card would be perfect.
  • Yuriman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a media center PC with an AMD APU and I would like to try Hybrid Crossfire. I often use it for older games and sometimes the APU alone isn't quite enough.
  • CZroe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    After a collaborative high-performance mini-ITX build with an NCASE M1 for my twin brother (crowd-funded enthusiast chassis) I've found that it's a bit extreme for my own HTPC ambitions. I don't need to go nearly so small and I don't need anything near that level of performance. After that build was complete I began looking for something that suits our unused SilverStone micro-ATX HTPC chassis.

    The recent news of the Maxwell nVidia GTX 750 had me intrigued about the possibilities of a small, capable, "good enough" system that perfectly suits an HTPC, until I read about how poorly it stacks up in value compared to AMD's offering. I am extremely curious in the dual graphics/CrossFire angle as that is something the GTX 750 is missing.

    My twin brother works for the local cable company so we have collected to a ton of HTPC equipment for our various systems. We literally had to build a shelf just for all our HTPC CableCARD tuners and other equipment. That angle will be explored thoroughly!

    I should also mention that although my writing style may be bland I pride myself on my technical writing and ability to communicate the details.

    Don't let this perfectly good chassis go to waste!
  • Cammerv8 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i got a
    Core2duo CPU Overclocked to 2.9
    Biostar 775 motherboard
    2 x 2gb ddr2 800mhz ram
    evga 500b power supply
    amd sapphire 6870 1gb

    well mi current video card is stuck with it fan at 100% so it is kind of annoying so i would like to get a quieter card, also i can test out the 2 different configurations and test their diference and how much of and improvement ther is.

    also im plannig on building an APU system if i get a kaveri APU i would crossfire them
  • LAWSON72 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want to win
  • mojothehut - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Oh man, I could use this! Sweet
  • DataPath - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use this.
  • aeolist - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have enough spare system parts around that I could use this card for a small form factor HTPC/Steam machine. I'd probably load SteamOS or maybe stock Debian with Steam and MythTV.
  • stratoknight - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    ಠ_ಠ
  • goober982 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an htpc build that is not able to perform 1080p playback on my tv, this gpu is exactly what i need and i could also setup steamos and really play to the strenghts of this card.
  • gingaakuma - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Lady luck be kind!
  • Demios - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up.
  • seamonkey79 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The TV server is getting a little long aged... wouldn't be a bad upgrade
  • Hulk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    here we go again
  • BLACK-WOLF - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in
  • Ferd Berfel - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My system is several years old. I would like to either build a new pc or entertainment sytem.
  • Sunday Afternoon - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Happy to write something up if I am lucky.
  • Daehanminguk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Why not?
  • gonzo98x - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am using a Dell optiplex 7010. It has 4GB of RAM and a decent 500 GB HDD. Its connected to a 17in 1280x1024 monitor

    This little PC has a lot of oomph in the CPU department but it's seriously lacking when it comes to heavy lifting in the graphics department. I play some games whenever I can on their lowest setting and for the most part it gets the job done.

    Recently I started playing Kerbal Space Program and the game is a blast but even with all the settings set to low it takes a lot of patience to launch a rocket into space. My son has been joining me and we have an absolute blast. I started talking to him about space and science. He really enjoys it but it just kills me that I can't show him more from this little desktop.
    I know it's only a game but when I get home from work my son always ask me if we can play the "Space Game" and we spend an hour or two bouncing around some moon or trying to launch one his crazy designs. Really, you should see what he comes up with.

    Anyway, I think the R7 250 would allow us to increase the graphic fidelity and enjoy the game more and help speed up the process of launching (or trying to launch) some of our designs.
  • techgurudave - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I can gift this to a cousin that really needs something better than onboard video. In for one!
  • thissidethatsong - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My younger brother (13) has been getting into PC gaming recently. I helped him build a computer last year and he is using my old 5670 which is starting to show its age. He has been asking me how to go about picking a new card but I don't think he is wanting to spend the money. I am sure this would be quite the boost for him.
  • digitalrefuse - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Nice.
  • acemprola - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Building My first gaming PC. Have a small Budget and I'm really looking to get the most bang for the buck. So far I have the AMD Athlon X4 750k with the ASUS A55M-E board, a Thermaltake 550w power supply and 4 gigs of Corsair ram. I still need to figure out the Hard drive and video card. I also picked up a NZXT Source 210 case. I think this card would be a great start for me and really help this machine to get off the ground.
  • l8gravely - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Could use one for the kid's minecraft box...
  • eyeoncomputers - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I will give this to my buddy who is about to buy an A10-7850K.
  • jgigz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    das r7 250
  • moises_alou - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could totally use a new GPU. I think I'm buying my first 1440p monitor this year. With a strong possibility of a second to have dual 1440p bad boys. I could definitely use a powerful GPU and purchase a second to push those puppies.
  • haastyle - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    nice little card!
  • anandreader106 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take one, thanks
  • Towtol - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    A nice little card to have.
  • Denki86 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sounds good!
  • nickggully - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love a speed bump in my rendering!
  • Infodude - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please count me in.
  • Irelander - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    To be one of three, that sounds like me! ;-)
  • gtvr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Entered!
  • dpaneil - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I was planning on getting a gaming laptop. If I get this card, I may decide to build a modest gaming PC around it instead.
  • rulo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Awesome!
  • RadiclDreamer - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My 6 year old is running 3570K with an AMD 6670, this would be a nice upgrade for his minecraft activities. He loves building things and recently had to show me his Apple Store he created. I didnt know he even knew what an Apple store was!
  • venym76 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Free stuff.
  • dflyer52 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Could use an upgrade. Make it so!
  • FirstCall42 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hello, I would be interested.
  • qPCR - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take one!
  • konistehrad - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Look how cute it is. But for real, I'd love to pair it with an A8-7600.
  • wxrkny - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please
  • Denki86 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Oh, I should've read the requirements.
    I have a dual socket opteron workstation (16 core, 24gb ram) running an Nvidia GeForce 210 card. It is capable for my 2D work, but not having great experiences when I do game a bit. I'm on linux, and the nvidia support is decent, I'd be curious to try AMD for once.
  • alarroyo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Boy do I need a new graphics card!
  • JoeArchitect - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current PC setup is an AMD FX-8350 with a reference Sapphire r9 290x, but that's not what I'd be using this card for. I need this r7 250 because one of the qty (6) r9 270s I bought for my Altcoin mining rig was DoA and needs to be sent back. I'd use this r7 250 in my farm and see how it hashes and figure out what one could expect from using it and see if it would be a profitable card based on MSRP, compute power, and power consumption, then report back with my findings to Anandtech and AMD.
  • frelledstl - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would make for a nice little HTPC to supplement my laptop.
  • chuckey - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm working on a little HTPC/steambox which this video card will be great for. It does't have to be the most powerful in the world,. just something that will stream video from a NAS as well do some light gaming from Steam.
  • racerx_is_alive - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    If I won this I could invest more in other parts of my new build.
  • kmmatney - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I know a guy's sisters cousin once removed that can use this.
  • SandInMyShoes - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would make a great upgrade for my wife's desktop PC. Currently it has a Phenom X3 CPU, 4gb of DDR3, and a GeForce 9600GT GPU. The older case only has 80mm fans, so it would be nice to simultaneously increase gaming performance and reduce heat load inside the case.
  • Bakes - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a nice replacement for the the 8800GTX in my HTPC.
  • Peteman100 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Looks good!
  • Highway2000 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Like this little card and hope I can win it!
  • mgl888 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    could use one for an HTPC for the parents. :)
  • worm - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    And I am only using OBG.
  • superflux - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I built a system with an fx-8320 and is waiting for the right graphics card to come along. Currently using an old Nvidia GT 240 as placeholder for now.
  • laytoncy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Love to try some AMD.
  • grifterspawwn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take it! Gracias
  • FITCamaro - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be good for a HTPC build.
  • imaheadcase - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Love it!
  • itsschuam - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to use this for my father's computer. He has an AMD Athlon X4, 8GB RAM, and a 1TB HDD. Some of what he is trying to do graphically is too taxing without dedicated graphics. This card would be a great addition for his current setup.
  • zerogoat - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an Dell XPS 420, with a core 2 quad, and a geforce 8800gt for graphics. I would like to be able to play some more modern games.
  • PJFrylar - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    If I did win the GPU, it wouldn't be for me. I have a friend with an ancient and recently non functional PC that he can't afford to replace. I'd like to help him out, but shelling out the cash to build him a new one from scratch is a bit silly. The GPU would be a nice place to start, probably paired with a Kaveri processor and try out crossfire with it.
  • allenwr1505 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    please
  • Landeril - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Others want this. I need this.
  • UT3-Player - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd like to upgrade my AMD GPU.
  • VoraciousGorak - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    An R7 250 would be a replacement for my wife's 9800GT, an aging card that is struggling to run World of Warcraft these days. I'd be happy to write a review on the card, especially if it's a freebie!
  • Questor - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The joy this can bring to a certain me that I know is untold. >:D
  • HigherState - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want one please
  • Thestrider - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would go in my new media center. Currently using an old laptop in there and am using the integrated graphics to drive my projector. It mostly works, but I would like to be able to use it for a bit more than streaming video. I would use it for light gaming in addition to media streaming.
  • funkdat81 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My girlfriend could really use this
  • Razorbak86 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Awesome. Thank you!
  • Fossus - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm building a small mini-atx spare parts PC for the living room, and the extra video card I have is a behemoth radeon 4850 x2 that has zero chance of fitting into the case (plus it's loud and runs hotter than the sun). This wee little guy would solve my problem and usher in a new era of living room gaming.
  • SweetwaterBurns - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently, my primary system is an old Compaq laptop that I received from the Nvidia recall a few years ago, not the most powerful needless to say. My desktop system has been sitting idle for the past 6 months waiting for a new power supply. As soon as Friday hits, I'll be ordering a new one from Newegg. Sitting in the cart with the power supply is a r7 250 that I'm trying to convince the wife that I need. I hope to replace my 4830 with it and get a year or so out of my rig(core 2 duo 2.4 ghz overlooked to 3, 4gb of ram, 4 terabytes of miscellaneous hard drives, and 60gb Intel ssd) before passing it on to my kids and building a new one. I've wanted to play around with some opencl programming for fun but not had any system fully capable since I've started learning about it. The system is mainly used for gaming, composing, and my various programming hobbies that I waste time with. The card would more than likely help with the gaming more than anything and my wife would definitely approve of me not spending 90 bucks.
  • DPete27 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've always been interested in trying AMD Dual Graphics with my APU. However, low-end GPUs are often priced way to high for the performance they offer (compared to 7790 / R7-260X) and I've heard problems with stuttering. If I win, I'd be able to freely broaden my horizon into this facet of tech. More than happy to share my experience, hopefully the AMD frame-pacing driver updates have improved the Dual Graphics performance.
  • Sunny_Boston - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Looks interesting as an entry level gaming card. Would love to try it out.
  • GprophetB - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for another contest AT / AMD! glhf
  • wrkingclass_hero - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a friend that had his graphics card die on him, and he is running on CPU alone. He has a computer with a Phenom II X6, so their isn't even any IGP to fall back on. He uses his computer for video editing, and is also an avid gamer, although he mostly plays indie games (Super Meat Boy, Fez, etc.) His GPU has been dead for months now, and because of that video editing has become slower, and more tedious, and he has lost interest in gaming because his computer can not handle games without a graphics card, and he can no longer watch Blu-rays on it either. He is on a very limited budget, as he is living just above his means, and is supporting his mother as well, and the one time he had the money he used it on video equipment (he aspires to be a filmmaker.) I feel that this GPU would work great for him, as it would definitely speed up his video editing software, and it is more than sufficient to play his collection of indie games.
  • genzai - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    sign me up
  • grifterspawwn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Using a HD 4870 in my system currently.....Bush might have been President when I installed it....
  • jardows2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently use a Radeon HD 5450 on a older Dell Pentium D 945 system for my HTPC. It works great at 720p, but struggles with 1080p programming. I think it is more because the existing video card is passively cooled with a rather small heat sink, and running a 1080p video is causing it to heat up too much. I am sure the older processor doesn't help much either, but the system was free!

    I believe that even a low-end modern GPU would overcome the limitations of the processor, and allow full 1080p without issue. Maybe even open up the system for more? I think I will be fine with the fan, as it shouldn't add much noise (I live on a busy street, so some fan noise won't be much of a distraction while watching shows!)
  • Dravic - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Son's quad core box could use a GPU upgrade.
  • jherold - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    count me in
  • campbbri - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently use a home-built PC with a Core i7 920 CPU, 12MB RAM, and a fanless Radeon 6450 powering a 30" ZR30W monitor at 2560x1600. I'm planning to upgrade to a lower-power PC soon.

    I use my current PC for heavy photo editing, HD video (including over-the-air TV through a TV tuner), and some older games such as Portal 2 and Starcraft 2.

    Although the 6450 is a great little card, it's sometimes inadequate for my large monitor. Besides requiring low settings in games, resizing video windows or playing Blu-Ray movies at 2560x1600 can cause the card to stutter.

    If I was given an R7 250 I would see how it improves the computing experience of my current PC. In addition, when I upgrade to an Intel (sorry) Haswell or Broadwell chip I would review it as a cheap upgrade to their integrated graphics.
  • stab244 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm planning on building a system soon. Deciding on how much I want to spend, but with this, I can make a small ITX system that I can use to play games on my TV when I want or I can use as a desktop for general tasks like web browsing and some League of Legends.
  • Hubb1e - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hello, I taught my brother in law how to build a computer from my spare parts. It's currently an Athlon X3 2.9ghz with 4ghz of RAM and a 4670 graphics card. He's been struggling in and out of school and with depression so I wanted to get him some valuable experience that he could actually apply so I gave him these parts if he would learn to build the system. He built it and enjoyed the process and now I've managed to get him into computer science classes at the junior college. This GPU would go into his rig. He enjoys some MMOs and other online games where he can interact with people online as he doesn't really have any friends in real life due to his depression.
  • zerotool - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up
  • bogusdd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently working to get my girlfriend interested in computers and to that end have been showing her how to assemble one based on old parts my brother and I had in my mom's attic. This has left us with an 8800gt that is too big for the only case available so we have had to jerry rig it into the system by removing all the hard drive cases. Looking at this card it seems to be a more likely fit for the system and could hopefully see her actually finish the project.
  • Mazinga - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    In 4 One
  • fokka - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well, I've got an ancient system here which I just "upgraded" from the famous Pentium D 805 to a more efficient Core2Duo E4300 i got off eBay for a cool 10 bucks.

    The graphics side of this thing always sucked. At first i wanted to go with chipset graphics, which was a laughably bad VIA chip. Seeing this thing not being able to even push a cheap 900p display, i also "upgraded" this part to an insanely powerful GeForce 7100GS. Yes.
    While this card is at least able to drive my display at native resolution, watching even SD-Youtube videos fullscreen is the anti-thesis to a fluid experience. I won't even mention gaming. There is no gaming.

    I've been thinking about upgrading the graphics for years, but in the end i've always been too cheap to invest another 50 bucks for another bad GPU.

    With a new R7 250 all my Youtube worries would be solved in an instant and even light gaming would be in the realm of possibilities. For sure, this card would be a godsend for an aging system like mine.
  • esoterikos13 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    the girlfriend needs a new graphics card
  • PCR - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just finished building a HTPC using a A10-7700K Kaveri, with a MSI A88XM-E45 motherboard and 8 GB RAM. For the most part Kaveri's GPU does a decent job for everyday HTPC use scenarios. However, I run into a bit of trouble when I use some of the advanced features in madVR. I was thinking of supplementing the system with a dedicated R7 GPU utilizing the CrossFire functionality.

    On the plus side this could turn into a HPTC/Gaming machine with CrossFire enabled, so lets hope I win this thing so I don't have to buy the GPU!
  • Kaisenn09 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am building a HTPC for downstairs, looking for an ITX setup with low power/heat/noise. A video card like this that I can run just off the PCIe power and no big blower works great for just watching movies and playing couch coop games off steam like Dungeon Defenders or Tomb Raider Guardian of Light. This would give me a great excuse to spend a little extra for an A10-7800 or 7850K too.
  • NonSequitor - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently using AMD integrated graphics, the 890GX solution with the sidechannel memory. For the time it was a perfectly fine way to get graphics for small dollars, but it doesn't have the grunt to do high-end 2D video processing or any GPU computing. That would be the job of a dedicated card.
  • powersmo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current is a AMD 640 Athlon II 3.0 Ghz with MB based graphics. Its ok for older games but not so much for anything since 2011 or so. I really need a upgrade for this home computer and this GPU would be astounding!
  • JBird7986 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My family has an old Dell system lying around that would really benefit from this card. It was a pretty typical budget system from the mid-2000s that we picked up to replace an old AMD system with a 700MHz Athlon. For a time, I used the system for gaming, and then, as they tend to do over time, the system just became too slow without the proper graphical support. The CPU is a Brisbane AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ at 1.9GHz. The graphics are in the form of an integrated nvidia GeForce 6150 located on the generic Dell GeForce chipset motherboard. Because of the integrated graphics, I upgraded the RAM to 3GB from 2GB to give the system some extra memory to play with. The system has a 160GB HDD for storage and a DVD-Burner for an optical drive. The power supply is whatever generic PSU that Dell just threw in there, so I know that while it can't handle a whole heck of a lot of power draw, it should be able to handle the R7 250 just fine. Not only that, but I know for a fact that the PCIe x16 slot on the board is free. If this card were added to be used instead of the on-board graphics, I have a feeling that the system would be able to play much newer titles without looking like a slideshow and would likely extend its life.

    At the moment, if I were to be selected for receiving this card, I would use the newly-upgraded system to try some of the newer games out there and also perhaps see if I can't figure out how to try my hand at attempting to mine Bitcoins. At the very least, it might prove to be an interesting experience! Thanks for giving us the opportunity to try for one of these cards!
  • almontebarnes - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes, please
  • Meekers - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Lets do it
  • Majes - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a gutted system laying around... Processor, mobo, and a few other pieces. Just missing RAM and a video card. This would motivate me to put together a small media-centric PC and probably allow me to drop my cable bill.

    In short, it would be very nice to win.
  • KillerBee2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    and I promise not use it for Mining
  • hlmcompany - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please count me in. Thanks.
  • Emerickswag - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want to use the card to build my first desktop pc. I have been gaming on an old lenovo y series laptop and the upgrade would be amazing!
  • hlper - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am currently building a computer, and planning a smaller build. I would be happy to get this and put it to use.
  • plemans - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've got a watercooled I5-3570k with an intel ssd hdd, but running a 3 monitor setup off the built in graphics and 8800gts 640mb. This would be the graphics update I keep pushing off for something better.
  • KWottrich - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would love to try one of these out!
  • lsd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use one....
  • 4dm - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My system is fairly old, featuring a socket 1155 Core i7 clocked at 3.4GHz, 4GB of RAM, WIN7 Pro, 4 HDDs in RAID 10 + a SSD, and dual screen 1920x1080 24" monitors. My current GPU is a 9600GT in which the fan bearing is going out... it makes a loud, dreaded clicking noise whenever my computer is on. If I won this GPU, it would allow me to keep my computer on 24x7 (like I used to before my fiancee threatened to leave me if I didn't stop that awful clicking noise) :)
  • Taronin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll try.
  • Freakpunk54 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    freeeeeeee
  • Dead God - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a couple of uses for one of these.
  • WT - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes indeedy, another AnandTech giveaway !! *thumbs up*
  • cygnus1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I win!
  • Torgog - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Free is always good.
  • krakin990 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up.
  • Hobnobble - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well my PC if from 2008. I'm not sure this little guy will beat out the pair of 8800GTs i have next to the E8500 and 8gigs of ram. I'm guessing things might look better but run slower honestly. It would be a close call since the 8800GTs run pretty nice still.
  • epsilonparadox - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    sign me up!
  • woggs - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Cool!
  • PCMerlin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Been looking at the 260x, but hey... if I can nab one of these for free.. why not?
    Then again, this may force me to build another complete system as a backup to my backup :P
  • treyswild - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thank you, in advance
  • Warstopper - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just put together a pair of AMD A10-7850k HTPC's with 8gb (DDR3-2133) RAM, SSD for OS, 3tb drive for video storage. The base is an Asus A88XM-A motherboard and topping it off is a 4-tuner PCI-E Cablecard TV Tuner. We use this for a mix of gaming on a 50" TV and watching/recording TV. Would love to use this card in Dual Graphics in order to bump up the performance. I am also interested in using it as a SteamBox in the future as well.
  • WebFusion - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sounds like a good fit for my HTPC. Count me in!
  • menders - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Free is good! I'll take one. :)
  • nedjinski - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use a GPU upgrade - so yes!
  • azazel1024 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It would be a nice upgrade from my old 5570.
  • azazel1024 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It would be a nice upgrade from my old 5570.
  • PolishVendetta - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wife and i have a small ITX system in the livingroom. The case it is in only has 1 expansion slot which limits the grapgic card choices. I like the ITX form Factor and im looking to build a new PC with an equally small footprint as the little shuttle case we have. This should be a pretty good upgrade from a HD6570.
  • Uvaman44 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Although no slouch, in my AMD A-8 Based rig the PCI-e slot is feeling empty.
  • RigItPC - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would make a very nice "Low Powered HTPC" that I'm dreaming to build one day!
  • S3anister - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The computer I built for my parents is from 2007 but still going strong with its socket AM2 Phenom X2 processor but the Radeon 4670 is the one really showing its age. I'd love to be able to upgrade the GPU on that computer if possible.
  • ukr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in!
  • fragmentedsoul - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would go into my desktop. I only have one desktop and the graphics card broke on it. I am now relegated to my laptop for all of my needs.
  • ryanmt - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd like to crossfire that!
  • scottmchsd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have two setups, I would like to test the card in: HTPC setup with an old Radeon 5450 that is struggling and Desktop PC using integrated graphic with a Video Management System running on it
  • insanex1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I love testing vid cards.
  • trobs29 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Winning one would be great!
  • donebu - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently using an ATI Radeon 4350, so I could really use an ASUS Radeon R7 250
  • Torrijos - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take a red one!
  • mangust - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Radeon 5450 in the HTPC is acting flaky. Sure I could replace with another $10 after rebate unit, but this is much better and free!
  • eanazag - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an older Intel based i3 socket 1156 that has a Nvidia GT 640. This would replace that. Honestly, I'd like the True Audio and GCN 1.1. We game on that system at 1280x1024 resolution, so this would work that nicely. So if I was paying those would be features I would be shopping for.

    I really want a dual socket APU server sporting lots of RAM.
  • WagonWheelsRX8 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My machine is ancient. It has an AMD CPU (unfortunately not a Kaveri APU). And it has an old power hungry nVidia GPU powering the display. Don't let that poor AMD CPU continue communicating with a power hungry nVidia GPU!
  • lowlyIntern - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • CyberKender - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    One entry, please!
  • Borumha - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Need a few upgrades on my desktop;
    Currently Running a FX-4100 with 2x HD5830's in Xfire mode
    8GB Ram, 60GB SSD (OS). 2x 1TB WD Caviar Black (Raid0)

    Would use the R7 250 as step 1 in the upgrade for new GPU's, New CPU, and more RAM.
    Will probably buy a 2nd one down the road to maintain the Crossfire performance
  • BigLan - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Good luck, everyone
  • dlang1234 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    So I have a couple of different systems, the main one this would be suited for would be a Home Media Center that I would like to do a bit of gaming on. Currently I have Pentium D 930 (a bit aged processor) and I forget what the old graphics card is, but it pulls a lot more than 65watts, and produces so much heat that it warms the office up in about 5 minutes. I would love to replace that card with something that could do better 1080p, and would run much cooler and quieter, like this card.
  • samgramlich - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    count me in
  • Nbarsotti - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Pick me Please!
  • Antronman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Anything free is a good thing.
  • Widowmaker92 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want one
  • Thrawn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up for a great Addition to my HTPC's old integrated GPU. (Thankfully enough for all the 1080p I have at least)
  • chartiet - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Id like it because it'd be cool to test and more importantly, my kids machines are aging and they could use a low power beast under the hood to get them up to snuff again. One has a HD 4890 and the other has a 560ti. Thanks
  • T_Dawg - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in.
  • Cyth179 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a Radeon HD 3650 and wouldn't mind an upgrade.
  • chenba - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It would help with my StarCraft 2 frame rate.
  • vortexmak - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just assembled a mini ITX system with an i5 processor and currently am using on-board video.
    I don't have a lot of space, power or money for a big graphics card and was planning to add a cheap graphics card.
    This is just in time, I guess I can wait for the results of this sweepstakes
  • Jacerie - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Good freebie.
  • nyclouie - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    mega millions
  • Tyrluk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!
  • MULuke - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It would go in a rig that I'm planning on building that would replace an old rig that is getting a little too long in the tooth.

    Old Rig
    Proc: 1.8 Ghz Core 2 Duo
    Mem: 2 GB
    Vid: NVidia GForce 9400 GT

    New Rig
    Proc: 3.5+ AMD Quad Core
    Mem: 8 GB
    Vid: AMD R7 250 hopefully :)
  • max40watt - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I actually recently gutted and upgraded my NES PC (my little mini-itx desktop housed in an old NES that lives under my Tv) with an A10-7850k. A substantial improvement over the old e-350 Bravos setup I was using, albeit, now with a good bit more heat generated.

    Although it's certainly a more powerful system than I previously had, I was ideally hoping to come close to matching the power of the current gen (ps4/xbox one) consoles, but find it falling shorter than I would have hoped. I would love to try adding in the 250 gpu in crossfire to presumably surpass the consoles in graphical prowess. The only question is, will it fit without heavily disrupting the lovely aesthetics of the NES..... I do have some ideas with regards to 16x pci riser cables....

    Anyway, I'd love the card and the option of providing feedback on its crossfire abilities with an A10-7850k cpu to AMD, and would be delighted to also pen an article for you guys on my little NES PC / Steam Box in the process.
  • QFH1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an htpc that's currently using onboard graphics. I'd like to improve the graphics quality and allow for low end gaming, so this would be a nice upgrade.
  • gprice9 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please send me one!
  • matt321 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be great for my HTPC downstairs, which currently has Athlon x2 with integrated graphics. Would finally give me an HDMI connection!
  • thepowerofdonuts - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    awesome
  • Alandovos - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please please please let me dump the useless (for gaming) Nvidia Quadro that came with my box!
  • Libertysyclone - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    HTPC!
  • rjlew88 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be awesome for someone moving up from Integrated Graphics. I'm in!
  • senecarr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Don't look a gift horse in the mouth I guess.
  • Baloeb - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently I'm using an emachines computer that we originally bought for my wife's office. It's got a single core AMD processor and I dropped an HD5450 in it a couple years ago. Needless to say it is extremely limited in what games I can play. I think the 250 would be a great upgrade for my computer. It would allow me to play a lot more, but not be ridiculously overpowered compared to the rest of the system.
  • Battledad - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Building a box using a BitFenix case with a Haswell CPU; 120gb SSD and 1tb WD Black hdd. Given the nature of the case and the anticipated use of the system an R250 would fit the bill nicely.
  • Cinliaenae - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Since AMD acquired ATI I've been hesitant to purchase any of their products - the constant changing of the naming schemes hasn't been any help either. Currently I have a QX6700 with an 8600GTS which functions as a workstation/gaming machine. At one point I did have a I7 2600k with an 8800GTX but I gave the CPU/Motherboard to a co-worker who needed the computational power more than I. Since I mostly use my current computer as a workstation, I've resisted installing the massive 8800GTX. The 8800GTX is power hungry even at idle and wouldn't fit well with my occasionally gaming. That said, the 8600GTS has been disappointing in my adventures with Marvel's Lego Super Heros game.

    While I'm not sure the R7 250 is as powerful as the 8800GTX, it is a large improvement from the 8600GTS, more power efficient than both and supports Photoshop's 3D requirements. The R7 250 would satisfy my desire for a more power efficient system,a better gaming experience and accessing all the 3D rendering features of Photoshop.
  • jxcxtx - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This will be a good upgrade for my old PC with integrated graphics. I'm pretty sure it will be able to run BF4 if I slap it in.
  • ilducesaint - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    good luck to everyone yeeey
  • takeshi7 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My PC is still rocking nVidia 8800 GTS 640MB cards. They don't even have h.264 acceleration, so My PC can't even play high quality HD video or HD Youtube videos. Also it struggles to play any recent games, even on lowest settings. I could definitely use a new AMD card.
  • CosmonautDave - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It's not exactly a beast, but if I got one I'd be interested in upgrading to Kaveri and doing a little dual graphics testing.
  • amo_ergo_sum - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    so long as it can do cod4 @ 60fps I'll take it.
  • dnd980 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be good to help me upgrade my dads aging core 2 duo system that takes forever to run his work programs
  • wsume99 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I can always use a new GPU.
  • ooiman92 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    HTPC is using integrated graphics would be a great upgrade and be put to good use. :)
  • britjh22 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be added to an older system currently serving as an HTPC front end. It would enable some light gaming for things better suited to a larger screen with a controller (racing games, console ports). This was my original system but was migrated to this role as I replaced parts.

    Intel Q6600 clocked up to 3.2 on a Xigmatek 1283
    Gigabyte P35 DS3L mobo
    4x1 gig DDR2 1066
    Corsair 550VX PSU
    Coolermaster CM 690
  • trekinator - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    put my name in!
  • jugglingbuffoon - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current setup is an HP Probook 4430s(Celeron) and a Dell XPS 400(with extra hard drives) so I am pretty much unable to game at the moment. I was in the middle of upgrading to a current setup(bought the RAM, case, PSU etc.) before I realized my dad needed a new computer for his office so I built him one for his birthday using those parts.
    It would be neat to put this card into my XPS 400 for the time being as it would make me able to game at least a little bit before being bottlenecked by the CPU and I would put it into the new system I would like to build in a month or so when my finances are in order.
  • MrJohnnyLy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    In for one
  • njgsx96 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am currently running a PC I built almost 6 years ago. It is a Core2Duo 2.3Ghz, overclocked to just over 3Ghz. I have a 9800GT video card (OC as well) so gaming is limited to medium-high detail, depending on the game. I have yet to fid a game it can't play but some games I have to knock down settings more. Still, I play everything I want - Rig works real well. I keep saying I want to upgrade it but can never pull the trigger. I keep thinking I should build a new computer but this one is running so well, and is really just a video card away from playing high detail and new games. By getting this card, I can stretch the life of this machine by another year or two, allowing me to save up and build a really nice rig then.

    thanks again for the great giveaway!
  • seanengel - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I need a new GPU.
  • MiPS42 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently running a AMD A4 APU with integrated graphics. Would love a discrete graphics card to speed up Neverwinter.
  • sartwell - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!!
  • ahandmadegrin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've been talking about building an HTPC for quite some time, and winning this card would be the push I need to actually get it done.
  • invinciblegod - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Awesome! would go well with my HardOCP NCASE!
  • justaviking - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Another giveaway? Woo hoo!

    (It would be even more exciting if I actually won. Sigh. I'll keep trying.)
  • sivmac239 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • amo_ergo_sum - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Athlon II X2 250, 2GB DDR2, 500gb SATA Hard Drive, ASUS Radeon HD 4670, 500wPSU, 1080p LCD monitor. I play cod4 Multiplayer on it and could use the upgrade for higher frame rates. Wish me luck. Thanks.
  • Kougar - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd use the R7 250 to silence the 7800GT in my father's PC. The fan is going out so the GPU is very loud. He doesn't game and it's an old C2D system that meets his needs.
  • Alkanlover - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an old EP45-UD3P with a Sapphire 4870 (PCI Express2.0); the R7 250 is compatible even though it is PCI Express3.0, so even if I get a new CPU and/or motherboard it will be transferable.
    I play games so the extra graphics poser will be welcome!
  • Cripp - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I don't really have a 'current' system. Though I am looking into building a small HTPC, and maybe do a little gaming with it. This would be perfect.
  • halbhh2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    To replace my old 6570, stepping up some do do something like Civ V on multi monitors. System is a AM3+ 970 with an Phenom II x6 and 16GB. It's good for chess analysis, but I'd enjoy doing a large game map thing like Civ V on multiple monitors smoothly.
  • halbhh2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    5 steps up on Tom's Hardware graphics hierarchy chart and better power efficiency. :-)
  • walmartshopper - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    count me in
  • Evocati64 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Whoo, another contest...
  • HoldTheOnions - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've thought through zero-point energy, anti-gravity, gene therapy, and teleportation and need a good card to work up the schematics.
  • mikeangs2004 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Need this for my office desktop where surround sound is not an option. The university office desktop is a Core i5, 500gb HDD, 8Gb Ram Dell Optiplex. I use it for simulations, CAD, CAM and occasionally some encoding.
  • chuckymonkey - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    So, I currently have a home server/htpc setup. I'm running an AMD A10 7850, Asus A88X Mobo, 16GB Crucial 1866 RAM, 3 1TB Hard drives, 1 120GB Samsung Evo, and Ubuntu 13.10 server. What I would like to have this card for is to plug it in and use IOMMU on the processor to pass it through to a KVM instance of SteamOS. This would allow me to test a few things, first I would be able to see if the IOMMU tables are working for this board to be able to pass a PCI-E device through. The second is that it would allow me to test SteamOS running at pretty much native speed for things like streaming from my primary desktop, different game input devices, overall system stability as a VM, and HDD speed when running as a virtual disk and maybe adding another disk in and passing that through to the VM natively as well.
  • MugatoPdub - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please enter my name in the drawing. Current state of my nephew's system is, Athlon X2 4200+, 2GB RAM, Windows XP SP3, 250W PS, Nvidia 7800 GT and 19" flat panel. He loves playing games with me through Steam but can't play a lot of titles I play; he is 15 and does not have much money (well none really so I am helping him out), I think this would be perfect for his computer! I sure hope we win!
  • HotTorch451 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love this to replace my Nvidia card
  • Kineo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am really feeling the love for this video card, my son needs one for his computer.
  • Viridia - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd use this card to upgrade the 6570 in a media PC I built for the sci-fi class my friend teaches. They use this computer daily to analyze abstract ideas found in episodic series like The Twilight Zone and movies like The Matrix.
  • nathanddrews - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would put this in my old desktop to use as a HTPC and Steam streamer.
  • alternativesurfer - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!
  • DoctorRobotnick - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Much please.
  • tallik - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • dbart - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use this card in a budget build I'm looking to do in the next month.
  • droid00 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use one.
  • Sylvermouseq3 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a Dual core intel (Core 2) chip on a pretty good asus Mobo, 3.5 gb ram and a raptor 80GB (72 actually) 7200 rpm non-sata HDD and currently a 3400 ati video card, It is the second machine in the house and in general use as much as the primary machine (a HP amd/ati setup) and will be able to give a good comparison in games (statagey, tatical and even FPS ((older ones)) games) as we all game together here including my nephew lugging over his box instead of being remote
  • samdonia - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a SFF PC in a Lian Li case that I build about 3 years ago. I'm only using the IGP on a Core-i3 and it's getting harder and harder to play new-ish games on the lowest settings. I want to get back into more serious gaming, but my graphics power is limiting me. I'd really love to try out a small descrete card like this and get my tiny PC juiced up enough to play some newer titles.
  • Mr. Beige - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I actually have two setups that could benefit from a new video card. The desktop (Phenom II 840) had an old Radeon 4870 whose fan seized up a month or so ago, and is now running on integrated graphics. I also have a newer HTPC/light gaming setup, with a core i5-4670 and a GeForce 9800. This card would probably be more suitable for HTPC/light gaming use than the older GeForce.
  • panaceafatali - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd use it to replace the 9800GT in an old machine to use as a Steam Machine. It's got a Core 2 Duo e8400, 4 GB of RAM, 500 GB hard drive, the only thing it needs is a more modern graphics card so it can hook up to a TV. I'd love to use an AMD card for that!
  • soul4umai - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    An good one for HTPC
  • mclardass - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My son would appreciate the upgrade to his dated rig
  • BenBishop61 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    A new graphics card would *always* be welcome.
  • Pokaia - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd put this to good use
  • donslade - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be a great upgrade from my flaky 5770! The my PC could be used for HTPC duties.
  • wooties - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm an avid AMD fan. If I won this, There's two things I'd test out with this card.

    1) I, I have an HTPC sitting in the basement that isn't used much. It has an older Phenom II/4gb ram, but the graphics card is weaksauce. With this card, I would could use it for living room gaming! It would be nice to see how well it works with large MKV files and for transcoding.

    2. Depending on the gaming, it would also be nice would take it to beef up my Son's "gaming" computer. It's another older Phenom II box but needs a new GPU badly. It's not in the same category, but it'd be great to see how it compares to my 3+year old HD6970.

    Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie! I'd love to play with this and post my thoughts.
  • wooties - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Awe, man. Proof reading would have been advisable with this comment above. (sorry)
  • mcorb1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in it to win it. But, then isn't everyone?
  • luis_alfredo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    hope to win
  • amicic - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Dice time.
  • starwarsgamer - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would use it
  • wezz707 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be nice for a htpc system!
  • bebimbap - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Deal!
  • Hermetic - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please find the system specifications for my desktop computer below:

    Processor: Intel i7-940 (29.3Ghz; Bloomfield)
    RAM: 12GB DDR3-1066
    Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit
    Video: NVidia GeForce GTX 260
    Sound: RealTek High Definition Audio (Realtek ALC888S Chipset; Integrated into Motherboard)
    Network: 2x RealTek Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek RTL8168C/8111C Chipset; Integrated into Motherboard)
    Expansion Slots: One PCI, Two PCI Express X1, Three PCI Express X16
    OS & Program Drive : Kingston SSDNow V+100 96GB SSD
    Bulk Data Drives: 2x Samsung EcoGreen F2 1.5TB, RAID-1 through Windows
    Monitors: 2x Dell Ultrasharp 23" U2312HM Monitors

    I would very much like to see how this new Radeo R7 250 compares to the performance of my aging GeForce GTX 260.

    I would be more than happy to provide feedback concerning its performance, or even perform some basic benchmarks before and after it is installed.
  • jmnewton - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    sure I'll take it
  • abrowne1993 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    We've got an HTPC that could use a graphics boost this would bring.
  • emironov - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll commend if I have too.
  • kbrown - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a nice upgrade for me.
  • icedredrink - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sweet, another contest.
  • ottojschlosser - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Schlepping along with an old 4XXX card - I would love to move to current gen. Looking forward to the relatively low power requirements on this one.
  • BoneSamurai - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Deliver unto me a Radeon, por favor.
  • reckert - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    as a lower power board, this would be a good upgrade for my HTPC - it has a 4350 air cooled radeon card in it now, but since I also use the machine for doing World Community Grid research, a faster GPU will help.
    The PC has an intel core 2 2.2 Ghz cpu, several SSDs and a mirrored pair of older 2 Tb Seagate Hds, running windows 7 with windows media center and Ceton Cable Tuner.
  • Amoro - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    could use an upgrade.
  • dtek - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a low end system with an i3-2120 running on integrated HD 2000 graphics. It's my daily machine for all my work as a college student (I live off instant ramen noodles so don't make fun of my horribly spec'd computer). I like having dual monitors for productivity but the integrated graphics will often struggle on windows 8's start screen in a two monitor setup (both 1600x900 res). So if I am lucky enough to win, it would be a huge upgrade from the iGPU for my setup, and the added potential for light gaming is nice as well.
  • Sea Shadow - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    If chosen, I would put the Radeon R7 250 in my HTPC:
    The system is an old socket AM2 Athlon X2 5000+ with a GeForce 210.

    Right now, it doesn't quite have the oomph to keep up with my installation of XBMC on Windows 7 (x64). It can handle the stock skin just fine, but with skins like Aeon, the GUI lags a little and stutters in some transitions. I have used more powerful video cards in it to see if I was GPU constrained and it definitely is the case, but leaving my old 8800GTX in my HTPC is out of the question.

    An AMD R7 250 would give me that upgrade I seek without being such a power hog. I could also extend the abilities of my HTPC beyond just watching movies and listening to music. With an R7 250 I would be able to play some light games on my TV and have a better overall experience.
  • paulandpedro - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I like free.
  • funkwalkr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Pick me!
  • Pyrokinetic - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Am running an AMD Athlon X2 setup with an older Nvidia 260; however, the system at idle consumes around 160W, never mind at load. A newer more efficient video card like the R7 250 should help that a bit and keep my small office cooler.
  • AeroJoe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a older workstation based on an Intel Core2 Extreme CPU Q6850 @ 3.00GHz that still meets my needs, except for the tired old NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS video card. It woud sure be nice to upgrade this system and extend its life.
  • plove159 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in need of a GPU update. This would do the trick!
  • electroball09 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Bought an HP computer a couple years ago, and I never dreamed I'd get into gaming. Now here we are, a passionate itch for playing games, a Radeon HD 6450, and no money :( This is because, for some reason, my dad bought me an ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 mobo for Christmas. This goes really well with my i5-2300, but my GPU is still underpowered. I'd really love this for some light gaming like BF4, Titanfall, PlanetSide 2, Loadout, etc. and this card looks perfect, as I don't have much money, so I would rather not have to buy a new PSU to get a new GPU.

    TL;DR i'd love this because my current GPU is underpowered lol
  • djump - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would love to put together an htpc, and this fits the bill.
  • Jambe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've got a little HTPC with no discrete GPU which could use a leg up for a few games. Lotto time!
  • Colin1497 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I bought an FM2+ motherboard and a cheap non-APU Richland processor (Athlon X2 370) several months ago for a machine that is mostly desktop use, with occasional light gaming. My intention was to put a Kaveri APU in when they came out, but now I'm trying to decide whether that really makes sense or not. Dual crossfire is definitely a consideration, but I’m a little uncertain where I want to go at this point.

    Currently this box has two video cards, a 6770 and a 5450, driving 3X 1920x1200 24" monitors. The plan is to put the 6770 into my 6 year old son's AM3 machine that used to occupy this desk (Phenom II 555BE, 3rd core unlocked, slight overclock, old HD4000 series video card that used to be where the 5450 was before the drivers were moved to legacy status and things got borked), and buy an A10-7850K and give the dual crossfire a whirl. It would probably meet my needs for this box, but I’m just having trouble convincing myself.

    Oh, I own about 5000 shares of AMD stock that I refuse to take the loss on, if someone wants to add that to the consideration list of why I should win something nice from AMD. :)
  • tgrtjake - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes please
  • NoWayMan - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I like free.
  • MrRogers777 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently running an i5 with 8 gig of RAM. Kids are getting old enough to want to play games and this will allow me to forestall purchase of an X-box ONE.
  • wboz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want to build a nice mini-ITX box so that I can get back into photo editing - I have a daughter on the way and I want to get ahead of that curve! A decent graphics card is a key part of that, and I'm looking for quality that won't take up half the budget. And, ok, I might have some interest in firing up a starfighter or Titan occasionally :)
  • Snoshrk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    please
  • woody345 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm using on board graphics, this would really be useful to me.
  • jyro6891aa - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    nice give away! :D
  • jimbo48222 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current secondary system is a small form factor with a hd4550 GPU. Needless to say this cant really do much of anything , so i really need this card! I use this system for work and some light gaming. I would love to do something a bit more complex on this system.
  • gitman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a little system this would be good for. Thanks for the chance to win!
  • jyro6891aa - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    hope i win haha
  • amd4life - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use one of these
  • suado - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Anand! I could really use one or two of this for a machine I'm building to run atmospheric dynamics simulations. Parts of the code will be run on the CPU cores and other parts on these AMD GPU's (in OpenCL) which are great at computing! I'd love one of these puppies for the good of science!
  • TETRONG - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well I have a case/supply and an older 2500K - trying to build up a system for graphics/music production.
    I would mainly explore the limits of the card with programs like photoshopCC but also Autodesk Fusion360, Max/MSP/Jitter, VVVV, Touch Designer, Houdini, Sculptris, etc.. but also might come in handy for some gaming through Steam.

    You can be sure of some midnight experimenting with Apophysis + Visions of Chaos as well ;)
  • Mightyscoop - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have an A8 4-core system that has only 4GB of RAM and no discreet graphics card. I'm using it as a HTPC and plex/media server/file storage and light gaming. I upgraded to an SSD for the OS, but I can tell that the bottleneck in the system is with having to share memory with the main system. A cheap discreet graphics card is just what I need!
  • Bobsy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am the incarnation of "discrete value market". I still play games that are four years old and this card would be AWESOME.
  • Bobsy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Oops, sorry, I posted this without reading the instructions. This would go in an i3-530 based HTPC that is running on integrated graphics. It would allow me to improve the video capabilities of the machine considerably and to play arcade-type games such as Need for Speed that are much more enjoyable with a gamepad on a big-screen TV. I am VERY sensitive to noise also so I would love to evaluate this card from the noise/performance benefit perspective as well.
  • noahcollins - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm a developer, and a lot of my work happens on a laptop these days. But I still rely on my desktop for both work and play. My current desktop is built around a Phenom II X4 910, a Radeon HD 4670, and a 1080p IPS monitor. For most tasks it gets the job done just fine. There are two areas, however, where more GPU compute power would make a big difference:

    1. I do occasional 3D scene rendering with LuxRender. Anyone who's read an AnandTech GPU review in the last couple years knows that AMD's GCN architecture excels at LuxRender. Having access to an R7 250 would be a big boost. Most of my render jobs are simple scenes, so the 1GB VRAM is not a limitation in my case.

    2. Gaming. I mostly play RTS and sim games. Titles like Civ V would be a lot more playable with the new card. And Mantle support will no doubt prove useful for future titles.

    Thanks for putting on this contest! Looking forward to writing my review.
  • toms98pc - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be the best excuse to upgrade my system.
  • lyssword - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    don't fight it, invite it
  • shortstuff - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am currently using the integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics on my i7-2600k. It comes in handy for editing videos using Quick Sync, but obviously is lacking in many other areas. I've been wanting to get an inexpensive discreet GPU for some time. This would a great opportunity for me to finally stop using my integrated graphics! I would use the R7 250 for light gaming (my daughter loves Minecraft). I would also like to be able to use the GPU for Photoshop acceleration and to improve the overall quality of the graphics on my system.
  • thunderising - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    A AMD R7 250 would be perfect for my rig, which is basically 4 years old and has an HD 5850 chugging alongside an AMD Athlon II X4 620, both undervolted. My hope PC is being used as an HTPC, and the R7 250, with its excellent power characteristics, would serve much better than my current setup, the HD 5850.
  • Average Joe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have the perfect machine for it. little quad core microatx system with g31 graphics.. only you can save me from the occasional flash game which turns into a slide show when I try to scroll the map
  • iou4something - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I really want to win the card for my friend who is in despite need of a new PC but has had a hard time getting the money for one. I've told him I would help him any way I can but I also am scraped for cash. I just think that if I was able to win this for him it would mean the world to him.
  • jefeweiss - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an OEM system that I can't upgrade the power supply, so I look for power/performance video cards to update that system. It has a powerful CPU, but right now it has a 5670 in it, so this would be an upgrade and would fit within the power budget. I do some gaming on it and run multiple screens at the same time. Not while gaming, though.
  • Newbian101 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am looking to replace my mothers emachine that is very outdated as a gift and was looking at a r7 250 or possibly a hd 7750 as the video card for her to use.

    She doesn't do much with it other then some facebook games such as candy crush and $400 in parts would be more then enough for her for a few years and saving on the video card would help make the machine even better as I could use the money elsewhere in it.
  • Factory Factory - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have a simple server working as a NAS, but I'd like to upgrade it to an HTPC. An R7-250 would let me hook the system up to my TV and have a pretty passable 720p gaming and 1080p media experience, which the server-grade integrated graphics can't do.
  • xonant - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Approximately 15 years ago I built my first computer; that's how I got my start in the tech field. I currently have a Dell Vostro 420, which I bought back in 2008, I think. I decided to upgrade the parts by scavenging parts from old PCs at work (can't afford a new build currently). So far I've upgraded the RAM to 8GB DDR2, added a Solid State Drive, Upgraded the CPU from a Dual Core E7300 to a Dual Core E8400. I planned on buying a Radeon R7 250x when they become available, but would love a free R7 250 instead :)
  • Srikzquest - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    looks like a good bet...
  • d4rks4int - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Have an older gen build and the video card literally just died. I've been poking around for a new one but don't have the funds for it just yet. This'd help!
  • seany187 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    upgrade for my htpc!
  • androk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    who would refuse a decent graphics card?
  • vlad0k - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes
  • richardginn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I know a computer that could use this.
  • Joe_G - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Woo Hoo! Free Stuf. (Actually this is better than the video card in my work PC!)
  • sunseteclipse97 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    HTPC Here I come!
  • DBruner - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    great card- love to have it
  • ryanjacoby2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd love to finally part ways with my laptop with the interest in building an inexpensive AMD rig. If I were to win this I'd crossfire it with a well-cooled APU in hopes of gaming fairly well at 1080p. The possibility of experiencing the developments of Mantle is also a plus, along with the AMD Rewards program.
  • Ktracho - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I built a mini ITX system that I'd like to set up in our living room to use for casual gaming and as a HTPC (and maybe even as a NAS), eventually replacing the PS3 I currently have. My system is in a nice Silverstone case that wouldn't look bad in the living room. What I'd actually like to do is to set it up to run Windows in a VM for gaming, and run some other OS (probably Linux) for the other functions. Fortunately, I have an Intel motherboard, which fully supports VGA passthrough for the VM. I'd have to change the CPU, since it's a K series CPU, and thus doesn't support VT-d, but I can put the CPU in my son's gaming PC, which only has a Pentium in it, and install a non-gaming CPU in the Intel system, which is OK because it doesn't support overclocking anyway. I think the AMD card would work well because I cannot fit a normal-length graphics card in my Silverstone case (double wide would be OK, though), and unlike NVIDIA consumer graphics cards, most AMD cards work fine with VGA passthrough. The integrated graphics would be used on the Linux side. (Alternatively, I could try to use Hyper-V included in Windows 8, which is the OS I have installed on this system, but I'm afraid if a game crashes the Windows side, it could take down the other OS as well.) In any case, I have successfully built a proof-of-concept system using totally different components (including an NVIDIA Quadro card) with the version of Xen that is included with SUSE's SLED 11 SP3, so I already know how to set up Windows with VGA passthrough.
  • ilithis - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The PC I need a graphics card for will be for my younger sister who will be starting high school. The setup is 2GB of DDR2 RAM @ 800Mhz, a C2D E6320 overclocked to 1.9Ghz. It's a Gigabyte motherboard, nothing fancy since I didn't know what I was doing back then. Now all I need is a GPU to drive the system so that all three of my siblings can play LoL together.
  • OctaneZ - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    AMD Please
  • FatalFlaw - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i like stuff
  • CalaverasGrande - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current gaming desktop is a 4 year old Asus/Opteron setup with an ATI 1750 256mb GPU.
    It's okay for GTA Vice City but anything more recent than that is stutter city.
  • stapleton87 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Perfect for my HTPC.
  • Grebuloner - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want this card as an upgrade to my AMD A6 APU HTPC. It would provide clearer video with fewer stutters when watching high bitrate content, and enable a few more fun games to be played.
  • sunkjones - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My HTPC consists of a many years old AMD X4 620 and AMD AM3 785G MB which runs well but the motherboard doesn't even output 5.1 surround so I have to run optical to my receiver! This new card will streamline my connections and give me a nice boost so I can run games (and BluRays) from time to time which would be great.
  • discotea - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well if i can get something that would be great. Just need something to build around it.
  • oldabelincoln - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the opportunity. Count me in.
  • Ananke - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want to add a low power compact GPU to my HTPC/server, so I can play some games on the big TV screen. Right now it is mini ITX Intel i-3 with integrated graphics and a huge HDD sub-system.
  • gorice13 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    At this point anything is an upgrade from the five year old gpu I'm sporting now, count me in.
  • McMannus00 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Trying to get my wife into PC gaming on more than a casual basis and need to build a rig to replace her aging laptop. The R7 250 would be perfect for the games she's interested in: Diablo 3, Left 4 Dead 2, and (hopefully) Titanfall.
  • Shapur - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Is this single slot? I have a PC that can't accept anything but a single slot that I could give to a friend who doesn't even have a computer at all. Thta would be pretty useful for him.
  • jjf46n2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    sign me up
  • DirtAddsHP - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Put my namein
  • Hrel - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I really would have no use for this.
  • ewhite06 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Is it more powerful than what I have now? How can it not be? It was built this decade.
  • akk31.wolfe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wife's running a hodge-podge system with components from 2007-2011. Radeon 4850, Athlon X2 6000, etc. I myself am running a Phenom II x4 w/ GTX460 graphics (sorry AMD, it was cheap!) purchased used from some guy in a trailer park. I'd love to compare performance both to my 460 and to her 4850 (which would likely be replaced by the R7 250).
  • noluk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wife currently games on an AMD based system with a 5850 video card which featured a great price/performance ratio for it's day and is actually still a good card to this day. I would love to do a comparison of the newer "value" segment cards on older hardware and the benefits of upgrading for older systems. Rest of the hardware in her box is an AMD Phenom II X4 B95 (or close to that model) 8gb of ram and a 1tb Sata harddrive. I expect some games will have lower framerates (she is primarily a WOW player) but the support for the newer version of DX would be a plus for other games.
  • NetRat2k - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in.
  • ilmare - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thank you guys for opportunity. In for win.
  • eljefe62 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd buy that for $1.
  • casetronic - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Can I have this?
  • SalientKing - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Clearly my work computer is in need of an upgrade, so that it can play more gam... do more work!
  • Bad Bimr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This is mine all mine........I hope :)
  • mevensen - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Okay, I'll take it.
  • Suprgonzom - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes pls
  • AndrewLRussell - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This comment is my entry.
  • dlock13 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll just try.
  • ayprof - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • quidpro - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure, I'm in. I was going to re-calibrate my luck meter anyway.
  • quidpro - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well, I should learn to read

    I run an ok system with a Core i5 3470 and Radeon HD 6800 Series (got that for bitcoin mining several years ago, quickly became useless)

    I would not be using this as an upgrade but to either build a new system for my daughter or the whole family as a SteamBox of some sort.
  • megadirk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please, ill take one.
  • fetuse - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love this!
  • OberonBob - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wife's current computer is as such:

    AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8 GHz
    Radeon HD 4670
    4GB of RAM

    It is currently running windows XP.

    I am going to do a fresh install of Windows 7 on a newer, bigger harddrive, and I think upgrading to the R7 250 at the same time would make it be just like a brand new computer for her. I bet it is quieter and uses less power than the 4670, which are both huge pluses.
  • pseudonymmster - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    ME! PICK ME! ... ... ... please?
  • elpidio - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Good Luck to Everyone.
  • Icecold - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am interested!
  • Konica - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a great addition to the machine my 12 year old son is currently building. He is a very smart boy who doesn't like sports but loves his time on the computer. He loves to play PC games but currently doesn't have the type of system to allow him to take it to the next level so we are building him a machine from scratch that he has saved up his on money for and is at 450.00 so far. This would help him greatly in speeding the process up and would also help him become the future of Technology a little bit quicker.
  • SpartyOn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Just built my brother who's heading off to college a mini ITX box with the A10-7850K overclocked under water and 8GB of DDR3 2400 MHz for maximizing gaming bandwidth. He seems content to play at 1366x768 and 1650x1080, but would love to be able to move up to comfortable framerates at 1080p on his dorm room HDTV, maybe even with some low level AA. I think the Dual Graphics option would make this feasible, but he's been hesitant to spend the $80 (as a poor college student) as the reviews we've seen seem inconclusive for certain games.

    He mostly plays via a controller and Steam Big Picture, so if we were to win we'd happily provide feedback on how the Dual Graphics option works for a SteamBox and console-esque gaming, along with some MMOs and RTSs. We'd also finally get a firsthand answer to what a heavily overclocked A10-7850K could do in Dual Graphics mode; because we haven't found a reliable resource for what this level of performance might equate to.

    Hopefully we can be selected to be testers!
  • Suuave - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Running a home build Intel Q9400, 8GB Ram, EVGA 9600, 128GB SDD. I can afford to upgrade the CPU, motherboard and ram all at the same time, so the next best thing is a faster video card so that my PC will at least appear faster, hopefully when playing online games and streaming video.
  • Big Lug - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    AMD is my favorite.
  • 2bSofaKingWeird - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please, I like to win!!!
  • zippybrat - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I need something Zippy.
  • Morkaither3d - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Same as Panzer here, running on an old beast, this would let me upgrade to something that could play a lot more new games. Hopefully, the dual graphics with Kaveri play out nicely, in which case I could take the time and my income tax return this year to put together a small box for it to call home
  • Tr0nHunt3r - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have a computer that I pieced together for my 55in HDTV and it's currently running an HD7770. I keep having so many issues with the graphics that I believe the card is dying. This would help get that system back online and pushing some decent gaming.
  • SAMSAMHA - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I think the card would work great on my mini-ITX system that has AMD A10-6800K. I would use it to repalce the GeForce 450 that I have here so that I can have a bit more power, performance, while reduce the overall power consumption and heat output. AMD latest GPU has lots of nice feature that I think it would be great for a media PC that also does light gaming.
  • mismeasure - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a sweet upgrade for my parent's system...still running 6200 LEs in SLI!
  • Flipper34 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Our son could really use a card like this. He is on an older system and we just had to upgrade from XP (yeah, I know but money is money) and most of the newer stuff just doesn't like to run on a 256MB card all that well. Being young he does a lot of educational stuff as well. This card would keep him going a long time before needing an upgrade. He has 2GB of RAM and a 2.6GHz processor so this really is the bottleneck now.
  • jbwhite99 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Anand (and Rory),

    I have an i5-2500k, 16GB of RAM. I don't game, but want to do more video and photoshop. Stuff that doesn't need a 780GTX or anything like that - but more than discrete graphics. Currently I have a 5770 Radeon HD card in there. I'm looking for something that won't take up 2 slots or burn your hands if you accidentally touch the card within a few minutes of running the system.
  • Trefugl - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be used as a lower power upgrade to my HTPC/gaming rig in my livingroom. My main gaming rig is more powerful than this, but there are many times I play games on the projector in the livingroom or let friends use it so we can play over LAN.
  • mimonidy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    0o0o0o me me!
  • daz24 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    A comment.
  • lifeblood - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a Core i3 system hooked to my living room TV with a HD4830 GPU. I use it for Netflix/Hulu, basic gaming and MMPOG's like Guild Wars 2, office productivity and web browsing, YouTube, and other assorted things,

    A R7 250 would definitely step up its game (literally).
  • Leyawiin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm assembling a PC from older spare parts for my nephew and the R7 250 would be ideal for a GPU. The CPU is an Athlon X2 6400+ BE (old Windsor chip), 4GB DDR2 800 RAM and a new 128GB SSD I bought for it. I think it would make for a pretty balanced system he should be able to play a fair number games on medium settings with. Please enter me!
  • markozaki - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i NEED a radeon because hunting in Oregon Trail on my Apple ][e is absolutely un-bear-able.
  • mlrabbitt - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    :3
  • davolfman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've actually got a system around on IGP that could use a boost.
  • firewolfsm - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm still running a 4850, this would help.
  • Bikram72 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes plz
  • jyoung546 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I recently bought a A10-7700k system and love the performance. I have been think about this card to pair up in crossfirex configuration. I would give a full review if I got my hands on this.
  • akugami - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My office machine has an older basic video card. This is fine, but it only supports two monitors. I'd like to win this card so I can attach a 3rd monitor. When you have multiple Word and Excel documents open, more is better.
  • gspence2000 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd build a cheap machine for my child to play Minecraft with.
  • CoronaL - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the opportunity to enter. I have 2 new Kaveri 7850K cpu/Asus A88XM-A motherboard systems. One is for my son, other is a HTPC build. The system for my son has 128gb Kingston SSD, 300GB spin HD, and is for gaming. He plays Diablo 3 and we have the coupons for the BF4 download that I will install when time permits. The R7 250 would be a great addition to his build for the Crossfire potential and added graphics ability on his machine. Hope I win :)
  • CoronaL - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    PS I used to do review work for Madshrimps.com. I can provide verification of this later if selected. so the follow up review etc... would not be an issue.
  • auzn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Can use a small upgrade
  • lmcd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Video editing! Currently accelerating encode/decode with an HD 5770, which, while better than nothing could use a replacement. Said computer would gain a notable boost with a GCN graphics card (UVD 3.0 would likely help as well).
  • maecenas - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have a computer hooked up to my TV and speakers (via a receiver) which is serving as an HTPC. The integrated graphics (intel HD 2500) are capable of providing smooth 1080p video playback, but can't really keep up with gaming. It would be great to add a discrete graphics card that could handle some light gaming, e.g. FIFA or Rayman, as I have a couple Logitech wireless controllers that I can hook up to the HTPC. Also, its a MicoATX case so the small size would go well. Finally, I've had good experience with the noise levels on Asus cards, which is very important to me in this application as I would find elevated fan noises quite irritating during movie or music playback.
  • mdrocks1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Lets do this.
  • mavere - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Perfect HTPC component!
  • Ryard - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please! :D
  • DavidBrees - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take it.
  • jye123 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Why not?
  • ZipZopZippity - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could do some rather stellar stuff with one!
  • Bdwyzr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in.
  • Excentric_13073 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd like to try it out
  • Mandarb - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sounds awesome.
  • microAmp - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Wonder if this is better than my 460 GTX...
  • EnzoFerrari2 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Perfect for the Linux Machine I'm Building.
  • zachvatwork - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently, I'm using a GeForce 210, it was awesome, for 2009. I can't find a benchmark comparison of the two cards, but it would be like going from a crank start two cylinder to a maserati for me. I just built a new PC on the AMD FX 4130 and the GPU is the only thing I havent been able to update.
  • クリスチャン - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Why do I need this system? Well being 18 and not having hardly any money I tried to build my mother a PC for her to work at home, play a little minecraft, watch videos, etc. Since I didn't have money for anything remotely new I used a bunch of spare parts and put together a system with a Core 2 Duo E7200 oced to 3.16GHz, a GeForce 8600 GT, 4GB of RAM, and an Intel X38 board we got from some guy on craigslist for $35!

    It's a great system for her but the graphics department could really use some more power. A Radeon R7 250 would fit the bill. It's got better video decode support and a much faster GPU so I could finally let her play minecraft the way it's meant to be played. It's also light on power consumption so I stronger PSU wouldn't be needed.
  • themontygirls - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm using a core i5 3470 system for work with an old geforce 210 to drive dual monitors. I sometimes get bsod when using hardware acceleration in certain software so I think the gf210 may be on its last legs. I work for a research lab and budget is tight, so this will give me a nice little upgrade.
  • lmcd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Totally unaffiliated but this guy should probably win...
  • abp - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please
  • strid3r - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I can use an upgrade :)
  • TheExplorer - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hey. Why not? Will be good for my HTPC :)
  • Adam Turney - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I will gladly accept one.
  • My 2 Cents - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want an R9 280 or 290 but the inflated prices are holding me back and have made me consider Nvidia again. I’ll compare the R7 250 this to my HD 5830 and keep the faster card. The slower card will go to upgrade my Kids computer that is running an Nvidia 8800 GTS 512 .
  • Deadeye37 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've always been an avid PC guy, but recently I haven't had a chance to really play games on my computer due to having kids. My wife finally let me upgrade my computer from my old Athlon X2 processor running a Radeon 3370 card (I think...its been a few years since I did the upgrade). Now here is my new system setup:
    AMD FX-8320 processor
    ASUS M5A97 R2.0 motherboard
    8 GB DDR3 1600 RAM
    XFX R7-260X Core Edition Video Card
    20 in. 1080p monitor

    Now I know the video card I have probably blows the R7-250 out of the water, but lets just say that my wife wasn't happy with the amount I spent on the computer, especially the video card since I don't game that often.

    I would like to see how well this video card works for our day to day stuff (desktop stuff, chromecast, videos) along with the performance in some games I've been waiting to play (namely, Bioshock Infinite along with some racing games that my kids would like). If I get the card and it works for my needs, then I'll probably sell the 260X to make my wife happy. :)
  • NickF1227 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Best of luck everyone (hopefully I win!!)
  • frnzkfk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently have an old nforce mobo acting as my home server. No GPU so any time I want to fiddle with the BIOS or boot a flashdrive, it means getting out a half-broken geforce card from about the same time that overheats and draws more power than the PSU can comfortably supply
  • aravenwood - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    happy to take one off your hands
  • VisionX302 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Wow! Thanks for the opportunity.
  • crustby - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've got a bunch of spare parts laying around my house, and my best friend has always been a console guy. I've been trying to get him into building a gaming PC for a while now to show him just how much of a difference there can be in graphics, ease of use, and multi-tasking on a computer. With this video card I'd be able to build him a
  • Dsmos - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to upgrade my dad's PC for his birthday. I put it together for him a couple years ago so he could watch tv and ditch the cable subscription to save money. He keeps it in a room with a tiny window mounted air conditioner. Lately he has taken to gaming, and during the Florida summer when his ac isn't running to save money, the NVIDIA card in there now roars. I'd like to give him something quieter that will give him better performance in all of his games without dumping loads of heat into the room! The R7 250 sounds like the perfect choice.
  • mattlindfors - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Why not, more graphics are always better.
  • Xega - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up
  • Xega - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    After posting I re-read the original and realized you wanted info on our current setup.

    This would be going into a new build that I just completed:
    Core i5 4670K
    Asus Z87-pro
    Coolermaster Hyper212 Evo
    16gb G.skill ram
    250gb Samsung 840 Evo
    2x3tb 7200 HD
    Seasonic G-series 650W power supply
    Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Case

    Currently using integrated graphics with the 4670K as I am waiting on which GPU to get (also waiting on more funds as I am a graduate student). This machine is mostly used for video editing and photoshop work. The GPU would not help too much with photoshop but would be helpful for the video editing work in premiere and after effects. If I got the card then I would also be able to game a little bit on this system. I do not plan on buying into the current generation of video game systems (ps4 or Xbox One) so having this system be capable for low end gaming would be great.
  • minigig - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am going to due a review of the crossfire of this card and a 7850K and then compare it with crossfiring it with an a8-7600.

    I want to see what is possible with Overclocking on DX11 and Mantel as well as the otherside with wattage.
  • theluther - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure I'll take one!
  • rollacorolla - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Good Luck
  • Rauktis - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Challenge accepted! :D
  • DChylde - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently looking for something that I can put into a Pentium D system to replace an old p4 at work. Wanting to setup a dual or triple monitor setup if at all possible. This p4 is so slow and I'm aware that a pentium D isn't a huge jump but its still better than what I've got now.
  • lesbaer45 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in.
  • Yojimbo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My old computer getting very old, I recently put together a new system, with an i5-4670 and 8 GB of RAM. However, I didn't have the money for a discrete graphics card, so I am using the HD 4600 graphics until I can afford a card. I play games, and needless to say, I am playing a lot of older games and games on low-quality settings and non-ideal resolutions. This card would be a major upgrade from the HD 4600 and greatly improve the range of games I can play and the experience I have with them.
  • dochood - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Ok
  • nwaro438 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yay
  • goddjob - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This thing would be great for a mini-itx build. Light gaming in a tiny package is always cool. Imagine using this in a toaster case just to say your toaster can run [insert game here].
  • tmehrl - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Need a HTPC/NAS/GAMING build. This would be sweet!
  • biofishfreak - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Nice! Always looking to snag a new GPU
  • Bunta714 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would love one.
  • KyleGates - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Always loved the Red PCB.
  • sonofgodfrey - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would use it to upgrade the graphics on my son's computer (AMD based). WoW is killing it.
  • BrianC015 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd like to upgrade the graphics on my wife's year old system. The graphics are integrated (HD 2500 I believe) and could use a boost to play some modern came titles. It looks like this card would be a nice step up, though if I was buying for myself, I would probably be looking for more performance.
  • lanestew - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I like stuff. It rules.
  • bluesbassman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    this time?
  • claussendb - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am about to build my first new PC in eight years. I have been picking the parts for weeks now trying to piece together the best, mid-high system that I can. This video card would do many things for me, but the two most important are; 1, save me money for other parts and 2, make this a kick butt system. Thanks for giving us the option to win the card.

    - Dave
  • narbeh - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    That can give my PC more power, GREAT! I'm in.
  • pr1mal0ne - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Current system is a 4th Gen i5, 16 GB ram, Asus Z87 Mobo and an AMD HD 4650. My videocard is what needs upgraded most (over 5 years old). I would really like to move up to the 256 bit interface cards like the HD 7850, but Id be satisfied with the R7 250 if I got it. The price is half what the older 7850's are, and have less than half the performance. But the R7 250 still kicks the snot out of the old 4650. I use my system for CAD and rendering, a more powerful card would encourage me to look into ways to push this work to my GPU. If I got this card, Id want to do some research and benchmarks on the rendering capabilities of it.
  • SHartman1976 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would install this on my wife's computer, but I'd still do a review of it.
  • Nogib - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be great upgrade over HD 4350 in server.
  • teiglin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to put this in the htpc in my bedroom. I had some issues with Ivy Bridge graphics and my TV, so I had to put in an old GTX 460--not ideally suited for an htpc build. The R7 250 would consume a fraction of the juice and should be nearly as powerful for the occasional game--and who doesn't want more performance for less power?
  • phatswarra - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the opportunity.
  • clumsyalex - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    would be nice for my backup system
  • logicalType - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes, Please!
  • qnetjoe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want this to replace the radeon 4770. The system has a Q6600 with 8GB of ram and a SSD. Direct X11 support is missing and it does not have a displayport connection. An r7 250 would be a good upgrade in that it allows me put some more life into this PC, not mention it would produce a whole lot less heat.
  • jamesyarno - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd put it in my work computer to replace the onboard graphics and mine alt coins with it when not editing videos... just being honest...
    System is an old server board that was retired and turned into my workstation here at work. I don't remember the make/model of the motherboard, but the CPU is an Opteron 6128 with 6GB RAM. Win7x64.
  • halucinogun - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would make a nice addition to my i5 rig!
  • JBVertexx - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Pick me!
  • JBVertexx - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just went back and re-read the instructions - You want to know WHY we want this card... Well....

    I have a perfect plan for it. See, the next PC build I am planning for my home is going to be based on the A8-7600 - I can't wait for that CPU to come out. This will be the 6th custom built PC in our home, and it will be an HTPC/Light Gaming PC for the master bedroom. Other PCs we have include 3 gaming PCs (one for me and 2 to share among the boys), a HTPC/Gaming PC in our main media center, and a mini-ITX Xeon E3 based home server.

    The reason why I'm so excited about the A8 is that it will allow me to build a PC that my wife will allow in our bedroom. I will be running the A8 in 45 W mode, and it's going to be based on the Streacom F1C Evo chasis (already bought), running Ubuntu - maybe dual boot with SteamOS. Think of it as a mini Steam box for streaming home movies and videos, my wife's shows and my light gaming. I plan on running this with SSD only, a blu-ray drive (for those spontaneous Red-Box rentals), and a 150W Pico PSU. In short, I am super excited about this build!

    Ok, so why do I want an R7-250? Well, as an alternative to my Streacom F1C build, I am intrigued with testing out the dual graphics capability. So, if I won the R7-250, I would look at an expanded build based on the Lian-Li PC-Q03 case. This is the smallest case I could find that would support the single full-height graphics card.

    In short, I'm actually looking forward to my A8-7600 build more so than any other PC to date, and adding an R7-250 into the mix would be icing on that cake!
  • goldenatom - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes
  • dabbith - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Cool.
  • cyrusfox - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an old amd Phenom x6 1090t, My Geforce 460 recently died so it is currently limping along with an old spare Radeon HD5450(no integrated graphics on my am3 mobo). The R7 250 would actually allow me to play games again.
  • nothingimportant - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be a small upgrade.
  • Coldfriction - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want this card primarily because it is a single slot design that would fit well in an older quad core dell I bought at work that doesn't have room for a dual slot solution. The computer is used as a HTPC and was originally a CAD workstation. I tend to build my own computers and my main rig is pretty beefy (I need to upgrade an old HD6970 in it). It's frustrateing the compromises Dell has made that limit upgradability of what was one of there top systems five years ago. I've been in the Steam Streaming beta for a while and would love to do more in the living room; I think a newer video card would help performance there a fair bit. I'm also getting into indie development and would love to have another system to test on. I'd prefer to put the 6970 in the HTPC and replace it with a R9 290 but i'd have to cut the heatsink on the CPU to do that.
  • zodiacsoulmate - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well, let's see if it will compete my GTS250
  • RNOblivion - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    More GCN is always good.
  • ussfletcher - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the opportunity!
  • Nakarti - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have an old pc running an old nvidia 8600 along with a few other components from the Athlon era. Winning an R7 250 would allow for a much needed upgrade in performance for both daily and gaming needs.

    Thanks to AMD, Asus and Anandtech for yet another great giveaway and good luck to all who enter!
  • eaglehide - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm too nice to say no.
  • Sidharthmodi - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Pick Me for this one :-)
  • sumludus - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Right now my desktop is a has only integrated graphics. Given, they're the integrated graphics from an A10-7850k, but since it's powering a 1080p monitor, I don't often get the graphical quality I'd like when gaming. Winning an R7 250 would not only give me a chance to benefit from the card itself, but also a chance to benefit from dual graphics.
  • abhaxus - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would use this to upgrade my HTPC setup from an Asus 3650. Would like better audio support, up to date drivers, and a little gaming on that PC would be pretty cool. Simply the fact that it would get rid of the catalyst center nag box about how old my card is would be nice.
  • Mipmap - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I like computers.
  • toki5 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am on an asus desktop that is 10 years old with a CPU that is getting a little past it's due date and I could use this GPU to maybe help boost my video viewing experience. Thank you for the chance to win this.
  • smithrd3512 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I can use one
  • Rjak27 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    In!
  • xTRICKYxx - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be a great upgrade from my NVIDIA GeForce GT 6800... Count me in!
  • Tacoman2413 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I built a Kaveri A10-7850K gaming computer in December. I have looked at the supposed Dual Graphics compatible cards that are out for Kaveri. I wonder just how effective the Dual Graphics will be when the r7 250 doesn't have the same stream processor count as a 7850K. It would be interesting to test this out on BF4!

    I have an:
    ASUS A88X-PLUS motherboard.
    8 GB of 2133 Mhz RAM from G.SKILL
    1TB Seagate HHD (not SSD)
    Rosewill 750W Platinum Power Supply

    There is no additional graphics card yet I wanted to wait until a few years go buy and I might upgrade to Carrizo or buy a 280X equivalent. However I would be happy to run test and experiment with Kaveri alone and with Dual Graphics enabled w/ Mantle! I have FPS running most of the time anyway.
  • Tacoman2413 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The computer was built in December but I did not get the A10-7850K until January in case somebody was wondering.
  • DawsonsDada - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be nice to have a new card to upgrade my son's pc
  • mfinn999 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a desktop with just onboard intel graphics. I'd love to add a discrete card to add another monitor or two. This one looks perfect: small, thin but still plenty of power.
  • Super56K - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This card could be an excellent match for my HTPC. I'm thinking playing PC games (using a wired controller) on a 40" LCD I would prefer 1280x720 resolution for the distance I sit at to make text and UI elements more pronounced. This class of card seems like it could be a champ for this purpose while having a low power envelope and hopefully low noise under load. My system is comparatively budget conscious all around:

    i5 4430
    MSI H81m board
    8gb ddr3 1600
    Intel 530 ssd
    2 tb storage drive
    450w Antec Earthwatts Platinum PSU
    Win 8.1
  • smtty227 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please sign me up as well!
  • Polaro - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just built a new AMD Kaveri A10-7859 with an MSI A88XM-E45 motherboard in a new, microATX case from Lian Li. I put 8 GB of RAM from the rig it was replacing and a nice 256 GB SSD. Its the first new PC I have built in a couple of years besides some nettops. The APU concept got me excited now that performance has improved dramatically. I'm loving the new set up, but sure would love to pop this R7 250 in and see how well the Crossfire helps me with some of the more demanding games I'd like to throw at it. And, today is my birthday. It really is.
  • barlin009 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sweet!
  • whippet20 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    please, ME!
  • jgarcows - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have a Radeon HD 5770 in a small form factor case. The computer is hooked up to a 32" 1080p LCD TV and used as an HTPC and for occasional gaming (Civ V, League of Legends).

    I love my 5770 for its high performance/watt and low idle power usage, which is important in my cramped case. It looks like the R7 250 will be quite an improvement in power draw. I am also excited to see if there is improvement in video playback quality on the R7 250.

    In addition, my 5770 is getting rather long in the tooth. I have already had to replace the fan, so it would be nice to get a nice new card.
  • nemrac2014 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yea I want it.
  • gstovall - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current system is a hand-assembled Linux machine based on a Core i3-2105 processor, 8GB of DRAM, 30GB SSD for program store, and 750GB HDD for /home. The current video card is an HD5570 based card; I had to use it rather than the on-chip Intel video because the available Intel video driver had a nasty bug that froze the system and required frequent reboots.

    While the HD5570 is perfectly acceptable for normal daily use, I'd love to have a more powerful card for rendering.
  • ShogoXT - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I plan to build a Mini ITX Kaveri setup and this would go awesome with it. I can save a lot through those Mobo + CPU combo deals!
  • Natfly - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    another gpu is never a bad thing
  • nfriedly - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current setup is an i7-2600k and a GTX 560 TI in my desktop + a MacBook Pro for work. No AMD :(

    BUT, I just recently built a system for a friend with an A8-6600k. It was perfect for here. I actually liked it so much that I'm thinking about building one for myself to hook up to my TV, but I think I want just a little more graphics power. So a Kaveri APU + one of these R7 250's would be perfect for my needs.
  • Towermax - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in for it--could use a new one.
  • Torrien - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Being able to win something for once in my life might be fun...
  • algernon83 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've been looking to upgrade to an APU configuration. I picked out a high-end motherboard and a lot of RAM for my most recent build (about a year and a half old now) so that I could have an effective upgrade path, and I've since upgraded to a 5770, then added a 6770 crossfire setup. I'd like to see what the R7 250 and Kaveri can do together.
  • Shapyi - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in for one please.
  • baranovich - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Free is good....
  • cookednoodle - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hoping to win for my dad who is using a very old mainstream GeForce card to play Skyrim. He deserves better.
  • Garmac - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Looks good... time to upgrade those old 7950...
  • bunsenbunner - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes, please
  • Death - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Wife currently has a A10-5800K system with a 6670 in it. Winning this will get me to upgrade her a bit.
  • Gunbuster - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've got a HTPC running a 2nd gen Intel graphics. The ones not even supported in Windows 8/Server 2012 unless you hack the driver INI and take out the line that to paraphrase says: Make this driver not work on windows 8 so we can sell a new CPU. Making it able to game would be awesome!
  • schmiddr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Looks good. Thanks Anandtech
  • nubsrevenge - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes please
  • santoshmaster - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to add up this to my existing system which is Second Gen Intel i7, Motherboard Gigabyte x58a-usb3, RAM DDR3- 12 GB 1600MHz, with 3TB HDD.
  • lytylim - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i want it
  • dexterkarthik - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
    MSI P43-C51
    nVIDIA 8800GT 512MB GDDR3
    8GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Coolermaster HAF X
    Corsair TX950
    Samsung 840EVO 120GB
    Seagate 1TB + 2TB
    Dell 19" 1600*900
    Logitech G400 Mouse
    Razer Goliathus Alpha MouseMat
    Dell multimedia keyboard and 2.1Ch speaker
  • CharonPDX - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Two systems that this might go in:
    HTPC: Intel Core i3 4th gen MicroATX system. Just upgraded from an old Core 2 Quad with ATI 5770, the i3's built in HD 4600 graphics is "sufficient" for every use we have (frighteningly, it's BETTER for Blu-ray,) but it certainly isn't "great" for gaming. Thankfully, we only do fairly casual gaming on this rig. My daughter plays Minecraft, which is the most intensive game currently used. But a 'real' video card that is modern would certainly improve the experience.

    Workstation: An old dual Nehalem Xeon system, it just inherited the Radeon 5770 from the HTPC. Previously it was using a GeForce 9600GT. While the 5770 is certainly an improvement, as this is my own primary gaming rig, it would be great to have something newer that can handle modern games. I haven't bought many modern games almost entirely because I can't run them well. The other big deal to me is the use of GPU compute for video transcoding, the "serious" purpose this machine is used for. It's sad that this system, with 8 cores and a "high end" (for the time) GPU transcodes video slower than the Core i3 thanks to QuickSync.
  • sramkumar86 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a 3 year old HP pavilion desktop begging for an upgrade. It has a AMD Radeon HD 6450 with a Intel Sandybridge Core-i5. This will really be good boost for me allowing me to play a bunch of games which I have put off for the lack of decent hardware. Being involved with OpenCL professionally, I am an AMD loyal for GPU because of the great OpenCL tools and support.

    I hope I win this one!
  • Crono - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Decent card, might consider buying it at MSRP if I don't win. :)
  • vaelyc - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll put together a computer just for this.
  • richardway - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    sign me up
  • derTorbs - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would throw this into my girlfriend's aging computer. Get her a bit better than the weak gpu she is using now.
  • Barumunk - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    woop!
  • Ancillas - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well, if I must.
  • gary_h - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I need parts.
  • Antibios - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I swear if I get this I'll be real mad
  • Sonny Prince - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It's time for something newer than my 7800gt card! Although my 3700 single core amd chip and 1 gig of ddr 400 will still stink. :(
  • vladman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just built a back-up/#2 PC w/a A10-7850K CPU, and would like to get some better gaming performance out of it, so I'd love to do dual-graphics.
  • Alexandum - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would have to build a system to use, still want to enter.
  • compudog - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am currently using a GT640 in my AMD FX-6100. This R7 250 would give me great boost in performance and it's an AMD Radeon!
  • Archer01 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take one if you have one to spare
  • bocephas - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a coworker whose 11 year old son is just now getting into computers. He wants to learn how to build them and then use video capture and post youtube videos. He's saved his allowance for a while, this card would make his budget go much further so I can teach him how to build his own system.
  • aylak - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would trade it in for a low profile card if I win.
  • NoFunDon - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sounds like fun.
  • miahshodan - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take one.
  • xygot - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take whatever that comes over my way.
  • BVKnight - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My friend hasn't had a gaming computer since before college 8 years ago. Recently married and going to school, he wants a build one but is on a shoestring budget. We're trying to cut every corner we can and scrounge parts, this would be a great gift to help make that build come together!
  • Hxx - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in
  • LordWaffle - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd certainly take it.
  • morit - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    interested
  • Medikit - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would like to win something!
  • tyman4752000 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Win!
  • StickyIcky - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just got a new Dell workstation and I want to turn my old workstation into a HTPC/media server. This R7 250 will make it possible.
  • hansmuff - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd love to have one!
  • evolucion8 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to win it to put it on my nephew's computer, so he can play games and have fun. He currently have a Core 2 E6400 with 2GB of RAM and a measly Radeon HD 3650 which ain't cut it anymore. I know he will be CPU bottlenecked, but he play games like Cars, Rayman etc which aren't very CPU demanding, but more GPU bound and his card slow downs a lot.
  • RanDum72 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Free is always good, if you can get it.
  • nick76_dune - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!
  • Agrecascino - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Entered
  • docken02 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Alright, I'll give it a shot.
  • henryf10011 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yeah something else to try and win
  • slidindelta - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to have it:)
  • SinxarKnights - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I enjoy winning.
  • cragAT - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would love to set this up in a HTPC/Steambox.
  • TwiSparkle - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a close friend who currently has a 5 year old laptop that is quickly approaching the end of it's life. With this gpu and a cheap, low end processor I would build my friend the desktop that she wants. It would be used for gaming at 1080p (she doesn't really care about quality, just being able to play games is enough).
  • LochDhu10yr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a Core I7-920 leftover from upgrading my main PC. I would use the R7 250 to turn it into a HTPC. I also run BOINC for distributed computing, and I think the R7 250 would be good for crunching while staying cool and quiet.
  • thewrongstuff - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Oh man, I build a computer which is running an A8-3870k and using its integrated graphics for gaming and while it's impressive for integrated graphics, having a discrete card would be nice.
  • SinxarKnights - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    What I'm looking for here is an understanding of what your current system configuration is, why the Radeon R7 250 matters you and how you'd use it.

    My current config consist of a Phenom II X4 820, HD4870 512MB and 4GB of RAM. Old rig to be sure but it still plays modern games at high detail at reasonable FPS @ 1080p. The R7 250, I am not sure if it is an extreme upgrade from what I have. I do play a ton of new mainstream new games and Mantle could help me out specifically since I have a slow CPU by todays standards. The extra RAM would be of great use as I would like to enable higher AA levels in some games and reap the benefits of lower power use especially when idle. However the rig may not be up to the challenge as I am almost sure it would bottleneck the card to an extent that even if it is an extreme upgrade, there is no way I would know.
  • x1conroe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    AMD ftw.
  • Allenb54 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in!
  • aylafan - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    yes, please! :)
  • orangeaccord311 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for doing these as always.
  • Rogowski - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My personal gaming machine is a based around an ASUS HD6950 so no need to upgrade there. However, my girlfriend who games on her PS3 isn't so thrilled about the PS4 or the XBone. She has also never built a PC before.

    What I intend to do is build a Steambox with her for the living room. Kaveri plus a CrossFire R7 seem like an excellent, compact, low cost option to make this happen. Among other reasons, I hope that Mantle will prove to do for SteamOS gaming what DirectX did for Windows. AMD and ASUS are my favorite brands anyway so this would make an excellent component for us to use.

    So that's my pitch. If I win this card I will build a Steambox with my gf.
  • secretmanofagent - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Please.
  • sonci - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure there me..
  • blazeoptimus - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Always interested.
  • jumbi340 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    No need to force it on you! I will take it gladly!
  • at600 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm a long time Apple/mac user and I only recently starting to learn the hackintosh/pc side of things. Coming from the apple ecosystem, i'm focusing on getting as much power into as small of a package as possible. The current build that I'm working on is GA-Z87-Wifi ITX board with a intel i7 4770K Haswell CPU and an Asus HD 7850 GPU all wrapped up in the EVGA Hadron Air case. I'd like to have this R7250 because I'm looking to use a smaller form factor GPU that can free up some case space to allow for better airflow and thus expanded OC headroom.
  • tim7850 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use this to replace the HD 7570 on my second PC.
  • Nemi5150 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Gimme
  • jomo60 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    OK
  • VETDRMS - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Might be the only way to get a radeon these days. ;)
  • budabellyx - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wifes desktop which is using an old Q6600 and an 8800GTS is in dire need of an upgraded graphics card for some of the applications my son will be using for his homeschooling. It also seconds as a basic gaming rig for my 2 boys. This would be a great upgrade not for performance, but for connectivities sake.
  • amunster - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My finances took a turn for the worse recently. As a result, I'm paying more attention to the price/performance ratio and power consumption of the computer parts I acquire. The R7 250 does well in both categories.

    I'm surprised how much performance is squeezed out of a sub-75-watt card. Unlike years past, you no longer need to add more power (and resulting heat) to a graphics processor in order to handle current generation games fluidly. I have a couple of friends who like PC gaming but aren't well versed in replacing parts. Telling them "buy this card, drop it in, no extra power cables necessary" seems pretty convincing to me.

    In the future I'd like to downscale my desktop's power consumption and size to better align with my usage. The recent popularity of mini-ITX and smaller form factors will help me out in this regard, as will efficient graphics cards like the R7 250.

    In some sense I feel this is a sign of getting older. I don't need a sports car. I'm not going to drive 150 miles per hour on the way to work. What I need is something dependable, efficient and rational with an appropriate level of fun thrown in. Likewise, I don't need a $400+ graphics card. It would be a different story if I could afford it, but I'm not missing out.
  • vinitasher - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hola!
  • mt83 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Cool, thanks anand!!!
  • munky - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a Phenom II system using nothing but the onboard IGP. A modern low-power GPU would boost it's gaming performance about 100x.
  • greenlepricon - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well I have an htpc with an old 5670 in it. I only use it for watching videos and light gaming, so it has a Sandy Bridge Celeron processor, 8Gb of RAM and a 1 Tb WD green hard drive paired with a small ssd. I'm only going for low power on the gpu, so it might be nice to test out how this thing competes!
  • jranders52 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd love to win this, I'm currently looking to build a cheap sff pc that i can carry around with me to do some light gaming, as well as work. Thinking about an amd apu and was going to not go with a gpu but if i can crossfire them that would be awesome!
  • romrunning - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Send one my way!
  • bsp2020 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want it
  • IntelCeleron - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes!
  • Arkive - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • theadder - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please.
  • wiyosaya - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Add me to the mix.
  • arctother - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm planning my next system. This card would be a good start.
  • CU - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use this in one of my kids PC's for light gaming. Or maybe HTPC.
  • sweetwilly - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I also know a guy who could use this and he is me.
  • erikiksaz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    count me in!
  • Mettech - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Be a nice small HTPC card.
  • Raikel - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Will be perfect for my sis's rig. She needs an upgrade.
  • mwildtech - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Here is my entry.
  • Chriz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use this, because I am running a system that is getting old and can't afford to upgrade it the way I want. I have a Pentium dual core E6300 2.8 Ghz and a Nvidia Geforce 9800+ 512 MB. I realize the R7 250 is a value card, but I think it will still give me better performance than the 9800+, or at the very least, better feature support.
  • cyberbass - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    count me on this, thanks!
  • pcneal - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a great addition to my workstation!
  • AfterShoQ - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    new toy plz
  • borderdeal - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I never win anything but I will try
  • akay47z - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yey,
  • Avenger762 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I need this card to upgrade my Auntie's PC. She's still trying to game on the last video card (Radeon X1600XT) I gave her. Poor girl thinks running Battlefield Europe on 1024x768 and minimum settings is "cool".
  • HarryBojangles - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be an amazing 4870 512mb replacement to my e8600 box. Maybe finally can get some good current-gen gaming in with my buds.
  • BioHazardous - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    A friend of mine is on an old AMD desktop that's about 7 years old now, and I want to help him build a new one, so a slick little graphics card like this would be helpful with that. He actually had to pawn his video card because his financial situation wasn't the greatest. So he's just using onboard or some POS card. His system proc is a Phenom X4 9600 (released in 2007!) So every little bit helps.
  • RayW69 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Quite literally purchased an A10-7850K CPU and an MSI A78M-E45 motherboard yesterday. Ordered 8GB PC3-19200 RAM to go along with it as well. Waiting for the RAM to arrive to put the system together. Would love to see how the dual graphics capabilities of adding an R7 250 card would improve performance in the new Thief reboot.
  • JRehkop87 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Perfect addition to a new htpc!
  • Fredbob711 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently running an ATI 4850 that I've had for several years. I'm very interested in DirectX 11 and up. Main reason being Star Citizen, I backed the project and would like to start playing with the pieces they've released, but the game requires DirectX 11. I'm past the point in my gaming life where I want/need the latest and greatest, so if something can get the job done reasonably well at a lower price point, I'm in.
  • Muddskipp3r - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would build an HTPC around this guy. Very curious to play with the Mantle drivers with BF4 on this guy.
  • AlmightyCushion - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure, why not.
  • plext0r - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I really would like to upgrade my nVidia GT220 card in my X58-based system.
  • dflippo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have a desktop running an i5 4670, with 8gb of ram, and a Gigabyte board that can run a crossfire setup. I'm in the market to upgrade my Geforce 450GTX. It just isn't cutting it anymore. Winning an R7 250 would mean that I can setup my first dual graphics card system! I'd be buying a 2nd one to go along with the one I hope to win.
  • etamin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up. My 7850 has been unstable lately, I could use a backup just in case.
  • sullyj - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like the R7 250 because I am looking at building my first HTPC and this would fit the build nicely.
  • seediq - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    New GPU would be nice!
  • tsengff - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    in
  • LewSmoyd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    not a dream card, but still a big upgrade to my GTX 285
  • dark4181 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd love to win this. I'm currently running a 5 year old Intel w3520/EVGA X58 setup using an XFX 5870; and while the overall system is still fast, the GPU is starting to feel slow during gaming. I like to play the newest stuff, like Titanfall, Thief, BF4, Metro, etc, at 1920x1200 with higher settings, so it would be great to have something newer. I also like to give away aged hardware, so somebody else could benefit as well.
  • jlafount - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I wish AMD would get the power lower on these.
  • JFish222 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would use this to upgrade my HTPC. The CPU is 1.6ghz and to weak to decode high bitrate video, and the integrated graphics lack the horsepower to help.

    This would be a fantastic upgrade for its video decode abilities, and even allow for casual gaming on the TV.
  • jfarris0026 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take it!
  • Tripwir3 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My media center of 7 years finally died. Need a card with HDMI that I can build with some older components I have laying around. My wife will use also to home school.
  • Demomega - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Building a PC for my girl, would love this!!
  • mmm11105 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My GTX460 is getting a little long in the tooth, this would work nicely as an upgrade.
  • Stoner2002 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love one for my HTPC/Light gaming box in the front room.
  • gotmonkey70 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would love this in my media center PC
  • carmichaelhugo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    vidya cards are awesome!
  • Munkyman587 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love to win this on behalf of my wife. She has an A10 APU 5800K, and I am curious if this would crossfire. She could certainly use the performance increase, as the A10 is only good for very basic gaming. It works for WoW, but newer titles are sluggish. We tried upgrading her ram, as this often helps. It was not the increase we were hoping for, and I would like to get her to be able to run Battlefield 4 on mid settings :) Thanks Anand!
  • austinsharp111 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • andywhizwang - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure!
  • Killrose - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The system I would use this in:
    Gateway E-4620D with E8400 core2 duo and 4gig PC2-6400mem 2x80gb HD in raid1. Currently using on-board Intel graphics. This card would be ideal to up-grade this machines graphics capabilities on all fronts.
  • BlakKW - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Can I win plz?
  • cherrybombaz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an htpc so this would be great for some light gaming on it.
  • venturizhou - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently I am planning a Mini-ITX build with a bit of a black and red theme. I'm very excited about the future of Kaveri looking at programs that are taking advantage of HSA and although small they are extremely processing. Currently I'm planning to use a Cooler Master 110, A10-7850K, AsRock FM2A88X-ITX+, 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 1866(Red), Corsair CX500M PSU, 120 Kingston HyperX 3K. I will custom sleeve cables in imperial red and plan on using Corsair H80i to cool my system.

    The reason why I would be interested in this card is to test Dual Graphics with the A10-7850K as I know there are basically only two cards that can be currently used for that purpose. It would be very nice to have a budge small build that I can use for daily use and at least play games at low-med settings at 1080P. Although the current reviews show limited improvement I be interested in seeing what future drivers can deliver.
  • angrypatm - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current htpc is getting old, still xp, I have a copy of 8.1 waiting in the wings, still deciding on upgrades or a full rebuild. Foxconn g31, c2d e8600 3.3, 4gigs ddr2 800, sapphire amd 4670 512 ram (fan is making noise, grrr!), ht omega claro plus s/c (highly recommend, sounds great, simple app, and no driver issues, just works), corsair 430 watt psu. This is my juke box with jriver media center, feeding a yamaha receiver to 2 to 4 sets of speakers, movies with vlc (always works)-might load xbmc again, and some light gaming, like team fortress 2 (Steam!). Considering a rebuild with an A6 or an Athlon x4 750k, and 8 gigs ddr3 on an fm2/fm2+ board, this card would be a perfect fit.
  • MrCommunistGen - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently running my HTPC with a Phenom II X4 940 (cannibalized from my previous gaming rig) utilizing the motherboard graphics from the 785G chipset. Until recently I was using a passively cooled HD4650 but the card recently burned out and I was forced to revert to the onboard motherboard graphics.

    I watch local content through XBMC and also stream through Netflix and Amazon. Now that the system is running with onboard graphics it just isn't quite fast enough to provide a seamless viewing experience. Playback stutters at least a little on most HD content, but when watching Amazon's higher bitrate HD streams it becomes unwatchable.

    With the addition of a Radeon R7 250 I'd once again have a powerful enough hardware video decode system to fully enjoy my HTPC again.
  • sbaker57 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    nice little card
  • Erie Computer Repair - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Nice card!
  • keithmc - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    How's it work for Skyrim?
  • robsparko - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a system I use for SolidWorks modeling. I paid extra for an entry FirePro, but always wondered if it actually was worth the extra cost. This would give me a chance to try that out!
  • Beastofthetimes - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an HTPC that I use for my wife to stream Netflix and some older games to our living room TV. It's running an E5200 and Geforce 9300 igp. An R7 250 would be a great surprise upgrade for that PC to let her play games like Civ 5 and WoW at 1920x1080 as per the TV's native resolution. Good luck to everyone who enters!
  • istitch - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Anandtech is awesome :)
  • jra716 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love to win this. ;)
  • webmastir - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I currently have an HP workstation that uses Intel's integrated HD2000 graphics. It sucks for so many reasons. I could really use this. Thanks!!
  • AnotherGuy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure y not
  • Zephyr1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am building a new system and this would fit in nice. Especially since I am on a budget.
  • Emperorpiehead - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would love to win this and give it to a teacher as a gift
  • Egg - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be an upgrade over the Radeon 6570 I currently have paired with my Athlon x2 5000+.
  • greengrass88 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    another awesome giveaway.
  • MDPretzel - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Nice little card.. I would use it!
  • wangpan225 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    crossing my fingers!
  • SarahKerrigan - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently on a dual-socket Xeon system driven by an incredibly obsolete Quadro I had lying around. The GPU is the weak point in this machine - it's slow, loud, and thirsty. Something moderately fast and quieter would be great!
  • rjkarl - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Bring it on...
  • zoeurc',g.putnaoeh - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently running a phenom ii with an nVidia gpu. Since building, I've switched to Linux, and am sometimes having issues with the graphics drivers. Could use an AMD GPU they're better about their Linux drivers.
  • DashTrash97267 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a few htpc computers based on amd's apus. I would like to experiment with the dual graphics capabilities. I have a FM1, FM2, and FM2+ chip. While they play casual and adventure games just fine (and Kaveri plays anything I play just fine), I would like to experiment with the impact of dual graphics @720 and 1080 from a subjective point of view. How noticeable is it? Thank you for the chance to enter Anandtech and AMD!
  • Hiramabiff - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love one of these. Thank you.
  • Geekzilla - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Throw my name in the hat
  • gh32 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I should like one as well.
  • Deluzion Confuzion - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use one of those!
  • Glory2God - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be much better than my HD2500
  • HeadRush33 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    In the process of building an HTPC for media and light gaming. This would be perfect!
  • Atomic Roooster - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sweet Giveaway Goodnes
  • XabanakFanatik - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Red!
  • twkatadin - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Got an old video card, I could use an upgrade.
  • Kevin G - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My entry. I can use another video card.
  • TheGamerX8469 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Fingers crossed :)
  • rccollins - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Current System: Hackintosh: ASrock extreme 4 motherboard with 7770 in one slot and the other vacant! I am using it as my mining rig / media center.
  • armodons - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Should be a good card for my HTPC!
  • rseverson - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes Please~!
  • Grifter75 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    could use this
  • mutley - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Great card
  • mfred - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hai.
  • cobberbearr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Excellent product
  • dylan522p - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love to put this in my HTPC
  • kingsway2121 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Seems like a nice card. I'll take it. Please :)
  • yoshikitty - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up~
  • hectorsm - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Nice card for my second PC.
  • GX1XD1PD - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    what to do
  • solsar - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    second PC upgrade!
  • mvs4kvd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I know a couple friends who would more than likely want one.
  • grantdesrosiers - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    In. I can always use more GPUs.
  • Bolizen - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm currently rocking a GeForce 9500 GS video card. It's only good-ish for old games (pre-2010), and watching videos. Unfortunately it cannot accommodate games or videos on fullscreen for my 1920 x 1080 monitor. This card would be a real improvement to my computer. Hope I win.
  • dmarzio - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure, I'll enter
  • Kestiel - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could think of a thousand-and-one things to do with this. Definitely could use it!
  • redaemon - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • wheezyinator12 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    my current system cannot run any games. I could use this card to start pc gaming
  • joelslaw - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to have one, please.
  • alpha64 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sounds like a good performer for the lower-cost segment. I could certainly use one of these. I would be interested in the openCL support on this...
  • unrulycow - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    As one of the best low wattage cards, this would be a big upgrade for my HTPC system
  • slyons89 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would really like this R7 250 because it is supposedly the fastest card that can be used with AMD Dual Graphics in conjuncture with the A10-7850k APU. I know that Dual Graphics has been a mess with poor frame-time performance in the past, but I am hoping that AMD can resolve the issues and get Dual Graphics up to speed. I think building A10-7850k systems for cheap, and then adding the also relatively inexpensive R7 250 down the road would be an interesting value proposition for a gaming pc and media center, and also for Steam OS.
  • johncody - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a nice addition to my PC
  • Bebsman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I think I could put this to good use.
  • truk007 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My last discrete graphics card died in Nov of 2012. I recently built a new system with a 4770k, Gigabyte UD5H, and G.Skill RAM; and I have been playing games using the intel HD graphics 4600 (which has been miserable). I have been weighing the pros and cons between the variety of GPUs on the market, and had strongly considered the newer AMDs for the cost to performance they offered. Yet, the prices on their higher end cards have increased (I guess due to the bitcoin-mining trend). I had previously owned Nvidia GPUs in SLI but my experience with them was just so-so (I had to RMA them several times, which was mildly perturbing). I want something that is reliable and will last me a long time and I'd like to find a company that reciprocates loyalty.

    I'd really like to get back to some quality gaming and would love the opportunity to try out a card from AMD. I have always been a frequent gamer and I have been itching to getting back in the fold.

    Thanks to AMD for the giveaway!
  • Grysts - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Finally I can replace my GT430
  • EvanGrill - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wife needed a computer. We had been sharing my iMac for quite some time but we needed to both use it at the same time, her to make materials for her class and myself to do schoolwork. I wanted to buy her an iMac to compliment mine, but she didn't want to spend that kind of money. Without my knowledge she went out and bought a Dell Inspiron 660.

    The system actually isn't too bad. Intel Core i5-3340 (3.1 Ghz Quad Core), 8 GB DDR3 1600, 1TB Seagate HDD. The only thing it's lacking is a GPU, It's using the CPU's Integrated Intel HD Graphics 2500. It does however have a PCI Express x16 slot on the motherboard waiting for a GPU.

    As she's used the computer more and more she's decided she'd like to try some gaming. She's interested in playing older titles, like Portal and World of Warcraft, which would likely run like a champ on the AMD Radeon R7 250.
  • mac4685 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'd like one please! :)
  • InvincibleVase - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i have an absolutely budget system to learn linux on, I planned on getting a budget graphics card somewhere down the line, but this would be a perfect fit for this system
  • lane42 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    iam in Thanks
  • CoolBOBob1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in
  • Einy0 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes Please
  • ALLisONE - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Specs:
    Intel Celeron G540
    Using the integrated graphics :(
    Intel B75 mb
    4gb memory
    2 80gb & one 160gb hd
    Viewsonic G90f crt monitor, it's slowly dying :(

    The Radeon R7 250 would be a decent size upgrade of what I currently have to say the least :).

    I would use it primarily for playing games of course. Being able to play at something other than low resolution & the lowest of settings would undoubtedly decrease my frustration and increase my level of enjoyment in playing games in my spare time :).
  • SkyBum - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    All of the many price points, this is my favorite one.
  • billhickok1837 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am currently running an AMD A10-7850K budget machine with 16GB RAM and an SSD drive, which i’m using for architecture school and some occasional gaming at 1080p resolution. My current configuration performs nicely but I would be very interested in seeing how the R7 250 improves performance in crossfire mode with my APU. I appreciate value when it comes to hardware, which is why this GPU at it’s entry-level price is very appealing to me.
  • GeoBoy(SU - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current system I use in my classroom is a Lenovo H430. The specs on it are pretty basic:

    i3-2120
    Intel HD 2000 Integrated Graphics
    4GB RAM
    1TB HDD

    A very capable system for 90% of what I do EXCEPT some more complex Google Earth flyby-type presentations that I do. Pretty choppy on the HD2000.

    I would love a basic, entry level card to be able to lift the processing load for things such as Google Earth, and don't need some steroid-infused $500+ card to fit the bill.
  • jkhoward - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I personally have a R9-290X, gaming laptop, and a slim desktop with a Nvidia 650. I would not personally use this card for myself but if I were to win this product I would give this to my friend Sam. Sam is struggling with a few issues right now and I would do anything to keep this kid from making silly mistakes. Have a better graphics card then what he already has would keep him away from the people that are causing him to make poor mistakes. This card would mean a lot to Sam and myself.

    Thank you AMD for giving me the opportunity to help a friend!

    *name changed for privacy
  • MADPhoenix - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Shut up and take my... oh wait this a giveaway. Sweet!
  • PawnX - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm looking to make a PC for my home theater system from my last pc. Unfortunately my old video card will just not cut it with it's heat/noise issues.
  • *kjm - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I don't need it but my brother in law needs it in the worst way. His video card took a dive and they don't have the finances to buy a new one and I'm out of old ones to hand out. He is down to on board video and this would be a God send.
  • sarotara - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Want!
  • ingwe - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yes please.
  • collegeguypat - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take one if I get picked.
  • HumanPlus - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My system was originally built in 2010. It now has an i3 CPU and 8 g or DDR3 ram. Everything but the old nvidia gpu has gone through upgrades. I'm not even sure what the gpu is, but it had troubles with skyrim. This card would be an upgrade.
  • jpthor - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in
  • TheLostColonist - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Another giveaway already. Awesome :-)
  • tnynyn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • seinzumtode - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    In for a penny . . .
  • MC EP - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    OK! :)
  • Kepolar - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My HTPC is currently using onboard intel graphics and I'd like to be able to do better in the gaming department on it. So yeah, upgrade...
  • winac - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My desktop has a PhenomII X2 550 cpu, 4GB RAM, and a Radeon HD 4670 GPU. The setup is getting a bit old, but it is still capable of keeping up with my schoolwork. One problem I have with the 4670 is that it no longer receives driver updates, and that means living with legacy Windows 8 support. I have considered upgrading my GPU, or even building a whole new system, but I decided against it in order to reduce the amount of loans I need for college
  • karlito - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hey Anand, I would put this into my media pc that's plugged into my tv. right now the media pc is running an Lano APU and it struggles to be a good spectating machine for DotA tournaments. It also lacks the graphics power to run some controller games I like to have on the big screen such as NBA 2k14, Batman series, TMNT: out of the shadows and FIFA Soccer. Lano is great however for all the LEGO games and Castle crashers :D

    TLDR; Play more games and use DotA in client to spectate tournaments. Lano is good but not good enough.
  • Forever - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I like cats!
  • ccbadd - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like this card to use as an upgrade for the embedded A10-5800K processor.
  • JWMac - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    hook me up
  • jowdy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Well, I suppose.. ;-)
  • retroshag - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Very nice
  • threeclaws - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    in
  • ninjagrips - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be for my little htpc I'm building. i3-4130, 4GB RAM, Asrock mITX MB, Corsair 250d. Only card I have to put in there now is an old 8800GT. Would be nice to be able to play at least some games on this thing!
  • kafkar - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yeah why not.
  • PaPablista - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just set my 80 year old Mother up with her first PC an old system of mine, Core2duo 2.8 w/2gb ram and integrated graphics so she can converse with her sisters and watch her christian video's (which is nearly impossible) with the on board graphics, So make my MoM happy and award her this card.
  • timcrna - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I just built an AMD A8-5600K mini-ATX and did not install a GPU. This card would be perfect for me.
  • rsander5 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would like to try an AMD card.
  • Dshek - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My current PC setup is that I don't have my own... Ever since joining the professional world many years ago I've had company issued workstations and note books.

    I'd probably use this to build a media/steam box to sit between my tv and work space / monitor. I'd imagine it would perform better than the NVS3100 that runs my current gaming powerhouse when it's not shutting down due to thermal overload.
  • AyrtonSpinna - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Should be a huge improvement over the 5450 in a family member's PSU constrained Dell box.
  • Rufus M - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm in the pool. The water's warm.
  • pork420 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    i would love to have this. its a lot better than the card in my sons pc
  • vectra - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This will make a good htpc .
  • PC_overload - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Free is always good, you can count me in! :)
  • toooskies - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    comment!
  • ol1bit - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hmm, nice addition to my HTPC, Steam Big screen anyone?
  • mgoldfar - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm feeling lucky today.
  • pyro1428 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • Tchamber - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yep, I would like to win something...thanks for the chance guys.
  • gorf1337 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    would be cool to have
  • malikerl - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in
  • christoph411 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Can't argue with the cost of free.
  • spamfilterman - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    have a crap old core 2 duo pc w/ unknown nvidia card. need upgrade...
  • AlNasty - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My youngest son is using on-board graphics, this would make a nice upgrade to his AMD system.
  • el6000 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • Elixer - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Need something to replace a Nvidia geforce 8800, and this would do that.
  • Geran - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Count me in on this giveaway :)
  • sonny73n - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a system that I built from 3 years ago with the i5-2500k and the GTX 560ti, mainly for Photoshop CS6. Lately I've been doing a lot of researches for the best GPU which CS6 can optimize and I've found that CS6 utilize OpenCL more from AMD. Hence, I'm thinking of getting an AMD GPU for less power draw and better performance. This would be perfect for my switch over.
  • chui101 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an HTPC running Intel's X4500 graphics (yes, ancient!) and it's only capable of decoding videos and playing very old games. I would like to be able to play some newer games on it so I'm not limited to gaming in my own room. The system only has a 350W PSU and does not have a 6-pin connector for more powerful PCI-E cards, so I would like to upgrade it with an R7 250, which is a good card that most importantly stays inside my power envelope!
  • wbensky - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am not a hardcore gamer myself, but I do like to play some a once in a while on my laptop (2012 MacBook Air). As you might imagine, the frame-rate and quality aren't exactly breakthrough, and I wouldn't mind getting an upgrade. I'm not a huge fan of dedicated game consoles, and with the recent release of SteamOS, I've been considering doing a budget build with a similar card. Since the card is somewhat small, I would probably outfit this with some decent parts, and then use it as my Steam Machine/home media console.
  • tx_shamrock - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    In
  • da22 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    nice
  • Vistha - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hey neat, pretty solid card.
  • jjscott - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Tired of running remote access protocols to virtual systems, going to try direct video pass through to guests and use a KVM to switch between them for a better experience. I've been looking 5450's or 6450's but i'd be happy starting with an R7 250 : )
  • dergamma - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    AMD FTW
  • ctyper - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Enter
  • ihygp - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a gift for my girlfriend. Her birthday is coming up. She's got a speedy new quad-core paired with a glacial old nvidia 8600gt video card. This would let us play borderlands2 together.
  • WalkingDead - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take one.
  • pdcant - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Yeah! Mine fail because the fans wear out.
  • Torpor - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure why not!
  • kidbear75 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Okay, let's check my luck at here.
  • tntonster - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My friend needs a gpu since his new system is running on integrated graphics... LOL
  • CSbeer - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would use this to build my brother a new gaming system. He currently uses a HP dual core system with a 4xxxx radeon card, so would be a nice upgrade. And as far as dual graphics goes, I have an HP Llano laptop with a dedicated card that I run asymmetrical crossfire on, on some applications there are great results for the price paid.
  • ProdigyI5 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want this card!
  • bendermichaelr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My most recent setup is an AMD A10-7850k APU seated in an ASUS a88xm-a motherboard with G.Skill ripjaws z memory running at 2400MHz and 10-12-12-30-1T. The goal of the system was to be a gamer and HTPC combined and it definitely fit the bill. It all fits nicely into a Fractal mATX case which makes the system easy to handle and move when necessary. This was a very budget friendly build out of necessity, which meant relying on the r7 integrated graphics. I must say I'm very pleased with its performance thus far, but my experience could definitely gain from the extra processing power of an R7 250 working in tandem with Kaveri's r7 graphics. Sometimes, simply changing the graphics settings in a game from medium to high is enough shift the focus from playing the story to enjoying the artists' work as it's meant to be viewed, often warranting a second play-through. Replaying a game with higher graphics settings is like reading a book before watching the movie. I need the r7 250 in order to appreciate my games for all that they are.
  • crappycrap - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    pick me pick me!
  • calmnothing - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be great to use while I am waiting on my RMA =(
  • iTzSnypah - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love to win this card. I would give it to my brother. He bought a Dell 660i a few months ago and he games with the machine oblivious to the slide show that the Pentiums integrated graphics produce. I would love to give him this card so he could have a much better gaming experience that smoother gameplay provides.
  • rupert3k - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Go perfect in my media PC.
    I'd hoped Ivy HD4000 graphics would be enough but sadly it was not to be.
  • Germs13 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Looking to build an 7850k in mid March and would like run the R7 250 in hybrid crossfire for an extra punch and be able to set away from the xbox360 and have access to cheaper games.
  • Gierling - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    A very nice video card indeed.
  • willxiv - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Good luck, everyone!
  • Concillian - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Need a card for my nephew's computer. He's 15 and currently using a Geforce 7900 GT (yes, that old). He lives with us to go to our local high school, as the one local to his father's house is in Stockton, CA and rather sketchy (News stories of guns / knives found at school, occasional fights that end in stabbings... all around bad news.) He plays Minecraft rather a lot on team based servers, I think most frequently "The Walls." Kind of a low budget version of Battlefield, as his graphics card is in no way fit for anything more than what he's playing, and at 15 he doesn't have the budget to upgrade himself. The whole system is "hand me down" parts from myself, CPU is an i3-530 overclocked to 4GHz with 4GB. A capable CPU and memory subsystem clearly held back by the graphics card.
  • ar38070 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have a HTPC with an old nvidia card and want to try out AMD
  • quaz0r - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My dad uses a few 3D apps but continues to limp along with very old hardware. This would be a good upgrade for him.
  • Frenetic Pony - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Shar laddey, shar.
  • insane_sockeye - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Does it come with a six pack?
  • jlisic - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I am currently running an amd phenom II 945 with an nvidia 470gtx and would like to try some of the opencl code I am writing for my dissertation on a non-nvidia gpu.
  • raxton - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The Nvidia GTS450 in my wife's computer is pretty long in the tooth and has an annoying fan squeak. We would love to upgrade to something faster (and quieter) without driving up the power bill, but money is very tight right now.
  • sulika - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want one.
  • barleyguy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It sounds like from the description, the point of this contest is to put in an effort, not scream "gimme, gimme, gimme".

    The reason I need this is because I have two computers and only one decent video card. If I win, I could do a direct comparison between the Radeon 7770 and the Radeon 250x, to see which is faster, or whether they are basically identical. Then the faster one will go with my FX-6300, and the slower (or less quiet) one will go with my Phenom II 955.

    Cheers.
  • pjpapu - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sure sure i can write a rewiew
  • punjabiplaya - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I shall enter this contest.
  • Keroberos - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Could use an upgrade on my HTPC/Steam Box.
  • natengng - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    !_!
  • sgtsweetnsour - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I think this would make a handy edition to my HTPC system, the discrete GPU would definitely handle some light gaming better than the onboard Intel HD GPU right now.
  • Boogaloo - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll take it i guess. I'm not happy about it though.
  • diefirma - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an old AMD 630 cpu and a cheap motherboard. I am planning to upgrade to an FX-8320 for two reasons. First, on the CPU side, I am writing some programs in Go and that language can make use of all 8 cores. I am almost embarrassed to admit this but I am such a college football geek that I edit video of games. 8 cores and a nice video card would make a nice value system for my needs
  • Khenglish - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This is an upgrade for my brother! I need to give him presents!
  • trader4jc - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'll just have to build a system around it. Killer.
  • hextor - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It is time for an upgrade.
  • albiglan - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    System I have for the R7 250 is an older i7 930 that I've converted over for my son (10yo) to use. It currently has an equally old GeForce 310. I've been using this system to help him get familiar with the "guts" of a computer. Our goal is to make a quiet/silent system that he can also use for games. We have been looking at the machine component by component and understanding the tradeoffs in upgrading. We just finished migrating from an HDD to SSD and now are looking at "everything that needs a fan" which puts the Video Card next on the list of components. We had looked and were thinking of buying this card exactly(!) to pick up performance gains in the same power point. (which is a nice discussion bridge into talking about the 130watt i7 930 vs the 85w Haswell machine I have) In any case... would love to get the card. Happy to write up our thoughts on adding it to the system. (just don't expect dB measurements or Kill-a-Watt analysis ofthe power usage :-) Thanks again for offering these give-aways!
  • InMyMemory - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm using integrated graphics right now so would be nice to put a dedicated card into my system!
  • Kerbpc - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Big pc enthusiast, love to get my hands on a new toy! I would put that card to good use :D
  • Ma Deuce - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    /train
  • Bassplayeraz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Small and light, it's perfect for the older Battlefield 1942 mods , they only do 100Fraps max anyway. My grandkids luv those!
  • themeinme75 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would use this
  • jwaight - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could use this.
    I run an Asus Z87-Pro with an Intel i5-4670K, 16GB Ram with a Samsung 840 EVO 256GB. I currently use the onboard video due to cost reasons and the other AMD cards (R9 or R7) are too expensive. I run 1920x1200 on a 24" LCD. This would slot in the system quiet well.
  • blwest - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I'm working on upgrading my rig, this would be a nice addition. Thank you Anandtech for the chance of winning this card.
  • bradley gazov - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I run a core2 box to dj in second life. with my broadcast box, integrated graphics sorta cut it but it would be nice to have this to free up system ram and speed up the display with SAM. rattles tin cup, please help me play the blues up to my potential
  • colesbury - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    hello
  • Abbysion - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Would be great for my small form factor off-the-shelf living room pc. :)
    CHOOSE ME!!!
  • franzeal - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    It's better than what I've got.
  • LeroyTetris - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!
  • FearfulSPARTAN - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Hi I would give this card to my sister who is going to build her own pc pretty soon, her budget is very small so she was going to settle on integrated graphics but if I were to win the card I would give it to her.
  • mgrier - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    be mine
  • mongoosedog - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Such a horrible problem to get a new piece of electronics...
  • Scalarscience - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    A card is a card is a card!
  • Judhajit - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Currently have a budget PC (on student budget!) without any video card (except Intels integrated). Using a 1600x900 monitor which should be perfect for r7. Mostly I play PES which in not very video card intensive. This will do nicely.
  • kavanoz - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    7898
  • bdiddytampa - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Ain't no stuff like free stuff :-D
  • skeighter67 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Building a system with my younger son right now. Gonna do an Athlon x4 750 system. Have a Radeon 4850 to get him started. Would be nice to have a little step up to get him going on building his own rigs.
  • sxiong1 - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I want to win!!
  • caqde - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Video card yippee
  • Wankie - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Won't mind one for a HTPC.
  • barbeque - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    This would be a great start to my new PC to replace the AMD 3500+ system with a GeForce 8600 GTS. I am due for an upgrade like this.
  • boarsmite - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I would love to win this card. My desktop is a Gateway FX7029E with a core 2 quad CPU (Q9300) with 4gb mem, Geforce 8800 gt w/512mb vram, an Intel 120gb SSD boot drive and 500gb storage drive. I can play most modern games still with fair graphics/frame rates, but I'm betting the bump to 1gb on the R7 250, not to mention the new gpu would be a big win for me. ;-)
  • vailr - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the giveaways!
  • RJTremor - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Alright, so you wanna know my current setup and why I need this card. I'm running an older Dell Dimension 5150 Pentium D with an HD 2600 XT 256 meg as my current video card. Money's kinda been short for awhile and the computer I'd stockpiled bits and pieces for for about a couple of years and finally put together ended up with a problem in 6 months, assuming it's the PSU, so I'm back on my Dell, thankful that it exists too. The 2600 XT is pretty pokey, and seeing as my current PSU's only 300w, I can't use a card that needs extra power running to it. The R7 250 would breathe life into an older system that's still quite usable and keep it as such for quite awhile longer. If I could personally upgrade it I would, but of course I'd also get my other computer going too, so yeah, cash.
  • proxi - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I've been swapping my GTX-460 and HD5750 to test with my 3D Projector. I have found that AMD/TriDef is *much* more flexible than nVidia's 3dVision. Thus, I would like this new-generation Radeon to replace my old 5750.
  • highlyanimated - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I can get jiggy with this...
  • DougieFi - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    The reason that I would like the video card is because I really want to showcase a powerful gaming computer... that's wireless. Completely wireless! I have a Lian Li Train case that I am modifying so that it orbits my TV. Much like a train model, it's going to be powered through the rail road tracks, and I'm looking into making circular tracks and making sure the train can handle a turn.

    I really want this card because when paired with the A10-7850K computer that I just built I would be able to showcase a computer that's powerful and finally get some interest in wireless display technology. I search every day for advancements made. It's my dream to make entirely wireless computers, and the best way to showcase that is the build I'm doing now.

    Would the dual graphics be able to do wireless display? I'm not sure, but there are always ways of making it work. I'm not opposed to getting in there myself and making a circuit to show it off.

    So I guess: TL;DR I want it to improve the capabilities of the integrated graphics for wireless display so I can showcase a completely wireless desktop pc if possible to finally get some interest in the technology.
  • GroovyKroovy - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I could for sure use this.
  • papajohn - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    My wife still uses the pc I built for her years ago to edit family photos and videos. It's a Phenom II 955 with a MSI 890GXM-G65 mobo. The integrated GPU is an ATI Radeon HD4290 which is adequate handling video editing. Winning this R7 250 card would really give her pc some raw GPU power to editing those 1080p family videos!
  • Walkertron - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Current build is missing a decent graphics card -- would be great to have one.
  • Brianjohnson - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    I have an aging AMD Phenom II X2 555 system, complete with motherboard integrated graphics. Time to upgrade so I can actually play a game!
  • metalSHOCK - Thursday, February 20, 2014 - link

    Looking to build an HTPC that'll also double as light gaming pc when I have guests over. Paired with an energy efficient duo core Haswell, I think it'll be just fine.
  • Ekodas - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would use this card to upgrade my kids computer. It's about a 5-year old machine that could use a little pick me up. Currently has an Intel Quad-core Q6700 in an Intel DG33TL motherboard with 3GB of ram, running an HIS Radeon HD 4830. This would be a great step up to allow them to run more/better games on their system.
  • kunuri - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Wow.
    Such MHZ.
    So very red.
    Much VRAM.
  • jnm2 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Anything to get me off of Intel HD 4000... As a college student gpus are not exactly on the top of the shipping list, no matter how much I might hope
  • churchgeek - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current machine has a Phenom II X2 550 (which is unlocked to be a quad core) with integrated graphics and 8 gigs of ram. I use 2 displays for how I work and if I won, the Radeon R7 250 would be perfect- low on power draw, quiet, and way better for driving 2 displays at the same time.
  • KurskKnyaz - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    in!!
  • node.js - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    AMD is improving its support for GNU/Linux.
  • biohazard918 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have an older system here with an 5450 in it I would like to put a better gpu into it so I can let my sister play my steam games with family shearing its an older althon II 935 based oem system and doesn't have the power supply to handle any thing that requires more then motherboard power.
  • skipuppy - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in
  • MrDiSante - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I've got a pretty powerful rig (8GB RAM, Core i5-3330, 250GB SSD, 2TB HDD), which I built for myself as a dev machine, and for personal use. However, I don't have a video card in there, so when I try to play anything (CS:GO, StarCraft 2), the framerate is unplayable because I'm using the built-in Intel graphics.

    I can't say that I "need" this card, but it would be nice to actually be able to play games at more than 30fps.
  • baccous - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    wonder what this would do on DICE
  • DaTanMan - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Eh, why not?
  • virtuacarl - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd like to build something inexpensive, and this would be a good place to start!
  • ItsMeZed72 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Neat little graphics card :)
  • larsoncc - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd love to win this! Consider this my entry...
  • Peeping Tom - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    To answer the entry question, I currently have a Xeon E3 series processor running on a SuperMicro server motherboard with about 24 GB memory. My current GPU is a cheapo Nvidia GT 610, which sucks for obvious reasons. When I built the system (originally to crunch numbers) I had no money left over for a decent GPU. So for now, I literally cannot play any games. It would be REALLY nice to be able to play (even on medium for some), and the R7 250 looks like a nice step up. I'll be honest and say I haven't owned a AMD GPU since Radeon HD 5830, but a little convincing wouldn't hurt! lol ;-)

    I'll be more than happy to provide substantial feedback if I win. I've had consumer reviews published elsewhere.
  • Vrod - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Sweet!
  • Vrod - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    building an htpc
  • tmodjeska - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm currently running an Athlon II X4 620 on an MSI 785GM mainboard and a Radeon HD 6570. I was planning on replacing that with an A10 7850k setup and would love to try the dual graphics feature
  • theocontinuum - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    why not?
  • cowzzwoc - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    yes please
  • vignyan - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in...
  • Cleggy1969 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Pick me please.
  • faraz9206 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    good luck
  • EyelessBlond - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current desktop setup is a a Core i5 3570K running off of integrated graphics. I've been wanting to hook up a 3rd monitor, mostly to watch movies while still doing actual work in the other two windows, and this card will get me there without having to upgrade my power supply.
  • Nemesix - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Since my gaming desktop and consoles were stolen, I'm stuck using an ancient laptop. This would be a decent starting point to building another rig.
  • I Am Error - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I started a build about 2 months ago, but things keep coming up which keeps me from getting a dedicated GPU (have been running on integrated graphics).
  • mongmingmong - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I need a new card for my old rig, my old card died.
  • nick76_dune - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!
  • venk90 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I was not lucky enough to win any of the intel giveaways. So built a kaveri 7850k based desktop with an ITX board, 16 GB 2133 ram, 240 GB SSD. Really hoping I can get this to give the graphics a little bump through dual graphics and hopefully there are no frame pacing issues.

    An Intel build with an i3/ low i5 and basic dGPU was probably possible for around the same money.
  • rseiler - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Maybe
  • manoj252 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Good luck!
  • jake1947 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Something good is always worthwhile...
  • BrianL22 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I want it.
  • BrianL22 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I want this.
  • LuPiS1068 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    yes please
  • slinkyb - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current setup is a 7600GT - I'd like to be able to play some of the newer games without having to lower the resolution on my screen. Additionally, I can benefit greatly from the video and software (i.e. Photoshop) acceleration built in to this card. I've never had the opportunity to run more than one graphics card at once, and I'd like to do it with the R7 250. If chosen, I will make sure to put this card through the paces, and provide in-depth feedback.
  • tammlam - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I recently built my first computer with a Richland A8, FM2+ mITX M/B, HD 7850, and Cooler Master Elite 130 case. I am already anticipating my next build which will be smaller. Perhaps an Elite 110 case and this R7 250 will be perfect. These small builds are addictive.
  • kirsion - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    sounds legit
  • SR81 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm eager to build my own Steam machine for use in the living room. Have an old Intel Core Duo box with integrated graphics fulfilling those duties for now. This card would allow me to actually install a number of games locally instead of streaming them all the time.
  • lazydc - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Would appreciate one since my current videocard is slower and consumes more power. This would help me save on my power bill and play the latest games!
  • samedhi - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I like turtles
  • Whitefish - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I like free stuff, now if only i could win free stuff... x(o.o)x fingers crossed...
  • Vaygr - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    count me in!
  • MuchRamen - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Perfect for htpc
  • godl!ke - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    AMD GPUs make for good HTPCs. My 4650 is adequate, but more power is always good.
  • casetronic - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    me too!
  • puffpio - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    me
  • Cullinaire - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I've been using the processor graphics on my i5-2500k ever since an 8800GTX I had died due to old age. The iGPU has been surprisingly capable, actually managing to run a lot of the games I tried on it, but the performance ceiling is still very, very low. I've no doubt I'd put this card through its paces if I got a hold of one!
  • B0nenk - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Hope That I'll Be The Winner...
  • Dalminar - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yes, please
  • animal4547 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Currently, I am using a GTX 570 and have always used NVidia GPUs. Although I realize the R7 250 is nowhere near my GPU in terms of performance, have been curious as to AMD GPU performance and heat generation.
  • CrimsonWolf - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Thanks AMD and Anand! Would go great in the PC in my living room.
  • ver4point5 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would be simply wonderful
  • stolid - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I've been considering two builds lately out of parts I have. I'd love to put together a light TV gaming rig / HTPC out of some spare parts (Core 2 Duo) or to add a card to my dual socket F build as a workstation (it was a server). I have some old power sucking cards that are not quite ideal for these roles (8800GTs, Radeon 4850s).
  • plasmasmp - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Glad to see all the contests around here lately
  • hotlavaaaa - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm building my first computer ever in the next month or so. I plan to get an A8-7600 when they are released. I think running an R7 250 in Dual Graphics with the A8-7600 would give me a really enjoyable gaming system that doesn't use that much power. The computer I use now has 1 core(AMD!!) and 1GB of ram, so to say I'm looking forward to building my new PC would be an understatement.
  • The Von Matrices - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd like one.
  • The Von Matrices - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would be a great upgrade for my HTPC with integrated graphics.
  • Dentons - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    A nice HTPC component.
  • zjakkmd - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I recently built a budget gaming PC with an A10-7850K APU and no discrete GPU. I would love to be able to increase the gaming capabilities of my system with the R7 250 in dual graphics mode. So please sign me up and thanks for the giveaway!
  • gentlearc - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My HTPC yearns for this
  • hieuman - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    To ebay you go ;P
  • Tegeril - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have a slowly failing GTX 650 in my HTPC and this would be a champ at replacing it.
  • tattedmex - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm in the middle of putting together a budget gaming system for my son. He was supposed to get it for X-mas, but as I wanted to run with a Kaveri A10-7850k, I asked him if he'd mind waiting until the parts came out and he said "sure." With the 250 able to x-fire and pairing it all with some 2133 Ram, it would be the icing on the cake for my kid's system.
  • roxz72 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Core i7 Still sporting an nVidia 260 -- Should help some
  • evongugg - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Love it
  • Tregg575 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Right now in my rig I have an fx 6300 CPU because that was the best price to performance CPU I could afford at the time. However, my budget was not big enough to support getting a discrete GPU, so I have been using one of my buddy's gt 610 while I save up for the r7 265.
  • D3v - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    For my 7 year old son, whose current pc for gaming is: Core2Duo e6750/Win7/4GB/Nvidia 9800GT 512MB. I need a new, faster video card for my son's PC. The current card is only equipped with 512MB of vram, and moving to 1GB will help immensely. Texture swapping is killing performance on the co-op games we play, like Gary's Mod. Temperature is also critical: The current cpu is overheating due to the very high idle and load temps of the nvidia card, which are 50C and 88C, respectively. The 250 idles at a cool 24C and at full load is 60C, using about 100W less power as well and as such, putting out a fraction of the total heat. I really want to make my son happy gaming with him, but right now we are so frustrated; I don't have the money for a new card, and he so badly wants me to fix it for him. Help! If I get this GPU, it will be used for co-op gaming with my son in Minecraft, Garry's Mod, Lego the Movie PC game, Grid 2, Rayman Legends, Duck Tales and Castle of Illusion remastered, Need for Speed Rivals and more. ALL of these games currently cause a rapid, recurring system crash, and cannot be played at all.
  • makfreeman - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Not gonna win this as usual.
  • docphw - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    certainly!
  • WhatIsTheFussAbout - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Trying to afford a HTPC for the gym in the basement to play exercise DVDs and streaming. Own a lot of DVDs that are backed up to a hdd but are getting scratched from lots of use.
  • Jeff H - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm in the early stages of upgrading my machine, on the face of it to accommodate Win 7, but there's an alterior motive. I'd like to get back in to gaming, and my current system comes up short in one area - video. I currently use a Radeon HD6670 (xfx, 1GB) card, and I'm quite sure it will come up a bit short for today's games.

    I'm winding down in my career, and while I have no concerns about remaining active in retirement, gaming is something I'm looking forward to dipping my toes back in to after many years of the computer simply being a work tool.
  • GuardianAngel470 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm currently attempting to overhaul my (very old) gaming rig. It's based on an AM3 Asus M4A78LT-M LE, an Athlon II X2, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and an HD 5670 from Sapphire, all of which I got from Cyberpower PC a while back.

    Plainly said, most anything would be an upgrade for me at this point, and I am on a very shoestring budget. I've got very little income, and what's there goes to paying for my computer science degree.

    Ultimately, I'd use it to play some games in my downtime, relieve some stress from the college grind, and free up a little cash so that I can upgrade my core components sometime down the road, which would allow me to more easily tackle some of the larger programming projects on the not-to-distant horizon.

    I am always willing to opine about a product though, and would definitely be willing to give more than a "paragraph or two" about the R7 250 if I won.

    Here's to hoping for a (very) late Santa this year!
  • Slack One - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    After 9 (NINE!) years of scraping by with a single core 32-bit Athlon in a Shuttle XPC case (biggest mistake ever), I managed to scrape enough parts together one NewEgg sale and Amazon gift card at a time to build a Haswell i5 system last month, with a bunch of the parts bummed off of friends who upgraded their systems. Right now I'm running on a testy old 400w power supply with no EIDE connectors and integrated Intel HD graphics, so the 250 is an appealing card for the power envelope. My "good" monitor is 1280x1024 native, so I feel I'm in the target audience for the R7-250 as it is. Running Linux Mint currently, but will probably also be installing Win 8.1 and SteamOS on it in the near future.

    BTW, this isn't a sob story, my family isn't poor. Our budget was just weighted such that any and every thing was put in priority over a new computer. Our disposable income just tended to get spent on home remodels, paying off cars, sudden emergencies like a busted sewer line, etc. This computer is something of a labor of love and an experiment in commando purchasing using credit card rewards and junk like Swagbucks (rewards good, Swagbucks bad). Having decent graphics would help a ton.
  • Legendarydust - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    would love this for my htpc
  • theotherdan - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Why not, sign me up!
  • OrbitalSI - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Please
  • Icabus - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    in for this.
  • devdollers@gmail.com - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    i hungery to take this AMD card......
  • royalcrown - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd actually give it to my son, he just got a 2.93 ghz quad core for Christmas, but running only an ancient Fire GL 256 MB card. He cant play anything with us and his brother unless it is on LOOOW. That plain stinks. He needs a decent card that does not draw a lot of juice. You'd really make my kids birthday (even if it IS in June :D ) !
  • Taurus229 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Thank you, AMD & AnandTech, I'm in.
  • vadger - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I need this to fix a wobbly table!
  • Scootiep7 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I can find a use for it.
  • Mucky Muckerson - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me as in.
  • slackhouse - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yes please. Would smash.
  • Atreidin - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would be pretty cool to have.
  • rmbelew87 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Oh please, oh please, oh please!!!
  • xdeath223 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    count me in :D <3!!
  • wiesses - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current desktop is centered around an A10-5800K with no dGPU. My usage is mostly light gaming, with things like Torchlight/FTL/Gnomoria being my go-to games.

    With this card, I would either head down the Dual Graphics route (not sure it's supported - VLIW4 + GCN1.1), or replacement graphics.

    Additionally, I'm interested in seeing how AMD has improved the Radeon video playback drivers under Linux.
  • EDHahn - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Currently I have a htpc sitting in my room without a video card. I had to steal the card form this to put in to my larger rig when my soc 460 died on my 2 weeks ago. I have no cable and watch most of my TV through strevices. This would be a gerat experiment to put in my htpc and build steam box out of
  • royalcrown - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I might as well further qualify my previous post since I am asking for a free GPU. My kid got a sweet deal on his computer...a compact 6000 pro MT:

    http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/pscmisc/vac/us/en/s...

    It has most of the guts of a good gaming machine for a 12 year olds first rig. 2.93 quad, 6 gigs, and 500 gb sata hdd...but it has some super proprietary power supply and no spare leads at all. I want to change it, but it's got some weird inline (non standard AND undocumented) connector to the MB, so he's stuck with it for now. A GPU that doesn't need a 6 pin would at least get him SOME eye candy for our 4 way Company of Heroes battles with his brother and step brothers. He's likes to play a lot on steam and has access to all our apps and games, so he could give you all a ton of test data that other budget gamers would find useful. Likely the demographic that would buy a card like this...so a win win all around.

    Thanks for letting me talk your eyes off Anand.
  • poniax - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Nice upgrade from my GeForce 2
  • MetXallica - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Lower power consumption than my GTX460 in my Media Center PC.
  • Abestrick - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I want or built a computer.
  • K344y - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Currently using a 3 year old lenovo t410. Used to play games on it but not anymore as the highest frames i can get now is usually around 5 in Skyrim and League of Legends. The hard drive seems to be failing already thanks to the travel abuse it has gone through. Would use the card to build a budget AMD system, with an ssd, to play League of Legends and Skyrim again
  • Abestrick - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I want to build a computer.
  • LordOfTheBoired - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Well, if AMD needs a review afterwards, I may have a problem.
    In this case, the current system is nonexistent. I'm building a computer for a friend on a tight budget, and a free video card will mean more money in the budget that can go to a faster processor or more RAM or (dare I dream?) an SSD.
  • GCustom - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    why not?
  • derickh - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Ready for my new graphics card. Thanks Anand!
  • Exterous - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would be a great upgrade for my HTPC which sometimes struggles with bluray playback. The 4k resolution would be fantastic although I don't have a receiver that supports it (yet...). I am also intrigued by the improved efficiency compared to what I am running now
  • PinkElephant - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My HTPC could use an upgrade!
  • doublegap - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Ask, and you will receive
  • dlmartin53 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Would be a great replacement for my old card.
  • res057 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    OK
  • peterbazooka - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Could build an htpc around this.
  • digitalsolo - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    The system I would use this card for is a small HTPC that needs a relatively quite and low power usage card that still has enough grunt to making my gaming (both PC and emulator) that I do on the system enjoyable. The system is currently hobbled by the Intel onboard graphics and a card like this would fit the bill perfectly for improved performance without excessive noise or power usage.
  • StephenP - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    we wants one.
  • Nick2000 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Pick me
  • chrysrobyn - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current system is an i3 with embedded graphics. I'm really looking forward to playing Starcraft 2 with better settings and a good framerate. When not gaming, I use Folding@home.
  • stubeck - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm looking to build a PC to use for HTPC purposes, but also stream Steam over the network. With my current setup, using a built in video card, both are sub par. I'm looking to re-use older hardware in this setup as well to best utilize my systems.
  • fronoun - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    sure
  • sethcrow - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd take one!
  • rpjkw11 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Why certainly.
  • arbiel - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    anandtech is awesome!
  • blergatron - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I built my computer in 08 mostly as an upgrade using my old case, 2gb of ram, and hdd. It has an lga775 e5200 and hd 4850. Works pretty good for older games and lower detail settings. With an r7 250 I could perform an affordable upgrade to fm2+, an a10 processor, and new ram, allowing me to play modern games. My current system is also very noisy at load, and if these components were more quiet I could use it in my living room as a steambox/htpc.
  • itoregon - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yes please. My son is a big gamer and loves all things AMD purely for their exceptional value.
  • Oyeve - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would love a new video card. Haven't purchased one in 7 years due to lack of funds.
  • jermsman18 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Hey Anand,

    Currently I am trying a low cost experiment with a mini-itx system that allows me to compete with the big dogs. System is as follows:

    Silverstone ITX case
    AMD Richland 6800k A10
    Gskill 8GB 2100 memory
    Munskin 60GB SSD
    WD 750GB HD
    LG Disc Drive
    Corsair 140mm liquid cooling closed looped.

    I have built this to prove to my rich buddies that I can run any game on Richland. I have overclocked the CPU to 4.7ghtz and GPU to 1.1ghtz. Along with the high speed ram I am doing pretty well. I am have been looking to crossfire with a low profile AMD card for sometime now to push the setup to its maximum potential. If possible I would love to liquid cool the video card down the road, just to show how high you can go with a little know how.

    I promise to show how I do any changes and share with the world my results!

    Peace,

    Jermsman
  • Grornik - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Love one; Oh, love two.
  • sonelone - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I guess I want one.
  • chef- - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    i just started a new job working with NX Unigraphics, designing tools for a large metal/plastic 3D printing company. This card up for the challenge? ;)
  • gcha0814 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Here's hoping
  • ebelin - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    If chosen - I will not play hard to get ;)
  • jonmdavidson - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Would add the card to a Core 2 Quad Q9450/ 8 GB RAM system to explore OpenCL programming
  • ZveX - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    still better than gt220 wish you guys all good luck
  • ASM-coder - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I am currently running a A8-5600K APU with 8G of memory, 120G SSD + 1TB SATA Drive, using Windows 8. It's actually a very nice machine I built on the cheap, runs most games fine on lower settings, but underpowered for something like BF4(get about 20fps on low settings.) I would certainly enjoy trying something like the R7 250 to find out if adding a low priced discrete GPU would add a bit of oomph to my low end setup. My PSU is about right for the current setup, so adding something like the R7 250 shouldn't require any additional upgrades. Sounds like the perfect card for my budget rig.
  • wheat_thins - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    HTPC BUILD!
  • phantomtofu - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My personal system is fine; I'm a casual gamer with a 560ti

    This Christmas my little brother-in-law (age 8) got Minecraft for Christmas. He loves it, but the 5-year-old Dell's integrated graphics (6150 LE with Intel Core 2 Duo and 2 GB DDR2) just can't play it smoothly. I've been looking for a card that will run on the PCI-E power from the mobo that's also powerful enough that I'd transfer it to a new computer sometime. This R7 250 may fit the bill.
  • myrmidon - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'll take one!
  • tekeffect - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have a core 2 duo 8500 and a Intel BOXDQ45EK that I am turning into a htpc and a emulator / light gaming set-up. this would fit nicely
  • ChaddM - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Please? Thanks.
  • spawn_solo - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My big rig is an old Core 2 Quad Q6600 + 560 ti GPU. I'm looking to build a mini-ITX sff gaming htpc and purchased a new 7850k APU with 8 GB of 2133 RAM, however it isn't attaining the FPS I was hoping for. An SLI 250 would be PERFECT for my setup, and I would love to write a thorough review if selected as a winner. Thank you so much! Love the site xD
  • cousman95 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I only have one PC in my house that is a hand me down from my friend. I have an Opteron 180, 4 gigs of memory, and an ATI 3850 as my graphics card. The card worked well until it started dying over Christmas break. I love the AMD and ATI cards, but I can't afford one because of car troubles. I would love to win this and replace my unstable 3850.
  • btsfh - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    More shiny new toys? :)
  • dM@n - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Want.
  • Josh123 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd buy that for a dollar!
  • rtb - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would be much better than Sandy Bridge graphics. I will take it.
  • slbridg3 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current setup

    Case - Cooler Master 430 Elite
    PSU - Thermaltake TR2 RX750W
    CPU - i5-3550
    MoBo - Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
    RAM - 16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 1600
    SSD - 120GB OCZ Agility 3
    HDD - 2TB WD Green 7200RPM
    GPU - Nvidia Quadro 4500 (that's right baby, a 7+ yr old workstation card!)

    I don't really NEED a GPU. But I have this decent build which is held back graphically by an outdated card. I got my current GPU from the trash bin at work when I built my rig about 1.5 years ago. Obviously it's not a gaming GPU so games are out of the question with it. I did try to run 3DMark a few weeks back. I think 3DMark reported me to authorities for using their product in a non-advertised way. I stopped PC gaming back in the early 2000s when I started working in high school. I really only had time (and money) to keep up with console gaming. So I've been doing it ever since. I was never one who got their kicks off pixel counting, seeing lighting effects, or watching hair follicles flock in the wind. Mainly I didn't understand the tech.

    But now I've graduated (EE and CPE) and have some time, more cash, and a better understanding of computers. The appeal of PC gaming has slightly come back to me. I'm still a console gamer for the most part, but I'm trying to get back into PC gaming. So I know what you're saying, the R7 250 really isn't going to blow my mind. I would need the 280/290x for that. But I feel the entry-level-ness of the 250 may be a good place to start. If this doesn't pan out (which I'm not holding my breath, because it's almost like a shot in the dark) I'll probably pick up the 265 later this month.

    So what would I use this for? I would get back into some PC gaming. I would add another monitor to my current setup to increase the count to 3 (since this card supports it with Eyefinity). Those extra 2 monitors will make working from home so much easier. If it gets me excited enough about PC gaming again, I'll probably upgrade this to something better and use this in my HTPC.
  • gzp1000 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    count me as entered
  • ChristophKlein - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    dibs
  • kod4krome - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I love a new GPU in the morning...
  • rchris - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the prizes...hope it's my turn to win!
  • Ranari - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would love to win this card! I am building the most epic of all epic HTPC's, and this GPU would be the perfect match.
  • aldoe - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Nice giveaways. Tks.
  • 6demonbag - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Slap my belly and call me Susan because I want one of these cards.
  • lithe456 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    How does this card work? Do I plug it into my toaster or my microwave?
  • Dhalgren14 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Boy that's one hell of a computer they are giving away. It sure would be nice to be the lucky one!
  • Dhalgren14 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    How can I not post at this point?
  • hp79 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have a pretty power efficient mini-itx box with SandyBridge i7 CPU, and a GTX 460 in it. Whole desktop idles around 45W. The only game I play is TeamFortress2 and I think this AMD card will do it while sipping little power. I often monitor my power usage and think my desktop is pretty good at it as it is now, but lower power usage would be always better.
  • Dug - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I currently have an i5-3570k on a Gigabyte GA-Z77N mini-itx motherboard. 8GB ram. Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD. All housed in a Fractal Design Node 304.
    I had bought these parts for a quiet and small machine with the ability to overclock. I found it wasn't needed to overclock and don't care for the extra heat and noise.

    I was hoping the onboard hd4000 graphics would be sufficient for some gaming, but unfortunately it isn't up to par. I have been reluctant to get a video card because of power and heat constraints in a small case.

    The Radeon R7 250 would matter to me because it wouldn't require an extra power cord, it will fit in my case, it should be fairly quiet, it has hdmi out, and it will be good for gaming at 1280x720 (and some 1080). These are all important to me.
  • artoodetoo - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    AMD!
  • EBSP - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    A research project necessitated a CPU upgrade almost two years ago (the entire system has since been replaced). Now i have and Phenom II x4 paired with onboard HD 3100 running ,very infrequently, as a HTPC (socket AM2+). The R7 250 would be a great upgrade to allow gaming this system at 720P. This is the point of this entry level card right, as an upgrade for older hardware which will only collect dust or worse without an appropriate upgrade.
  • aleksaleks - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'll take good stuff anytime :-).
  • EricZBA - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Would love to win and will gladly do a video review
  • hot-soup - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I absolutely need it to test Steam in-house streaming.
  • haelduksf - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yes please
  • dnd728 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I've had maybe 10 ATI/AMD cards fail in a row. I *need* you to prove to me that I *can* get a good one, before I can trust your cards again.
    The needing system is using a slow outdated integrated Intel graphics after the OEM AMD card failed, and the replacement that I bought kept crashing Windows (but it can also be placed in a new built, if you have anything against the old one).
  • neelagopi - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I like these give-aways :)

    Good luck everyone!
  • mjlesko - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    The ASUS Radeon R7 250 would be a great fit for my 5yr old HTPC, which is more of a family workhorse PC than a strictly media PC. It is used as a DVR, media PC, light gaming rig, web surfing, photo editing, and anything-else-we-can-throw-at-it PC. It was built as a DVR, but has assumed all the other roles because of the convenience of it being connected to our main flat panel TV. The current configuration is holding up, but I have had power issues in the past (due to the limited power supply unit), which makes the power saving features of this card very attractive. I also popped a couple capacitors on a previous video card (I’ll never buy that brand again) so the ASUS Super Alloy Power feature is reassuring, and the added cooler operating temps are an added bonus. I also appreciate it taking up one slot in the case, as I have limited space in the case, and it would allow room for expansion as well as improve all around air flow. All in all, this would be a perfectly well rounded card for what I would use it for.
  • Thral1 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm in!
  • memon01 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    current system:
    i5-3570k
    intel Z77GA mobo,
    8gigs of ram
    Nvidia 470GTX GPU (there's my reason to NEED this card)

    I really need to upgrade my gpu but life has higher priorities in my life. This would so be good for me!
  • batcountry - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Ok, I'm in.
  • thezy - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My 6300fx needs a roomie.
  • grazapin - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have a media center PC with a Clarkdale Core i3 using the integrated graphics. This is fine for viewing media, but I'd like to do some Steam Big Picture gaming and those Intel graphics just ain't gonna cut it. A Radeon R7 250 would be a big boost, and would likely not add too much heat and noise to a system that needs to stay relatively cool and quiet.
  • FatalExceptionFL - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This will work very well on one of my DVR machines, replacing a 5450...
  • johngee48 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in
  • Taotaisei - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Who could turn down a card designed for 1080p budget gaming? Not me.
  • jensend - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current setup is a small form factor system with a 65W Trinity A6, no discrete graphics, and a low-wattage PSU.

    I'd be interested in better graphics for gaming, but any GPU which requires an additional power connector is out of the question- my PSU doesn't provide such a connector, the 12V amperage would exceed what the PSU is capable of, and even if I replaced the PSU with a 350W+ SFX unit, cooling the PSU and the card would push the thermal limitations of the case.

    The R7 250 is low-wattage enough and cool enough to work in this system, and the upgrade would make a large difference for gaming (from the benchmarks I see, it looks like the R7 250 is a little over 3x as fast).

    I have been thinking that later this year I might replace my current motherboard and CPU and get the A8-7600. If I do that, using the R7 250 for dual graphics could give me a further boost.
  • tsgarp83 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd be happy to accept if I'm chosen. Thanks.
  • Apollyon1980 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I could use one sure.
  • MaximillianSterling - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    An upgrade from old school core i3 integrated graphics? I think so...
  • mmagdech - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm In
  • SpaceRanger - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Upgrade is an upgrade (coming from a nVidia 460)
  • Beatnil562 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    planning a new amd gaming build. this would take it in a direction that i would be using a kaveri apu. that and it would be nice just to win something.
  • ericwilborn - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have an aging XP (Media Center edition) HP desktop with an aftermarket graphics card.. it's been so long since I've worked with it that I can't even tell you what brand it is. It glitches out and needs to be re-seated every once in a while. A new one would be great!
  • DiscoBloodbath - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This comment is, in fact, not spam. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgTQglGvNUs
  • boydjm - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I currently have a HTPC that's about 3 years old as of 2/22. The machine was built with the GA-880GMA-UD2H MoBo from Gigabyte. The onboard video has been acceptable up until now. I recently upgraded to a Blu-ray drive and now i've started to notice my display struggling a little (I've had to switch to a basic theme instead of Aero to get better performance). I've been looking at several cards and I'm a huge fan of AMD and I believe this card would work perfect for what I'm trying to do. Also would be interested if I would gain from the ATI Hybrid CrossFireX that my MoBo supports. Thanks for the consideration!
  • hypopraxia - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Entered!
  • drkicker - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My old Nvidia card died and I'm forced to onboard video for now. A free AMD card might be what I need to convert back to the red team after many years on the green team.
  • Lothsahn - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would work great in a secondary gaming system I currently have. It's a Core2 Duo E6400 overclocked to nearly 3GHZ, but it's paired with a positively ancient Geforce 7950 GT. I'd love to post about how an $89 upgrade improved my gaming experience. This card would bring the GPU performance inline with my CPU performance.
  • kykyo25 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I am looking to gift this to my boyfriend. He currently owns an i3 2120 3.3 ghz, 4 gb ram,2 gb ati radeon 6670 graphics card. The system is getting old and the current ati card has really served him great. Reading about this card has really peaked up his interest in getting one :)
  • ja3far46 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Aloha, I'll sign up.
  • thomasrm - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current desktop graphics card is a Nvidia 9500 GT. Only going on 6 years, I think. A R7-250 would imbue some new power into a Core 2 Duo system and merit using it less frequently as a headless system. Put some of my Steam games to actual use, maybe?
  • irongnome - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would love to get this.
    Planning on building a new PC with my girlfriend - an AMD A10 based mini tower.

    This would be great as an addition since I was going to use this as a gateway drug for PC gaming . . . not the browser based kind mind you.

    An R7 250 would just be icing on the cake.
  • roncat - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Only need one of three...
  • Mr. Q - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    It would be perfect for the computer I'm going to build for my wife. XP to Windows 7.
  • dandaro - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have a 6-year old Dell desktop with Ubuntu on it, and I use it as an HTPC. This would greatly enhance my experience, and maybe even let me play games through Steam.
  • bion542 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    winner
  • rjkarl - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    got it
  • rish95 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in. :)
  • F1Fish - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Shipping date?
  • gregor7777 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Hi, I'd love to win one of these cards. I'm a gaming father and frankly don't have a lot of cash for upgrades. My current X4 940/3GB DDR2 rig would be a great match for one of these, and as it happens my old 5830 just bit the dust (literally). Been a member here for around a decade. Thanks!
  • ssbbnw - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd love one to upgrade my current computer! A little short in the pocket here.
  • pdxkale - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    /roll
  • wruzicka1 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Fingers crossed
  • shhh - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    i need a powerful gpu to run opencl
  • Testrada - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I can use a video card replacement because I have reflowed the sauder on my eVGA 8800GTS (640Mb) at least six something times now over the last couple years and now as of the other night it has died on me again. :\
    So I could totally use a replacement! Another cool giveway - sweet guys!
  • tyger11 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    The videocard is the only old component in my system - I'm stil using a Radeon 5770!
  • jorgenman - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    in!
  • Frye - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm in
  • vandervander24 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Pick me!
  • draggy - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Would be nice in one of my pcs.
  • Apocracy - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    will replace the old video card in my girlfriends system nicely
  • Comdrpopnfresh - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'll take one, please!
  • amdftwfan - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have an a10 7850k. I would love to be able to crossfire. I would love to see them crossfiring with mantle enabled on bf4 and thief. I can only imagine.
  • bupkus - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Would be nice. I gave my video card to some kid.
  • FromTheShadows - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yes please!!!
  • kimba23 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    i want it!
  • patssle - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My 65 year old mother is a PC gamer and lives off veterans benefits. Her old Radeon still works but is lacking. She needs a R7 250 so teenagers can keep losing to a 65 year old woman.
  • TurianSentinel - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Now I do not have much experience with computers, but currently I am running with a Geforce 9500GT with 512MB of RAM and an 800Mhz(GDDR3) clock speed, so this would definitely be an upgrade for me. I would probably get a new CPU and RAM (currently have AMD Athlon II X2 + 3GB), but that would be a modest price to get better performance with this card, which I'd be using to game with. Good luck to everyone!
  • dotaloc - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I rescued a system after my aunt got a new PC when her hdd went bad. I wanted to fix the machine up and give it to my brother. He used to game, but hasn't in a while. He is still rocking a computer I built for him almost 10 years ago. My brother recently showed some interest in playing Max Payne 3 so I bought it and Portal 2 for him to get him back into the swing of things. I was going to use my recently replaced AMD/ATI 3850 (I got myself a 7790 late last year), but a R7 250 would be faster and quieter whilst using less power, I'd think.

    Hope I can be considered!
  • XeemAlpha - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Here's my deal: I used to upgrade my gaming PC every two years, but after I got married five years ago money's tight and the upgrades stopped coming: I'm still running a Radeon 4850 with a Phenom 9600. If I win this card it will be enough to kickstart an overdue upgrade. I would pair it with a Kaveri and see if AMD budget systems still deliver.
  • furwatup - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I love prizes.
  • Tekvektor - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Totally willing to stress test one of these.
  • Rjak27 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    In!
  • Rjak27 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Ok, I read the conditions closer. I have no real need for this card. I have a GTX 660 in my primary computer, and I'd prefer something fanless for my server/NAS secondary computer.

    So, I guess I'm not in.
  • snarfeck - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    sign me up please thanks
  • Pallan - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I just upgraded to an Asus A88X-Pro with an AMD Kaveri 7850K and would love to try out Dual Video and see how it effects BF4 as well as Photoshop CC. I'm currently in the middle of correcting a lot of old family album photos and would like to see if OpenCL can save me a lot of time. Thanks for the contest!
  • wolvie2014 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would love this as an upgrade to my aging HTPC. I am using an AMD Athlon II x4 with 8GB DDR2 memory. I am using an aging Radeon HD5450 to supply video to my display. I find that Blu ray playback is not optimal, whether playing back the disc or an iso file. Makes the HTPC unusable for blu ray playback. This should be a great upgrade for this aging PC.
  • punarvasu - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I could use one of those!
  • hax0rkeith - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Hey, why not?
  • samuelfi13 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I need a new video card and was considering buying this one. It would be even better to get it for free.
  • rangerdavid - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Hook me up! Thanks!
  • jammeger - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    yay me!
  • puddy77 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yes please
  • XIII_Phantom - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Lets see how this goes... ^.^
  • TrackSmart - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would be a perfect card for a small form factor, low-power system for the living room. Enough power to run A/V tasks and provide a gaming experience that is on par with the new generation of consoles. I would say perfect for a small form factor steambox, but I don't think I'm ready to become an early adopter of that OS yet.
  • tarv4973 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • hescominsoon - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    i'll take this card for sure..:)
  • zach1 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Finally a reason to get an amd card.
  • oOSAURONOo - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    me, me, me :)
  • exspider64 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would use this to help build a computer for my brother.
  • vadimk - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I want to win, sign me up.
  • pbierd - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Give me aq shot at this giveaway!
  • bkxmnr - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Is this better than my current hd 5770? If so, I'll take it.
  • Wixman666 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Need to upgrade the kid's computer since they are finally starting to play real games. If I had a nickel for every time I heard them complain they were lagging, I'd be able to buy them a new PC! They're currently running the onboard Intel video on the i3 CPU which is the HD 2000 I think.. ick.
  • Phantom9309 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    love me more
  • mshannon68 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    could use one of these for my media machine.
  • yanoksy - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Nice upgrade for my old Radeon HD 4670, count with me.
  • harfmarf - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Thank you AMD and Anand Lal Shimpi!!!!!!
  • tmroczkowski - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    i'll happily review under Linux and Windows
  • EnzoFX - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Love short cards.
  • ADyTz - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    yes, please!
  • talos113 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yay giveaways!
  • noirlight - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • zinfamous - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I really hope that I don't win!
  • yyaros01 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    entry level card, good for general day to day computing. i'd choose one for multi monotor setup, my old sli rig makes too much heat for day to day work (very little time to game anyway)...
  • borkencode - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I need something to run all the new games coming out this year.
  • stevonzo - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I "need" this card because I just purchased a new PC in a Zeus mini case from Cyberpowerpc (will be here today actually). It has shared video (bleh, was trying to keep cost low) and this card would fit in the case with no problem.
  • Neot0 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm looking to upgrade/add on put it to good on to my computer. Plus I LOVE doing reviews, and i'm a gamer so I'd use to truly get the most out of it and then give a honest review.
  • thatJRguy - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I just updated my computer with one of the new Kaveri chips (the A10-7850k) and would love the opportunity to see how it stacks up against friends with Intel-based builds. I also would love to move into more intense gaming, but with a micro-ATX case, I do not have the room to fit a dedicated higher-end graphics card, meaning the R7 250 would be a perfect way to boost my performance.

    I would love to break into the world of tech reviews by winning this card then giving an in-depth review. While I work as a freelance writer now, technology is so much more interesting than most of the work I have done to date.
  • techguii - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    sign me up please!
  • webuser42 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Hope I win!
  • ahw - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd use it in a HTPC/lite-gaming build.
  • m998X - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm not a gamer but an avid web surfer. I'm interested in how this would enhance performance through app acceleration/hardware acceleration of browser(s). I have some extra components laying around, an Athlon II 270 and 880G board that together with this GPU would make, I believe, an effective platform for my uses. Thanks.
  • benjsmith - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Right here. Got an nVidia in an HTPC I built many moons ago. Back when cat was in the cradle, my boys played the simple games - Minecraft, Terraria, etc. Now they're begging to play the big boy games, the Arkhams and the Civs, but their Dad is too cheap to part with the $$$ for a current gen card. That's my new-toilet money, man.

    I'm your target demo: looking for a reasonably priced upgrade for my crusty nVidia. The Bruce Wayne wanna-bes thank you in advance.
  • CuriousMike - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I could totally use that.
  • RaulF - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I won.
  • jengel - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have a LLano SFF box I built myself running Windows 7 with no GPU. I'm about o upgrade to an i5 setup with a discrete card so I can put together a hackintosh build, dual booting Mavericks and Win 7 so I can do content creation on the Mac OS and gaming on the Win 7 install. This card would be perfect for that type of setup, and as far as I can tell, is fully compatible with a 10.9 hackintosh build.

    Good luck to all.
  • takeship - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Whoohoo! Even a R7 250 is a step up from the Llano 3820 in the HTPC at the moment, without pushing the power envelope much.
  • skavi - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Well I have a 1 in 1200 chance, might as well.
  • Myrandex - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in! I have an AMD system with on processor graphics that this might pair nicely with!
  • cdillon - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Sign me up.
  • Houdani - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would make a fine upgrade to the on-board graphics chip in my folks' rig, which is currently sporting Intel HD 4000.
  • Midgetguy - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My personal setup has an Intel Core i5 4670k, paired with an MSI motherboard, 8 GB of G.Skill ram, and an MSI GTX 760. I love my rig and I don't have a personal need for the 250, but I've been looking into building an HTPC for my parents to use and the R7 250 looks like it fits the bill; small, not too power-hungry, but still powerful enough for video gruntwork. I'd love to give it a shot in a system.
  • timetowiseup - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yes, please!
  • Fyodor - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I could use a card.
  • droorda - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    me too
  • jelildude - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • jelildude - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd use this R7 250 to replace my son's HD6670 he's using now to play mostly Team Fortress 2. His machine is a Dell E520 that's been upgraded with the following:

    Core 2 Quad Q9300
    8gb DDR2 800mhz
    Samsung EVO 830
    Radeon HD6670

    As it stands now, he gets 35-45 fps in Left4Dead 2 on medium-high settings.

    Hope to win here!
  • frigidfrag - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    mkay
  • wangc77 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'll buy more shares of AMD if I win =D
  • Coelispex - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would like to upgrade my mother's computer.
  • wangc77 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Don't have a current system config, looking to build one. 250 be nice so I can start gaming again
  • ultimatek - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Well my current PC specs are:
    CPU : Intel Dual Core E7200
    RAM: 4GB 1333(OC)
    GPU: Intel X4500(Current), HD3850(old gpu, broken)
    MB: Asrock G41
    OS: Windows 7/XP 64 (Dual OS)

    The reason i would like to win this card is, mine broke a year ago. I was using an ATI Radeon HD3850. I miss playing Crysis, Crysis Wars, Word in Conflict and The Witcher. I used to play these at 1440 resolution or lower if needed on medium/high settings. The AMD R7 250 seems to be a good card to replace the HD3850 and put me back on gaming. The R7 250 may considered low profile, but it packs a lot of power against the HD3850. The AMD R7 250 surely will revive my gaming rig and for the better, it will enable my rig to newer games.
  • Darlan - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have a somewhat dated system (4GB of ram, GTS 240, along those lines) that has a graphics card without an HDMI output, and I'd love to play around with a cheap GPU that can output to HDMI--a budget card like this seems like a good fit, please enter me in the contest.
  • ryguy64 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'd take one.
  • DJK6 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would work in my wifes machine!!!
  • phatkeem - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    pls ananderino!
  • yayvile - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    ftw?
  • kpxgq - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    i want to play minecraft with my little cousin who is using integrated graphics... i figure this would give his PC a boost enough for decent IQ
  • RedFlameOut - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have several applications for this. Crossing my fingers.
  • axiommods - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I need one because I am budgeting my resources. I have an old core 2 duo and an old nvidia GT 240 without SLI. I missed out on a few generation so, I think its time for an upgrade? EH? I am a student living in my friends place and in the library. I watch them get get gaming and I don't understand all the inside jokes about the latest games they play. I am only watching from the sideline. I do my 8 hours grunt duty all day working and go to school at night. I can barely afford gas. I had my GPU always flake on me in the past. I tried to play Diablo 3 and it was a no go. It sucks. The direct x 10 is killing me. I can only play old games. I got a ticket for parking in a yellow zone after i tried to make it to my finals on time. So, Im out 75 dollars. And this is the price of the card.

    I desperately need a better card. I may upgrade to a semi decent card once i stop feeling down about the ticket.

    CPU: Core 2 Duo (E8400)
    GPU: ATI Radeon HD3850
    RAM: 2x 2Gb Corsair XMS 1033Mhz DDR2
    MB": Asus P5K PRO
    monitor: 23 inch Acer x223w (CCFL TFT LCD) non HDMI
  • asdfljadsflkj - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Hi, I have a HTPC with a Phenom II 955 with a motherboard with built in graphics, so the graphic power of system is currently very low, but my kids are coming of age to start playing video games. I would like the card so I could get them into video gaming.
  • anonymous_user - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would want this card for a few reasons: it would be a nice improvement over my GeForce 9600GT, it has modest power needs, and I wouldn't feel like it is too powerful for my aging desktop.
  • Average Joe - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    why not? Nice card to pair with an old q6600 based itx box
  • zer0xll - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yup, here I am once again.
  • Solix - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Yessir.
  • MRMsys - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Apparently no one has read the entry requirements! Just posting a comment WON'T ENTER YOU.

    Don't laugh, but I'm using a Xeon pulled from a server farm sometime before 2010 with 8GB (DDR3 a least) and a Radeon HD5830! I keep resisting the urge to upgrade because I don't want to lose the productivity that the lack of ability to play anything at a reasonable resolution gives me. However, if you give me this video card I will cave and be unproductive for a bit. I think I'm the perfect candidate for this budget-level card, as anything more costly would be a waste upgrading my system.
  • othanaky - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    small is good
  • blizhu - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    It's mine!
  • nefar - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Ga-z77-d3h
    i5-3550
    HD 6850
    8 GB ddr3 1600
    1TB WD Black

    My vid card is one of my major bottlenecks, it simply does not perform well with recent game titles. I once was able to run most game titles on highest settings even while I would have multiple browser tabs open, photoshop, other design software running and sometimes even a movie playing on the second monitor ;). Now days It has a hard time running just a couple game clients at the same time. It's definitely time for an upgrade.
  • biagg - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have an i5-2500K, Asrock Z68 Pro3-M, 8 G DDR3, and a Samsung Evo SSD. The onboard graphics is OK for office applications, but lame for games. I would like a graphics boost.
  • dan.linux - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current configuration is a phenom x4 with a recent upgrade to an ssd. Where I lack is a graphics card. The r7 250 would be the sweet spot for breathing life into my aging system because of its low wattage (no need for a new power supply). I dual boot with Windows and Linux. With the r7 250, I would finally be able to play my Steam games on both Windows and Linux (I've been waiting for gaming on Linux for years now). I considered building a new Kaveri based system, but based on r7 250 specs, I can get better gaming performance for a fraction of the cost of a new system.
  • Franzen4Real - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would be using this card in an HTPC that currently has a Radeon 4650 that has a not so quiet fan. I'd like to also have the option for some light gaming by adding the R7 250.
  • garwynn - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I7-3770k with hd7770... want to bench against it.
  • thefastfreddie - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'll take it.
  • mudblood72 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    This would nicely in my Fractal Design NODE 304! Thanks for the great giveaway
  • abrams - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Why not.
  • Twirrim - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    If you insist!
  • oleguy682 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Sure, why not.
  • IeraseU - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'm in.
  • DiHydro - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I would like this for a Steam Machine build!
  • tcullum - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    My current setup: i7-3770K, 16GB RAM, Samsung 840 Pro 256GB and HIS IceQ H787Q2G2M Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition. As you can see, my biggest obstacle to top-notch gaming performance is my video card. It's not bad of course. But I currently play quite a bit of Battlefield 4 (1920x1080 @144hz). The current Mantel driver doesn't support my card fully. I run the game at about 35-45 fps at Ultra settings. But I'd really make use of that card during big in-game clashes. Right now I'll dip below 30 in heavy action. And it's a definite negative impact on my performance. I built my system on a tight budget from scratch over 1 year. I bought the card early on because I knew that would motivate me to save and complete my build. It worked. But I'd really like to see what my system could do given a card like the Radeon R7 250. Thank you.
  • greevar - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Okay, okay! I'll take it! Sheesh!
  • KT32 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'll take it!
  • JaseYANG - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    Only have Radeon HD4200 onboard and is limited to only 256MB, So would be nice to get this card to boost my PC 10 fold.
  • Brinith - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I have built a small ITX rig (for portability to lan parties) not too long ago (and also serves as my main rig) and is using a FM2+ motherboard (however not Kaveri CPU). Since I was very tight on the budget, it runs on the integrated graphics. Thus, an R7 250 would help quite a bit in gaming performance and the form factor would be perfect to fit in it. And I would hope later on that I would be able to purchase a Kaveri CPU when there's a deal and Dual Graphics/CrossFire it for additional performance.
  • novasatori - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    in
  • doug166 - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I'll use this one, give my kid the older one.
  • samxxxii - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I want one
  • NotAgOat - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I need this for my gf's computer!
  • signiustalas - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    CPU : AMD A10-7850K
    RAM: Kingston HyperX 8GB DDR3 1600
    GPU: Using AMD A10-7850K APU
    MB:ASRock FM2A88X-ITX
    Case: Cooler Master Elite 130
    PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX 430
    Fan/Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H60
    OS: Windows 7

    I built my PC about 2 years ago after running a Phenom II x4 995 BE and then about 2 weeks ago my motherboard gave out on me. I'm actually happy that happened, I always wanted a small gaming setup and it happened at just the right time ITX boards became little gaming monsters.
    Please help me make my little engine that could PC into a little engine that steamrolls the competition away.
  • Psychosylph - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I could use one...
  • bythios - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    sweet.
  • vishnumrao - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    I am always tempted to post comments in the hope of winning some freebie. But I somehow never win anything.

    Anyways I am in!
  • Bobs_Your_Uncle - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link

    A little over a year ago, the motherboard of my main rig (an OLDer HP tower desktop) decided to fry up a little breakfast one morning. Since that time I've stayed connected pretty darn comfortably with a Samsung QX410J notebook I purchased to fill the void.

    I'm a 50 something who (after being invited to reacquaint himself with the care-free whimsy of a single lifestyle) decided to also reacquaint my youthful affection for really cool tech. In the process of stoking the embers of fascination, I decided that it was high time I plan my 1st home-build; a process still underway.

    Somehow I was never seduced by gaming in any really significant sense, but thanks to a bit of available leisure time, the encouragement of my 18 year old son & some very well written gaming reviews, I confess to being intrigued by certain titles represented as standing somewhat apart from much of the genre; Fez, the Bioshock entries, L.A. Noire, Going Home, The Stanley Parable & the Portal episodes (of course) among any number of others. And from what I've seen presented as game-play previews, Watch Dogs holds the promise of being pretty tasty, as well.

    I could & I would certainly use one of the cards on offer, but I'm not pressed by need. I'd welcome the opportunity to put such a card in service, but I'd be delighted to see it go to an ardent games fan who is, perhaps, a bit more pinched than am I. If the alternative appears to be a heinous troll given to disparagement of our fellow man ... well then in all good conscience, I'm Your Choice!
  • TrueMagic - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I have a OEM rig as a HTPC right now, and would love to upgrade it. IT has more than enough processing power, but it only has a low end AMD graphics card at the moment. Would love to see how this can improve my performance.
  • ZeroConflict - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I currently am running off of an Intel on board graphics card and sadly run games that I CAN play (LoL, TF2, WoW, etc.) on lowest settings in order to play with minimal graphical lag. I've been meaning to upgrade for awhile but as a struggling college student, it's difficult to place money into something like PC gaming. I could definitely use this so I'd be ever thankful if I was one of the winners. Thanks for the giveaway!
  • eliluong - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Still using a HD 4850. This upgrade will be less power-expensive.
  • CriteriaGamer - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I DESPERATLY need this card I make gaming youtube videos and need a nice upgrade from my terrible gt610 :) Thanks!
  • heero884 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Can I haz? :D
  • Rocket321 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'd love to replace my aging 8800GT with a modern, lower power card. This would bring the benefits of reduced noise and power draw, and a cooler more efficient system. I'd use the GPU for light gaming at 1680x1050, watching and transcending videos.
  • asuglax - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would be a good replacement for my HD5770
  • TruthStoryLies - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    thanks for the amazing opportunity :)
  • Instantons - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Woohoo; great prize!
  • Mystickal - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I like!
  • nuke3ae - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Looks like a nice budget graphics card with extremely low power requirements. Good luck to every one.
  • Ryan_AK - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would be great for me Mac Pro 3,1. The stock card is feeling dated and I think this card is supported in Mavericks.
  • dtkflex - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    If I win this it would go into a low-powered home theater pc (E-450 APU based machine) that records and plays back OTA TV via Windows Media Center to boost the GPU capabilities of this machine. If not that I would upgrade the E-450 APU based motherboard to a higher performing Intel or AMD low-powered CPU/APU and install in that.
  • moks78 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Good stuff!
  • BeAuMaN - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Not Empty Quoting.
  • jubehnka - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'm currently buying the parts (one piece at a time, currently I only have case and PSU since I don't have unlimited budget) for a mini ITX system to replace my aging Gateway P7805U for gaming purposes.
    Since now I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro for mobile duties, I envisioned the Mini-ITX system to sit along the TV as a combo gaming machine (with Logitech wireless gamepad) and general computer machine (wireless Logitech keyboard/trackpad combo).
    Currently, this is my shopping list (kept to a budget of under $150 per component so that each part can be bought whenever a monthly disposable income allows):
    Case (already have):
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
    PSU (already have):
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
    Motherboard:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
    CPU:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
    Memory:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
    SSD (salvaged from P7805u):
    Kingston SSDNow V100 64GB
    Storage (salvaged from P7805u):
    Western Digital Scorpio Blue 2.5" 750GB HDD

    I had originally planned to go with a Kaveri APU (thus saving the cost of the discrete GPU), but seeing this contest, and given that I yet do not have the Mobo/APU purchased, I can make the switch to allow for an R7 (I don't know whether this part would play well or at all with A8/A10 in crossfire, so instead I go with the cheaper/faster CPU if the GPU is going unused anyway).

    The whole OMG AMD reason too is that with the Xbox One (which I own) and PS4 using AMD parts, my brain is currently in "OMGAMD" mode.

    Also, as per part 2 of this contest, should I win one of the cards, my response would probably have to wait a couple months until I can afford to put together the rest of the system and actually do some gaming on it.

    Lastly, I mostly plan on putting this card through it's paces with FFXIV. The P7805U pushes around 40 fps with all detail low at 1024x720 windowed, and playing even in "Normal (Laptop)" at 1920x1200 (my laptop's native resolution) brings FPS way down to 15 average.
    I'd like to be able to play this thing on the TV at 1920x1080 on at least "High (Laptop)" with smooth frame-rate.
  • kurdimo - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Count me in :)
  • bkbroiled - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Current system is 6 years old with the original video card still plugging away( a Radeon 1600 with 512 MB memory). Could use a little boost and give me a chance to fool around with some basic online gaming.
  • dieselJosh - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'm running an older AMD microATX build. I built the computer years ago on a strict budget, but with a clear upgrade path in mind. About 18 months ago I upgraded to 4 gigs of memory and the highest wattage processor my motherboard will support. Then over the following 6 months I continued to replace components with an eye towards higher performance. I added an aftermarket cooler for the CPU, to try to gain the max overclock within this small case. More efficient, controllable, quieter fans replaced the stock offerings, and at one point a low price 80plus psu replaced the older less efficient unit.

    I've always done my gaming on consoles, but in the last few months, with the advent of the Xbox One and Playstation 4, I began to think about using this computer instead of making such a huge investment on a PS4 or Xbox One. So an R7 250 Radeon GPU would allow me to game on my computer for the first time, and to purchase game titles via Steam.

    I have a older HP LCD display on which to game, although I may just output the video to the big screen television.

    I am a good candidate for being won over to computer gaming instead of continuing on consoles because I am eager for more complexity and depth within all aspects of gaming. I long for the ability to interact with deeper more immersive worlds such as those offered by the varied MMORPG titles, and to experience the subtler nuances of controlling a game via mouse and keyboard instead of the confines of a console controller.

    I have both a Kill-A-Watt meter and a decibel meter, with which to provide relative before-and-after metrics of power consumption and sound.

    Finally, I'm an articulate person with experience communicating succinctly. I have been an avid reader of Anandtech and Tomshardware for years now, since I first spec'd and built this computer. I believe I'll be able to answer whatever questions Radeon may have for me in clear and precise language.
  • yhelothar - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I would like to win this for my work. I use my PC for scientific research, namely simulating neuron and its synapses. My current box at work has a blazing fast hexcore xeon but is fitted with a paltry radeon 4670. I'm currently reading up how to harness the parallel properties of GPUs to run these simulations. The R7 250 would be perfect for my uses since it has significantly more processors than the CPU, but at the same time, my process is not that parallel that it'd take advantage of all the additional processors on a higher end card.
  • diesalot - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Thanks AMD and Anandtech.com!
  • shmittty89 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    All I do is amd
  • xdeadzx - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'm looking to build a small console box running and AMD APU, leaving it under the TV for emulators and light gaming/party games. An AMD r7 250 to crossfire with an APU would make for a great addition to the system, letting me play a bit more moderate game titles in the living room without having to stream from my main PC.

    It'll also allow me to have a second rig to play guild wars 2 on, something desperately needed for the misses.
  • elAhmo - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Since I have a really old system, I would use this card as a starting point and a motivation to build the remaining! :)
  • Wildman10 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My present system contains an older 460 that creates a significant amount of heat. My sons remind often during our gaming sessions that I need an updated video card to be able to compete with them. I would be glad to give this card a review.
  • random betrayal - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would be a great upgrade to my kids gaming computer, as it stands now it is a core 2 duo 6750 paired with a radeaon 4850 that is a power hog and a portable heater in the their little system.
  • owbert - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    In for a draw!
  • christovski - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My current PC is dead...I want a build a new decent HTPC that can do some lightweight gaming @ 1080p; seems that this fits the bill quite nicely.
  • Keltron - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would be a great update for my because I am still using a nVidia 9600GT card. I may even upgrade from my Phenom II x4 to a Kaveri and a new Mobo if I win this card
  • tballant - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Count me in...I could use a new card. Starting to get low framerates on newer cards.
  • Spacecomber - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Although this card wouldn't fit with my main system (Phenom x4 960T and HD 6850), which I do some gaming on, it would fit with a couple of other systems that I use. One is used as a music server (Pentium E5300 and Radeon X300), and the other is a backup system that I make use of when working on other computers for moving files to temporary storage and for swapping out parts when trouble shooting (built around an early core 2 duo processor, an E6400).
  • kenyee - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Using plain Intel IGP from a 3570 chip. Would like to experience AMD's new gaming APIs, etc.
  • TheLastBoyscout - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'd like to get one!
  • Silenus - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Sweet meats!
  • goldfish42 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would actually be good in my htpc
  • vdn20 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    count me in
  • Mr.Serious - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Anandtech is the best!
  • rongopongo - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    its my birthday
  • ysto - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would be great to turn my 5 yo machine into HTPC and also play the occasional game. Hopefully, the lower power will also mean lower fan noise.
  • IEC - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I've always wanted to try dual graphics with a discrete AMD card + APU for curiosity's sake.
  • nhjay - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I could really use this card, my current system powered by a Q9400 with its GeForce 8600 is really getting long in the tooth. Trying to play World of Tanks and World of Warplanes in particular has become difficult, trying to obtain a decent visual image and maintain performance. I play on a 19" LCD with 1280x1024 resolution, not very high compared to a lot of today's wide screen displays.
  • asgallant - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Would be a decent upgrade for my HTPC for some light gaming.
  • scottsmoron - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    count me in
  • scottsmoron - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I do 3D skull reconstructions and one of my machines is running something like Radeon 6310 graphics as part of the E350. This would be a tremendous upgrade!
  • rollinsrus - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'm using i5 integrated graphics....... I was surprised that it does an OK job with things like Starcraft but it's just INTEGRATED GRAPHICS. An R7 250 would be a tasty upgrade.
  • oscaration - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Intel I7, DZ87KLT-75K, 8Gig, SSD, in need of a video card for CIV5
  • LiELF - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'd like to try out this card since my Nvidia GTX 550 seems to be failing on me and it's only a matter of time before it's done. I love to play PC games and MMOs but right now my finances are tight so I've just been tolerating the glitches from my current card. I have Windows 7 64 bit with 12GB ram and an AMD Phenom II quad processor. Eventually I want to upgrade most of my system but that's not feasible at this time so winning a Radeon would make me very happy. =)
  • theking24 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    hi friends, i need this for my apu. lol i broke my gtx 650 ti a few days ago soooo this would really help ;)
  • cpinfdp - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Must have the precious...
  • Genrldisaray - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would be a perfect addition to the htpc in my living room. It is a small mini ITX chassis with an sfx power supply, so it is currently using the integrated graphics on a Haswell i5 until I find a suitable video card (specifically one with low power consumption, a quiet fan and a single slot bracket). I had been looking at a 7750, but this would be even better.
  • broxh - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Yay more stuff
  • brentK - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Looks good to me.
  • junkie24 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I have Core2Duo E8400 with a 8800 GT and while games will run on this setup I can tell its time for an upgrade. The Asus Radeon R7 250 will be a nice little upgrade to my gaming machine.
  • kurtgoncher - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    great for low power silent PC
  • DonRobbie - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I have two machines for the kids that have Core2Duo Processors on Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P boards with 8 GB RAM. They have 550 watt Corsair power supplies and NVidia GTS 250 graphics. Would like to upgrade them at some point. Curious how the R7-250/AMD onboard graphics Crossfire setup would work.
  • dhondrup - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    as a GTX 570 and GTX 770 owner (on two of my rigs), I'd be interested in seeing how the new Maxwell gpu's stack up
  • DonMiguel85 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I could certainly use this since I'm planning to put together an A8-7600 based system. I already have the Cooler Master Elite 120 case and motherboard, just waiting for the processor and affordable 2133 or 2400 MHz RAM.
  • waltmeger - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    my AMD 4850 doesn't do my 50" plasma display justice
  • bravetoaster - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'd rather enjoy this.
  • FuturEyes - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My Win7 media center PC has a water cooled AMD Phenom2 at 4Ghz on a ASUS 790GX motherboard, 2x 120GB Intel 330 SSD's in RAID-0, 16GB of CL7 1600Mhz DDR3, and a 80+gold 700w PSU. Only sore spot is that it's still using my trusty HD 4850. Would love to get this thing upgraded to a modern DX11 GPU for improved gaming and media processing. Kinda funny that it would be quite an upgrade even though is has less then half the Stream Proc's and half the memory bus. ;-)
  • cpbong - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I would love to put this in a compact rig for casual gaming
  • capawesome9870 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    i do need to upgrade a older computer i have.
  • bmwcrazy - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My HTPC needs a video card. I hope I get it. :)
  • Dmark1990 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I would use this for a media pc
  • jullenator - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    hope i will win :)
  • DorianMatic - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    well,i want it because it would be pretty cool to get a new graphic card because i have some old S*** in my PC,it would help me a lot in my gaming dream :)
  • dart3425 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    If you give it to me il make a video of me cooking food on it with the heatsink off
  • Skellibear - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    New graphics card please.
  • mahYr - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    What chould I do with this graphich card? I chould finally play some better game my RADEON 4670 is old enought to be replaced. !
  • mahYr - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    sure i wont win it couse im from Europe :D
  • sin2635 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Count me in!!! AMD!!!
  • tielknight - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Why could I use one? Because running a 9500GT with DDR2 is painful :(
  • SanguineAnarchy - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I have recently lost all items of value due to my extensive gaming habit. The great spirits have given me the gift of technology. But it seems to be a deadly curse. I have become a total slave to my computer and have had to sell my house, my children, both wives and all my cattle.

    Please help a man in need!
  • blackkamui - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My computer was fried and im back on a single core crappy dell. Works alright i can watch movies and surf the web. But getting a New video card would give me a reason to start a new build.
  • Helifano - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I just recently bought an old PC from a friend and one of the only low-quality pieces in it is the old graphics card that he used only for WoW :/ Despite the rest of the PC being relatively nice, I need this awesome graphics card to be able to run any current-gen games.
  • AiriA - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    As a serious PC gamer, Ive used ATi cards going back to the AGP X1300. Ever since then Ive been with ATi and using mid to high level performance cards. I currently use a 4870X2 card because of how well it performs. Id like to review this card to see how the new ATi cards handle games and applications.
  • Skellibear - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    After being unable to game on my laptop for years, my brother finally built me a PC, but he said he couldn't afford much so he put an old graphics card of his in there for now and now all I need to complete my gaming PC is a decent graphics card.
  • awesomeaj24 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My current system runs an fx6300 clocked at 4.3ghz a Radeon HD 7770 running eyefinity 5760x1080 on 23 inch asus moniters. G-Skill Ripjaw 1866 9-10-9-28. Powered by a Corsair 500w power supply. I would love to get the video card, not for my system, but an addon to my girlfriends computer, so she can game with me. Might possibly become the basis for a full AMD computer build for her.
  • Unknown34544859 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I love upgrades!
  • Daniel_Earls - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I would so love to win this,so I could have an AMD APU dual graphics with this card.I wish my HD 7850 was supported.If I won I would Sell my current card and get more Amd ram.
  • Booogie - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Epic give away , thank you for what you are doing in the community.
  • Pyrate951 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Getting read to do a new build to replace my 7 year old gaming rig. There are so many different video cards to chose anymore it would be nice to try one out before buying, or at least have an idea of what is new. My current card is a ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2. It has served me well, but getting messages that my video card does not meet specs for the new games.
  • Guntruck - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I just recently built my 63 yr old mother a new computer using the A10-7850k to replace her aging PC and so that she could play Skyrim with my little sister. and while the system seems to handle it fine. I would love to test the dual graphics aspect of the Kaveri cpu.
  • onyx1221 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M
    AMD A6-6400K
    8GB vengeance pro @1866

    I would start benchmarking this and comparing it to the APU I'm currently using. Then, being a budget system person, I would see about overclocking later on. Then after that I would look into another to see about crossfire performance. Aside from that, this APU still doesn't cut it for some games, nor simple video rendering, performance wise.
  • deathisupon@gmail.com - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    i want to win cause im using a phantome 410 case with thermaltake 600 watt psu a corsair liquid cpu cooler with a amd phenom ii x4 8 gb ares ram a asus m4a785-m mobo and a gtx 480 gpu i would love to win this to play some games in ultra settings
  • Tuupje - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Count me in !!
  • Ussef Br - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Ok i would love to win this.
  • grcg20 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'm in too!
  • Cornak - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    The R7 250 would be the perfect complement to my budget Mini-ITX build. The PCI-based power means I can save a fair amount on a PSU, and with the dual graphics from an A10-7850K, any loss from lack of power would easily be made up. Plus, low power means low heat, and noise/heat is always a major concern with Mini-ITX for me.
  • abec - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Extreme! Yeah!
  • imcloud9 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I would love to do a review on how well it mines compared to the GTX 550 Ti, looking at the AMD Radeon R7 250 Specifications I am pritty sure it is going to be a good little miner for its price :)
  • TheMadTweaker - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I would love to test out a great GPU I've been stuck with intel hd for about 6 years now :/

    Of course I have been looking to upgrade but as a college student it's very hard to come up with enough money to build my own computer.

    Good luck to all contestants :D
  • MON$TER - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    so i'm from Damascus .Syria !! i'm in !!! and if i win !! :\ it's so hard to send to me !!! bad luck :(
  • zeekn - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Looks to be a good upgrade from a 6850 and would love to test out mantle
  • fep_coder - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Sign me up
  • vidosavcolic097 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'll try to win i need video card, because i don't have one.i need for my programs, for after effects and sony vegas, and for music making.i really need upgrade for my pc, to work with apps!
  • manslew - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link


    this card would be incredibly useful to me. As an avid AMD fan, owning their cards made since my first computer in 2004, now with my current dual crossfire HD 6900 setup, I would be a perfect AMD labrat! I have spent extensive time testing the limits of my current cards but now unfortunately they are beginning to lose the ability to keep up with current gen gaming. I would love the chance to test the new mantle capable r7 250!!!
  • DonnerParty - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    How many contests are there?
  • nmm - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Not bad!
  • Shattered831 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'm currently running a AMD 6870HD, would love to try a newer card out and see how much it may improve my current 2 yr old build. I'm not sure this particular card would be an upgrade for that set up, however I am gathering used parts as I replace them and putting them in a rig I'm building for my son.I so far have his build under $200 vs my $2000, He's only 3 though so I got some time lol.
  • namkinnam - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I appreciate that AnandTech is giving this amazing graphic card! I would definitely like to have this latest AMD graphics technology that delivers evolved performance.
  • blades282 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I have an AMD Phenom 965 BE, 4GB of 800 mhz ram and an EVGA 8800gts 512. I could really use this card as it would be a pretty substantial upgrade over my old 8800 gts 512. I game a lot with my friends and my 8800 gts 512 is really starting to show its age.
  • ShortFuzed - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Hope i win :)
  • SonicPet07 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Hmmmm this is interesting
  • jakofshadows - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This sounds awesome too!
  • drinkingcola86 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    So you want to know what I would do with it? I've had this idea for a while now to make a pc inside of an old xbox console. I have most of the stuff picked out for it and this would go great with in the box. Just waiting for my return to get the stuff to put into the box.
  • MeeVa - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Have a good luck everyone!
  • Wesdawg - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I simply love AMD. I'm using the quad-core FX Zambezi quad-core along with an old (but gold) Radeon HD 6750. I've had the 6750 for a few years now and it has been nothing but good to me allowing me to do just about anything graphically demanding, but recently I've noticed some sign of the card beginning to die. :'( The R7 would be a MAJOR boon to my system and a nice replacement for my heavily used 6750. :)
  • specialguy - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    AMD Rocks!!!!
  • RazberyBandit - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'd use it to replace the HD4670 in the family room PC. It'd be nice to finally have a DX11 card in it, even if the first-gen Phenom X2 7850 in it is still a bit dated.
  • 0ldman79 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'd love a new card. Been playing with a 5670 and a 5750. It might be nice to actually have a current card.
  • chr1407 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    We wanna start a blog with one friend about tech, unboxing pc parts, explaning features, giving tech tips and news. This card will be a nice start!!
  • excelle1978 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I need a little gaming card for my htpc build 6 tuner setup
  • Souka - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would make my HTPC a great gaming system for my kids.. cool
  • meanrt2001 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My sons comp has 2 evga 9500 GT, set for don't LOL sli. When we had this built for him, it was thought they were able to handle sli, but nope they were't. So a lot of the new games he wants to play, he has lagging Fps below 30. Reason I decided for him to buy these was due to low power consumption, so we don't need to buy a newer power supply. The Oland arcitechture and the lower cost for card make it a excellent choice for upgrades. My sons computer is in need of a video card upgrade. My sons are 16 and 10. They play a lot of different games and have issues with Fps causing them to fuss and lose a lot due to older vid cards. Thanks for the chance to win this.
  • baccous - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    why not
  • Recidivism - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My Computer is rocking an old Radeon 2400HD I could really use an upgrade I wish I could play league in over 15 FPS.

    I love AMD products they make products half the cost of Intel/Nvidia for the same performance.
  • rbloedow - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Sweet!
  • Che - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Would fit perfect in my HTPC - low power and much faster than the onboard graphics. I've been wanting to do some gaming on the TV
  • Foxneko - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I'd love to review this, the testing would be inside a fully functional Arcade Cabinet. Currently building an AMD based PC for the Cabinet So this would give me a nice upgrade and some cash to save in my pocket for food.
  • Fire2box - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Free video cards are free video cards. Count me in.
  • ChillKyle - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I want to do a benchmark comparison with this card. Also, want to try out mantle.
  • Knowledgemania - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Want to see how performance is impacted going from a 6750 DDR3 to a R7 250. I reckon I'm bandwidth starved.
  • vic10266 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Count me in, good card for the kids machine, thx for the gift
  • asiri1siri - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This changes everything-taking it to the next level!
  • eldonemixer - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    My current set up is AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Processor 3.3GHz, XFX Radeon HD 5750, 8 GB GSkill Ripjaw Ram, 600gb storage, 700w Rocketfish power supply, Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H motherboard. Why I would want it is because I have been a loyal AMD/ATI user for a while and have had a hard time trying to upgrade my card. It is very old in computer years, like 2-3 years but any one I can find that is an upgrade costs more then I can afford. I have always found AMD to be more reliable and better performance for the money, and their interface is so much more user friendly. I play games like Ghost Recon, Battlefield 4, and Left 4 Dead series mostly, unfortunately my card is having a hard time with BF4 with freezing and overheating :(. Please choose mehhh :) ty.
  • GreenOrbs - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Yes Please
  • Dippyskoodlez - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I love free hardware, especially if the company listens to feedback!
  • cp2732 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This is definitely something up my alley! I hope I'm lucky!
  • kessconn - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Hello! Im in the processes of building my own steambox for the upcoming OS, currently I have all components for this build excluding the cpu, which will end up being the A10 7850. Im super excited to run some tests and see what the APU can do, but i would be even more exited if i could also test the crossfire capabilities with the r7 250. it would be cool to see if the on board+discrete graphics make a viable mid range system, which by the looks of independent benchmarks they will. anywho thanks for the consideration, and im sure that either way i will be happy with the builds performance. keep up the good work amd!
  • enkitheotter - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    my rig ive currently got is barely even running game wise... its still running an old Geforce 6200
    this card would help SO much
  • Darksurf - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Would be great to crossfire with my new A10-7850K!
  • Looperted - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Well, I'm currently doing all my gaming on my sub $100 rig. It consists of an A6-6400k, a 10 year old hard drive, and a bunch of parts taken from a broken computer. I can't play any modern games, because this apu is kinda crap ( no offense AMD). I'm stuck playing at 800*480 and low settings to make it playable. I would gladly review one of these and have fun using it and over clocking it.
  • WintersEdge - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    In for the lottery!
  • tjburrow - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    me!
  • Mastax - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I've got an AMD system but I have an old NVIDIA 9600 gt in there right now, so this card would actually be a significant upgrade. I'd love to see what 6 generations of improvement can do with the same TDP. Also: AMD. Whoop!
  • lighttingwolf - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    hopefully
  • Riadon - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I have a stock HP setup and I need a video card and the ASUS R7 250 is what I need.
  • drum_nerd - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    maybe this time.....
  • LeftSide - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Yes Please
  • hassams - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I like competition because i hate when i'm depended on my luck
  • diskburner67 - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I could use an r7-250 to mine Syncoin! It is a new cryptocurrency I am trying to help get off the ground.
  • Sumotku - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    Like many techs in the private market I'm faced with dealing with XP's demise. I have a lot of customers who use CAD as a hobby and scrape by with aging systems and mediocre graphics, simple 2D stuff mostly. I'm looking for a decent substitute to Intel HD chips and this might just be it.
  • Zgraphz - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    This would be just Great!
  • rqle - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    IN!
  • YoshoMasaki - Saturday, February 22, 2014 - link

    I would like one of these!
  • Spectrophobic - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I'll probably not gonna win but, whatever. Good luck!
  • Ben Enos - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Awesome, thanks.
  • TooYellow - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Could use another card...
  • Aezen - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I'd pair this up in a Mini-ITX APU build to be used as an HTPC/Steam streaming box.
  • Sarscott1234 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I have a G3420 dual core processor with 8gb of 1866 ddr3 ram and a Samsung Pro SSD with a modest power supply. The r7 250 would be perfect for my system as my system is basic and needs only a moderate gpu. I will use this GPU for games and school work as I am currently learning to program FPGA's with XILINK ISE Design Suite. I want to add that the G3420 is an awesome CPU for $70, and the integrated graphics is more than capable for basic 720p gaming.
  • Protocol 117 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I just upgraded all of my parts except my GPU and it's killing me. Right now i'm running a GTX 650 with an AMD Vishera 8-core and 16gb of RAM, but the GPU is bottlenecking me and I would love to run a full AMD setup finally.
  • SnAgCu - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I'm working on building myself a budget computer (using the helpful advice of the Anandtech crew of course) to get more horsepower than my old Turion X2 laptop can provide. Currently have a case and power supply, and a GPU would mean I'm only one mobo bundle purchase from a working computer!
  • GunAndRun - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I don't want it, I'm rocking my XFX R9 280X! But I would love to give to my friend so he could play League of Legends at a constant 60 FPS!
  • bytewizzz - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I could use this in my aging but still strong 4.0 Ghz e8400 AND Gigabyte EP45-UD3L--but weak ATI 4830 to do my 3d graphics and engineering work...
  • Bastiel - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I could use this in a build I am doing for a friend of mine based off of the a10-7850k apu ... I would love to have the hands on bench difference , and I'm more than certain that they would appreciate the performance boost
  • dreamslast - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I'll never win but hey why not lol
  • Compupaq - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I'd like to see how well this card can handle being in a HTPC with madVR video rendering. My current video card is doing an okay job, but I'd like to see if the R7 250 can handle higher settings. Aside from using it for movies and TV shows, it would also be used for some light gaming. Not necessarily new games, but games that have been out for a year or two.

    My current HTPC setup uses an old AMD Phenom X3 with 4GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon HD 4850 running Windows 8.1.
  • timantim - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Nice!
  • Ciubotaru - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Realy need to upgrade my old gt 430 with this so give it to me to make a nice comparison.
  • KMikhail - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Can't wait!
  • dassyko328 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    It would be a nice upgrade from an nvidia 320 s, not enough card for my cpu
  • Customize_Your_Sleep - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    At the moment I am am running a athlon x2 5600 with onboard 6100se graphics. It is good for diablo 2and other 2d games but not 3d games.

    I also have an amd phenom x4 955 with mother board and case that a friend gave me but no gpu.
    I was going to get a 7770 but a r7 250 will do, Use will be for playing games like dungeon siege 2 and torchlight1 and 2. .
  • sHapp3z0r - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Ready to win it :o
  • Hurki - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Want it so bad <3
  • Pwnstar - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I have a AMD A10-6800K and it is really slow in games. I'd love the R7 250!
  • qwerten1442 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    i want one :D
  • telivanos80 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I have an asus Essentio from a few years back and the invida card in it well fired so im using onboard atm with make me unable to game on it so im taking a break from pc gaming and playing Xbox was trying to save for a new card but now im having a baby so thats now happening so if I win I will be able to rejoin the 'master race' of pc gaming
  • zxxxxxx - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    yes please
  • CapRaz - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I've just bought a FX-6300 but i'm still using my old HD4850. It would be awesome to get one of these shiny new graphic cards. My FX-6300 is hungry for some fresh meat :))
  • MgdCowboy - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Sign me up ;)
    It's always good to have backup, and who doesn't want a free GPU?
  • Matqo - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I need one for crossfire with my R9 290! Thanks.
  • franklinside - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Yeah ;)
  • Zap - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I have a few systems around the household which are still using integrated graphics. Unfortunately two of the three can only take low profile. The third one can take this card, but it is using an AMD A10-6800K APU, so not sure if this card is all that useful to me. It can Crossfire with an A10-7850K, right?
  • rainbrodash666 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    because I won a preorder of thief from the amd gaming evolved app, and cant play it.
  • mnelsonx - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Could be a nice HTPC card, too...
  • adamfmiller - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Well if there is one going spare send it my way
  • jamawass - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I want to boost the Titanfall playability of my kids' A8-3850 mini-itx PC. Adding a R9 250 would provide more horsepower than a 6670 even though that can be used in a dual graphic mode.
  • DiHydro - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I'm not sure if I had entered this giveaway, so I am making sure. This would be a sweet card to for a second system!
  • danielmawhirter - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    This would go great with my recent APU build, I had been debating a discrete card, but for a low cost build, I left it out. Hoping the dual-graphics will show nice performance!
  • hero4hire - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    More lotto for chances sake
  • conmer16 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    worth a shot!
  • ibex333 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I am planning to use the R7 250 in my custom built PC which I use as a secondary PC for light tasks and light gaming. It has a e6300 Conroe CPU overclocked to 3.20GHz has 4GB DDR 2RAM and a 64GB SSD for Windows and Office.

    This computer flies, and makes me wonder why so many people feel they NEED a modern CPU when they really only get one because they can.

    Currently I an using a Radeon 4530 and it does great in this system on low res. I am also a big fan of "scaling" (black bars around image). It makes low resolutions look natural instead of stretching them out across the screen.
  • mongees - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Currently have an HP desktop with Intel integrated graphics. I play a lot of wow due to the fact its one of the only games that will run well. I would like to play many of the upcoming games. I even made sure the stock PSU would support an independent card if I ever upgraded. I would be more than happy to test one of these cards out.
  • jtroutma - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    This would upgrade my wife's gaming system quite nicely! She currently using an older i5 w/ 8GB of RAM on an ATI HD4200 that is holding her back.
  • spinningout - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    My only computer at the moment is unfortunately a 6 year old laptop with dead slow integrated intel graphics. I do some freelance web development and video editing, and it would be great to get a hold of a card that can perform OpenCl acceleration. Since this would be a fresh build, it'd be fun to use a Kaveri APU and check out the Dual Graphics setup.
  • Hibero - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I see no reason not to.
  • brandonray99 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    count me in
  • jcdommo - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Was looking to replace my aging 5830 with a 7770/90 when I lost my job. I'm currently running my Sandy Bridge i5 2500 system with all the components you'd expect from right when that era hit. The R7 250 is a little lower than I'd probably normally go, but the price point is roughly in the area I was looking at before I became unemployed ($100-120). My PC is my primary gaming system since I haven't owned a console since PS2, so obviously not falling too far behind in graphics is a good thing. Anyways, would be nice to win this, especially since I have more free time on my hand at the moment!
  • k33bz - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I would love to win this card so that I can replace the onboard graphics with something a little more beefy. I would be using this in my living room PC that currently only has the intel HD4000 - its pretty weak when we try to stream 1080p videos over the network, and can't play games at all. There are a few games I would love to play on the TV instead of the office computer, and the R7 250 would be perfect for those. One i can think of right now is Dungeon Defenders, since I use the Xbox controller via USB anyway, and I dont have another console. I don't like the lock-in of consoles, so having a better video card would let me do some way cooler things (XBMC & Steam games) from the living room!
  • reddyblazingboy - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    hiii
  • Foge1 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I could use pieces to upgrade my tower.
  • EddieBoy - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Would love to win this card.
  • xme - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    If this is a value card, what does that make my current card? This would be a nice upgrade for me!
  • npcomplete - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    -1*(I don't want it)
  • snsr - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Thanks!
  • mj0730 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Current system is several years old using an intel qx6700 and a Radeon 6670. I used to be a nut but don't have the money to upgrade hardware as often as I'd like anymore. My daughter and I use the computer for games, and some picture and video editing. For a 6 year old, she's quite the little gamer, and it's something that we enjoy doing together, so that's what the new card would be used for.
  • mj0730 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    *5670
  • TStokes - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    AMD has been putting out some great products lately.
  • Rjordan - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Sounds like a nice card for the price
  • RenaeAlly - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    This would be interesting.
  • pwills60 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I would love to have this in a mini-ITX HTPC.
  • baccous - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    nice cool quiet card
  • jettoblacka - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Thanks!
  • Grandal - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    Thinking of using this in a HTPC build. Like the low profile.
  • Jargon09 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I'm in
  • sonygem19 - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    count me in!
  • KGBird - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    This would be a great card for my core duo media PC. The image quality should be a big improvement over the old HD3000 series card I currently use.
  • KentunVortex - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I could use this graphics card for gaming need to upgrade from my radeon hd 3870 none of these newer games are working with it
  • jrizzz - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    currently have an i5 on a z77 pro3 and would like this card so i can actually play games lol
  • PureAznPro - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I have a better card than this.... but i'll take anything that is free
  • Grayguard - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I have a Dell Dimension 2400. It would help me save some money when buying a new machine.
  • Pipewrench - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    I am currently using a Q6600 with a GTX460SE with 4gb of DDR2 a system that is starting to feel a bit long in the tooth even at 1680x1050. Based off the previews I've seen I could use this and pair it with one of the new Kaveri chips to build me a new low cost system that outstrips what I have by a decent margin! Especially if Mantle adoption spreads as well as the ability to use the Kaveri and this in a dual graphics setup pans out as well as hoped!
  • josepulido - Sunday, February 23, 2014 - link

    i could use it
  • wickedme - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    yay
  • mauler1973 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I am currently repurposing a dell studio 540 as a dvr\pvr box to record OTA shows. The original video card died and the R7 250 would be great for playback of video. I have already put an older pinnacle HD tuner card in the machine for capture duties, and just need to source an economical video card to complete the machine hardware wise.
  • justjoe1 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    neat
  • bwuceree - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Sure, why not!
  • martajd - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    please!
  • Rayb - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    It's been ages since I've used a radeon card
  • jsymonds3 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Sign me up!
  • Cravenmor - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I run the i5-2500k with iGPU graphics, which is much better than my previous machine in both CPU and GPU performance. Any modern Discrete graphics card would still be great. I the most obvious benefit will be lack of the video playback stutter (a well known issue) and perhaps cranking up the resolution and detail levels on the few games I run. Also my MB has the Lucidlogic Virtu chip which I have yet to experiment with.
  • kyrie74 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Just purchased an A 10 7850K and this card would pair up with it nicely.
  • Rekoj - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I want to win because cake.
  • Guwapo77 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Toss my name in the hat please. Thank you very much!
  • jmtxusa999 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I can use an upgrade. Pick me!
  • BluegrassGeek - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I just built a new computer this past week. Casual gamer, so I wanted something that can run modern games well, but within a rather tight budget. Built a mini-ITX machine with a Haswell Core i5 3.2 Ghz, 8 Gb memory, Asus Z87 motherboard and some drives left over from my old machine: 120 GB SSD and a 1 Tb Western Digital Green HD. Plus, my old video card, a Radeon 6850. So, the video card is a bit older, but I couldn't really justify dropping an extra $100+ USD on a new one. This R7 card would be a nice upgrade, and the smaller card size would fit the ITX case better than my full-length card.
  • Cloakstar - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I have a top-end Llano rig. This gets me into GCN and much improved 1080p gaming. :)
  • steveb_888 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    my turn.....

    first ati card was a 9800 it rocked... i still have it hanging from the ceiling of my workshop, along with several other video cards.
    only 1 is an nvidea, i think of it as the "toaster" noisy and HOT,,
    just call me a ati fanboy
  • snappyq - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Crunching - folding & seti
    CPU - Intel i7-3770
    Motherboard - ASUS P8H77-M PRO
    RAM - 2 x Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB
    HDD - Intel 520 240GB
    HDD - WD Caviar SE16 750GB
    BDRW - LG WH10LS30
    Case - Fractal Design Define Mini
    Power Supply - Seasonic SS-560KM
  • pws328 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    This weekend I just got an A10-7850K with a micro-ATX board from microcenter (awesome deal for under 150 w/tax!). I thought about getting an R7 too to try out hybrid crossfire, but I wasn't sure it would be totally necessary, and figured I'd save the money and give it a go with the integrated graphics to see how the performance was. This box is mostly going to be pulling HTPC duties, so mostly just local content playback and streaming, but I would like to play games on it as well. I'd like to think I'm a pretty good candidate for a free R7 250, so I'd be happy to tell you my comments if I win!
  • trepkac - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    i am in! :)
  • plonk420 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    i want to put this in an HTPC to do some higher quality scaling than with a base level GPU, maybe some mild/casual gaming, and test out Steam In-Home Streaming, too (one spare computer i have is just a single core Athlon 64 setup)
  • nbhnohome - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    It would be a great replacement for the aging 9600GT that comes with Dell XPS.
  • HiTechObsessed - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Would be a perfect addition to my wife's PC, as she's running an iGPU still!
  • Bigross123 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I'm in
  • adnanraf1q - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I am here, please be kind and smile.
  • KnowledgeLevelUp - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I have been looking for a really low budget system to build upon as my first build. I have gathered around A10-7850K, ASRock FM2+ MB, 8GB RAM, PSU, SSD and I run it in an open air case that I build with a canvas. I would love to have this GPU in order for me to see the dual graphics performance in addition to trying out the recent AMD beta driver. Furthermore, I can try out Mantle since I also have a copy of BF4 laying around. Thanks for reading :)
  • pantag - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    This is great! Another giveaway. I am game! :-)
  • JackNSally - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    This will replace a gt 210, so yeah, can you see the need for this?
  • pavlindrom - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    If it's still on, I'd like in. Thankee.
  • sourdo55 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Uno aqui por favor!

    my specs:

    MB- Asus M4A87TD EVO
    PROC- AMD 3.2 GH 1090T 6X OC'D @ 3.4GH
    VID- DIAMOND RADEON HD 6850
    MEM- 16 GB (4X4GB@1600)
    HD- SANDISK SSD 256 GB

    I would like the Radeon R7 250 for a computer for the Sony 50 " LED to build a gaming/entertainment center.

    sourdo55
  • Noirx7 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    A 13 year old and a bit out of date computer means my household could use a bit of an update...
  • Travisx2 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Hi,
    We have started gaming more often on our living room PC (rather than hulu/netflix)
    It's currently an AMD athlon dual core with a Geforce 210.
    The TV is 1080p but I have to run most games at 720 or below with the settings all turned down a bit. The case is an tiny Antec Aria so it needs to be a smaller card like this.
  • grburrows - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Would be great to win a R7 250 GPU
  • thaginger - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    this is perfect for what i need, soon i will be building a system for my girlfriend for her birthday since her laptop is a lost cause. Im using a miniITX build with an intel i3, asus miniITX mobo, bitfinix protegy miniitx case, and a 430w psu. i planed on going with like a 260x since she doesnt need a super high end gpu but the 250 would be perfect and it would help with my wallet since im about to do a job change and will be low on money
  • gravity360 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Cool, can stuff this into my son's pc so he can play minecraft.
  • WilliamsSigns - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I do graphic design. I currently have an Asus Evo 2 Motherboard with an AMD 8120, 16 GB RipJaw 1866, Samsung 840 Pro SSD, Radeon HD 6570 2GB. Windows 7 X64. Experience rating maxed on everything except video. Video ranks 5.9. I need a new video card really bad and I can put one through its paces.
  • titanmiller - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I really hope that I win!
  • rtfmx9 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Yes, please!
  • loza.luis - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    well i mean if your insisting.
  • warforge00 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I currently have an i7 920 with a Radeon 6850. In the process of building a new PC, so this would help out a lot.
  • sloppyjoe03 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    enter me
  • goza056 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    This would be nice.
  • somebrains_crucialssd - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    We have 7870/3930k/16gb ram/Samsung 840 evo's and W5000/3770k/8gb ram/Intel 520 ssd's as projection mapping servers.

    We work globally, and I'm evaluating ITX Haswell builds to replace our Shuttle & ATX pc's.

    This would be a great opportunity to evaluate hardware.
  • Darcnezz - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    My current build is rapidly creeping towards obsolencence. Any slight push towards future tech would be highly desirable! Especially when the only expenditure would be equivalent to words describing the performance gain.
  • Tdog80 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I would like one.
  • sodapopsoda - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    OK, sure.
  • ThatsABigDoor - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I built my first PC in the past year. Wanting to know what I was getting into, I bought my first discrete graphics card, HD 6570 with GDDR3, for a 4ish year-old Asus desktop with a Pentium E5300 processor, Asus mobo and 6 GB of DDR2 RAM. I decided I would build a new computer but ended up doing it in phases. I upgraded the CPU to a Core2 Duo E8400 and the PSU and bought an Asus HD 7850. It was definitely an improvement, but the 7850 was under-utilized by the Core2 processor. (Now I have an FX 6300 running two 7850s). I would like to see how this card, with its faster clocks and memory, runs with the Core2 Duo compared to the HD 6570.
  • mzd - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    okay, im in
  • grayj79 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Would take it for free!
  • HeartLess09 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Currently have a 7850, it would be nice to be able to cross fire it.
  • dietrichw - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I Currently have a late 2011 mac mini (sandybridge). I need to build a new PC and a R7 250 could make it possible as the card is the biggest chunk of the cost of a system next to the CPU or APU, Or I could put it in a system with a core 2 and replace the ATI 5000 series card
  • AshleyBrooks - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Hope this works.
  • mjb626 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I'll have a go, I like that they want feedback of the user's experience.
  • Keene53 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Count me in.
  • HyperKabuto - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I use a HP Pavillion dv5-1000 CTO. Been thinking about building me a desktop, would be nice to not have to buy the card.
  • Panau - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    My current system configuration is a Clarkdale based mini-itx computer using integrated Ironlake graphics on the CPU. My PCI-e slot is empty and a R7 250 would be a pretty wonderful upgrade.
  • Test42 - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    This would be a great board to upgrade the PC I have in the den for better gaming. It is a mATX build with a Q6700 and 4G of memory but needs a better GPU for gaming with low power for noise and cooling and no AUX power. The R7 250 looks to be a really good match.
  • MacM - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    Sure, count me in.
  • skydriver - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    e6750 @ 3.02 and using the AMD 6950. I would be using this to run BF4 with mantle, hopefully get my FPS up.
  • Kmknapp - Monday, February 24, 2014 - link

    I WANT this card to use in a mini Itx or micro atx HTC / middle range gaming computer on the big screen as a desktop becomes less relevant for me.

    I NEED this card for 2 reasons: 1. as a father of two small kids, my only gaming opportunity is in the living room late at night or early morning. I miss PC. 2. I just paid off my wife's and I first vacation ever, not to mention without kids as a surprise birthday present for her (bucket list trip to see Outkast on the beach) and I have no cash for my own projects like this.
  • MeTechE - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    This would be solid choice to build an htpc around, and I would love to do it.
  • thrash_metash - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    My daughters computer crashes 15 minutes into StarCraft II with some bizzare behavior that appears to be video card related. I've tried everything short of replacing the card. I'd love to give this little card a shot at fixing an ongoing thorn in my side and compare it to the current card.
  • DeliciousRoman - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I'd love to win one of these.
  • Nincomp - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    This would make a huge difference in my system. It is a hand-me-down from my son (who kept the good graphics card).
  • kj_anandtech - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I currently own the fastest-1 65W trinity part with an asrock mini itx (FM2A88X). 4GB of DDR3 2166 and Samy SSD. I was having issues with MSI mobo, 78 chipset. Love the asrock board and AMD APU. Mostly a gaming rig on steam. Nothing too demanding. When I originally purchased I thought of dual graphics but support was lacking. Memory limitations and only certain commits supported.

    Sign me up! Can't really try this kit out as I understand dual graphics for R series is kaveri only right? Also prefer reviews months after release after driver maturity has peaked.
  • random4t4x14 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    This would be sweet! My nVidia Gefore 210 just died, and that was the card I used in my media center box. It's also very close to my birthday! Consider me entered.
  • comicsgod53@yahoo.com - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Currently running 660 Ti and AMD 6950.This would go great with my mini ITX board.
  • JoBalz - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    My current Radeon card has a failing fan. I could sure use a new card!
  • jolo8570 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    If I got it I would definitely build a mining rig.
  • analogmonster - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I want to accept the challenge of that "dust proof" fan.
  • Loverdann - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I need one as that I have a pc with a 300w power supply, and I hear this is the best card I can get without having to upgrade the power. As that I have a Radeon 7350, the R7 250 would be a lot better! PLEASE help by letting me win :)
  • loonsternl - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    We shall see if we are lucky enough to get our hands on a juicy card<3
  • coolrock2008 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    My Entry to AMD give away:

    I am an international student doing my Master's degree in Engineering at Purdue. I have lost my 4 year old laptop (my only computer) and I am looking at my options for buying a new computer (highly tilting toward a desktop). My thesis involves image processing and control systems and thus a good deal of processing. My application (cannot reveal because of IP issues) needs me to be as real time as possible. Thus parallel processing is an avenue that I have to completely exploit for this. This is where AMD graphics card kicks in. Most of the heavy duty work will be done on the systems in the lab but I need something to work at my home too and I am on a very tight budget. This card will help me get a computer (which is most likely to be an AMD powered one) with good raw processing power on a budget. It would be a dream come true, if i get the Card....

    PS: The potential system I am looking at is an AMD FX series processor and 8 gigs of RAM (My application needs to be light weight as well, so I cannot use huge amounts of RAM). I got a 19 inch monitor that they were replacing at the university for dirt cheap price.
  • mbohde - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I have an old i7 920 with an 60GB ssd laying around I would like to make into a HTPC. That gpu would fit the bill very nicely.
  • Jeevis - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Thanks
  • LabLauncher - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • Dyjo - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    This would actually be for a build I would be doing for a friend who is currently playing WoW on a laptop with integrated Intel graphics. Planning on doing a build with a new Kaveri piece and being able to get a dual graphics option here will be great for her to experience the new character models and get the full experience in time for the upcoming expansion.
  • Uritziel - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Want.
  • ThatsWhatSheSaid - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Can't complain about free!
  • cjohansen11 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I don't have a current machine that I would be putting this into but it will be a piece of the puzzle as I build a video editing station.
  • Zefram0911 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Do it!
  • Torpe - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Please enter me.
  • DarthHomie - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Hey this one I am actually not late for....

    This would be a perfect little companion for my HTPC. I need something low power to use on it for some more laid back gaming in the living room.
  • Mr.MojoRisin - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    My current setup is a home-built Core 2 quad Q6600 running Windows 7 with on-board video that I've got hooked up to my TV that I use for video streaming. Winning an R7 250 would finally let me play some games on my TV as well. Having an R7 video card matters to me because I want a card with Mantle support so I can take advantage of gaming optimizations in the future.
  • Rynin - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    The reason I would like this card, is that my girlfriends son has a hand me down computer. The power supply in the computer is only a 500W, and I currently have a GTX 260 in the computer. The video card is ok for some games that he likes to play, but he really wants to try out Battlefield 4, and his current video card just wont work. I have been an Nvidia guy for over 10 years now, but the new Mantle API has me greatly intrigued, and I would love to be able to give him a card that would allow him to play Battlefield 4, and also test Mantle myself, so I could look at replacing the video cards in my other 3 computers (Mine, Girlfriends, and my GFs other son) with AMD.
  • pcs305 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I have the outline of the review ready to go. Mail the card and I will get the details filled in.
  • flyinfinni - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I'm currently running a fairly high powered main rig with an AMD Radeon 7950 and Intel i7-3820 on an EVGA x79 SLI board. The reason I'd like a R7 250 is that I don't always need this amount of power and I want to convert my storage server into a capable, low-power storage server/HTPC that can handle my media needs without having to power up my main rig. I'm currently using an old WiFi enabled blu-ray player for my media center, but it has an absolutely horrible interface and very bad/limited apps for internet streaming and I need to replace it. With some minor tweaks and a decent graphics card (R7 250!) I could set up a great little HTPC to handle all of my needs.
  • lobos - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Yes.
  • Sam Belle - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I want one for me!
  • mbaroud - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Give me!!!
  • andysexton - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    nice
  • mikeymop - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Ohhh, let me get a closer look at that card :)
  • PeaceMahn - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I need this to test my Indie Game that I'm developing. I'm building a box to test the Linux/Windows port of my game on real hardware (instead of my current VMs on OS X), and I still need to get the graphics card. You can try the pre-alpha versions of the game for free to see that I'm not kidding: https://spacedonuts.com
  • a_wal - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I love that these low end cards are coming close to matching my gtx260, count me in for one.
  • mnky9800n - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I spent all of my money on Japanese language classes and now I can't afford a new graphics card. But before I spent all of my money on Japanese classes I spent most of my money on a new AMD 7850k, 16 gigs of ram, and a mobo. That computer is begging for a graphics card. One that I can play video games on and speak Japanese! It will be so much fun. I will speak Japanese to you if I win.
  • jagarrison - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    THis would be a great addition to my HTPC running an i5 with 8GB of memory. I'm currently using the integrated Intel video which is lackluster at best. Adding this card would allow me to bring some light gaming to my living room and improve video playback overall. Also, the card should allow me to enable RemoteFX. My HTPC is Windows 8.1 with the Hypervisor installed and running a couple of VMs. I believe this will allow me to take advantage of the Microsoft Android RDP client for some gaming but that may be wishful thinking on my part.
  • t3hjoe@yahoo.com - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I'm currently revamping a system I built for my little brother in 2007. It runs a a core 2 duo e4500 with a radeon hd 2600. I'm popping in a core 2 quad 6600 and I'm looking for a budget card to put in the system. He's not an extreme gamer, but I'd like to make him something that's capable of playing most modern games. The r7 250 is a good choice, mostly because of its low power requirements. The power supply is seven years old and I'm afraid that if I plug in something that uses too much I'll blow the supply.
  • gklub - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I currently have a system built around a Gigabyte mini-ITX motherboard and an Intel core i5. It sits in my home theater rack as a combination media PC / gaming system. My current card, a Radeon 5770, is on its last legs. The fan on full load is beginning to screech loud enough to be heard over the sounds of the stereo and I would love the chance to update it with a newer / faster card while reducing the heat in the system at the same time.
  • HaywireII - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I'm doing an upgrade for my daughter on a limited budget. I was thinking of relying on Intel integrated graphics but really want a discrete card. She likes to write and create art with a Wacom Bamboo as well as play Skyrim and Sims.
  • mrfou - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Currently running a mini ITX HTPC with Intel HD4000 graphics. Would benefit from discreet AMD graphics to play more games on that machine.
  • deadpenguin - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I currently am running an old 5770 in my gaming computer. I have a Llano A8 processor and was in the market for a processor upgrade. I would love to run this in dual graphics mode with a brand new Kaveri processor.
  • Jason858 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Looks like a great add on to my system.
  • BadgerBorn - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Been looking for a new graphics card!
  • thechingdynasty - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    dropping a line for the card
  • bytor7 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • bettsar - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    The computer that my kids are constantly playing games on is running an old Radeon HD 4850. While the card is still viable for most low-end games (the currently love Lego Marvell Super Heroes), it could certainly use a bit of a boost to keep that system running smoothly as their tastes mature a bit in the next year or so. The fact that it's also a low-power card works nicely with the 400W power supply in the computer. (I was nervous about running a 125W processor with the 4850, but it seems to be working so far.)
  • mikeohuo - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    In it to win it! > :D
  • bar11172 - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Looking to build a new everyday driver that won't break the bank; I could do nicely with one of these to build around.
  • nenforcer - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    I just purchased my first AMD APU, the AMD A10-7850K for a Mantle / HTPC build to replace my aging Intel Atom / nVidia ION machine. Couldn't be happier and can't wait for more Mantle / True Audio software. I would really like a Radeon R7 250 to enable dual CrossfireX graphics, however!
  • 3serious - Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - link

    Pick me!
  • kto8257 - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    i'm in
  • buddylembeck - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I'll take a few.
  • Kcilorak - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    Pick please me!
  • Sivar - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    Sounds good.
  • KillerInTheRye - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I currently have the following specs:
    Intel i7 4770
    16GB of DDR3 1866Mhz RAM
    MSI Z87 Motherboard
    240GB Samsung 840 SSD
    2TB WD Black Hard Drive
    Nvidia GeForce GTX670 Video Card
    2 X LG 24X DVD Burners
    Rosewill Blackhawk Case
    Antec 750W Power Supply

    I would like this graphics card for a home theater build I have been thinking of creating. I want to use a ITX motherboard with a small case with two open expansion slots so I can add in a card like this one. I have most of the parts I need but this would be a welcome addition since it supports HD Audio output and 4K as well as 3D output.
  • madmaxed - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I am currently running a HTPC with a AMD 5670. Kuma 7750 Processor, Amd 780G chipset motherboard with 4GB RAM and Windows 7 64bit.

    I use Windows Media Center for all of my programming which includes OTA HD, and Cable via an HDHomeRun Prime. I also use this machine to play Blu-ray discs using Arcsoft Total Media Theatre. The current 5670 his hooked into my Onkyo receiver using and HDMI connection.

    I'm interested in comparing this new low cost card to my 5670 and also plan on testing it in a new i3 based system to see how it compares to the integrated Intel Graphics.

    I am looking for something to that can handle all my media center tasks, as well as allow me to play a few older games. All in a fairly quiet and low power package.
  • FunkyTX - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    Big money big money
  • olimazi - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I wonder if an A6 APU will bottleneck this card?
  • Excerpt - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    Dear AnandTech Team: (This is my FIRST POST, you all do a great and unprecedented job!)

    I built a new computer in Dec 2012, after squeezing the life out of a 2003 system with only 1 memory upgrade and 1 video card upgrade. Longevity was my goal, and I took every bit of pride from shocking people during on-online games that I was running on a single-core AMD-whatever at 2.1 G-hurts. The pride turned to frustration as wait times for mundane internet usage and on-line play turned into whole fractions of minutes.
    This new system was built with 4 aims in mind, Apple-tier specs (at the time), 6-8 year longevity, Low-power consumption, and living room use with TV (read: no cable, DVR or console) for netfilx / bluray and some light games. HD 4000 kicks things around ok, but not when it comes to games and it's glitchy (flickering problems) with my dual TV and computer monitor set up. Additionally, if Ultra res. gets anywhere in the next few years, i'll need something to float a 4k video or two over for (future) TV use. I have absolutely no money to spend on a video card right now I would really find good use out of the power efficient R7 250.

    I would compare / constrast a few games' frame rates, CPU temprature (as the HD4000 would be deactivated), power-efficiency, functionality and ease of installation incl. software - all with some pics. Thank you for your consideration, and all the best.

    Set up:
    Corsair cx430 80Plus cert. (430 watt @80%)
    i5 3570k clocked at 4ghz** on Z77 (Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H) HD 4000 on board graphics
    8GB Ram (Patriot Black Mamba @ 1600 stock)
    1 SSD Intel 180GB (Cherryville 520)
    1 HDD Seagate 1TB (Barracuda SATA 6Gb/s)
    1 LG BlueRay Disc Player/Burner
    21.6" Samsung Monitor at 1650x1050 on DVI
    Plus: + Focusrite Firewire Audio interface, + M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 Midi Keyboard controller, + Samsung LCD TV @ 1080p on 15' HDMI ver 1.4

    **Everything on the motherboard is stock except for those max Turbo Clocks 40x-38x dependent on number of cores active, some LLC increases and fan settings
  • mesasser51 - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    Please let me win one!
  • sasfeld - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    An upgrade would be welcomed :)
  • julioiglesias - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I so need this!
  • golemB - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    Yes please!
  • ultra-m-a-n - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    it would definitely be cool to win the card, and all i have to do is review it!
  • D1RTYD1Z619 - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I would love this card for my daughter's computer which is running 4850 512mb in xfire. Seeing the performance compared to what she has would be interesting.
  • elzahir - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I have an older HP core2duo system whose discrete graphics card died a few months ago, and I would like to upgrade to a relatively current card without having to also replace the power supply.
  • nmillerrider - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    this would be a great upgrade for me. *crossing fingers*
  • TechNinja49 - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I have an i7 860 with 6GB of RAM but I'm stuck with a puny GeForce 210. The R7 250 would be an awesome upgrade!
  • SvenBentDK - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    Reason: I moved to the states recently to get married with my current wife. Rook the 10 month paper maze to get a greencard for the states. with the greencard im finally able to travel back to my old country to get my pc to the states and at arrival back in the states my gfxcard has come losse during the flight ad the gpu core got chipped >.<
    i need this bad so i can get out of gaming on my slow laptop

    PC specs:
    Intel Corei5 2500k (oc til 4ghz)
    Corsair water cooler
    Asrock P67 Extreme6 motherboard
    4x 2048mb PC2 6400 Corsair RAM
    Radeon 6950 2GB (bios mod til 6970) *Broken*
    SoundBlaster X-FI titanium
    Onboard realtek 1Gbit NIC
    Liteon Sata DVD-writer
    2x 320GB WD3200KS HDD - SATA2/10000rpm/8­mb (raid 0)
  • mononucleosis - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    This card will allow me to build a low cost Steam Box. My other two computers are both AMD builds so this would fit right in.
  • saysay - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I want one
  • Banstyx5 - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link

    I just built a system with a a10 7850 with a GIGABYTE GA-F2A88X-UP4 FM2+ motherboard. 16 gigs 2133 ddr3 . Would love to have a shiny new R7 250 to go with it .
  • paigeinfull - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    I've been trying to save money for a new build for so long now. This gpu would be a great start. My current system is:
    I7 920
    Intel dx58so
    2 amd 5770
    Samsung 120GB 830 series ssd
    3TB in hdd storage
    All in a cooler master 690 case
    Definitely starting to show it's age, especially with power consumption.
    I would probably use this 250 in a sff htpc/steam box and slowly upgrade my current system while using it as a personal server to try out the new steamos game streaming. I've had a seasonic gold rated psu and 16 gig ddr3 kit for over a year now in anticipation of a new build.
    Thanks for this opportunity Anand and AMD
  • justjoe1 - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    cool
  • yumiyo - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    I want to participate, hope I'm still in time to do it!

    Here are my specs

    Q6600
    4gb DDR2
    HD3850
    600W PSU
    80gb HDD
    Generic case
    Mouse
    Keyboard
    Monitor
    Desk???
    ROOM

    I've been a longtime AMD fan and I'll be happy to provide all the feedback you need, please!
    Thank you very, very, very, very much
  • yumiyo - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    I forgot to say what I'm going to use it for :(...
    hopefully you read this too, I wanna game with it and MANTLE!
  • TRSS - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    Omg, I love Anandtech ♥
  • slabissoniere - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    Since I've gotten SC2, I've been unable to play it in all it's glory, this card would replace the nVidia I currently have, and restore the game to it's original experience, just in time for the latest expansion too!
  • einsteinecker - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    Hope to win!
  • castlefox44 - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    I would love this GPU for my first PC build. Its going to be a linux gaming machine
  • Myxx - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    Been looking to upgrade my 6 year old computer... and havent been able to because of the economy. Be a sweet upgrade on my way to new everything.
  • Lowebrow - Thursday, February 27, 2014 - link

    Dang, I'm too late to enter.

    Oh well, I can at last post my decrepit PC (laptop specifications)
    Gateway P-6860 FX Notebook
    Intel C2D processor T5550 1.83GHz
    4096 MB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
    Nvidia 8800M GTS
    320gb HDD

    I would love to build a new PC to replace this aging beast that is having numerous issues. It often fails to boot, let alone it appears the HDD is going bad; it's on it's last legs. Definitely should have built a desktop instead of buying this laptop, the difference in longevity is huge.

    I was planning on building a new budget PC with this years tax refund, even going so far as to set up a build on pcpartpicker after hours of research. But unfortunately, my refund was much smaller than my usual (I'm currently unemployed) and the funds are going to the necessities, such as food and clothing (we have two boys). When it rains, it pours.

    Even if I did win this contest, I don't think I would be able to afford to build a PC. So I think I would be disqualified due to the contest rules.
  • konceptz - Friday, February 28, 2014 - link

    Please enter me in this contest. I'm taking a multi core class and would love to see just how much faster this card is.
  • bsanborn - Friday, February 28, 2014 - link

    I currently own a system with only an A8-7600 APU. I have been looking to upgrade to take advantage of the Crossfire between the discrete graphics card and the APU. To my understanding the R7-250 is one of the best cards for this setup. Getting this graphics card would greatly improve my system performance and save me some money! Hope I win!
  • mtype101 - Friday, February 28, 2014 - link

    Count me in Please :)
  • Bigross123 - Friday, February 28, 2014 - link

    Yes please
  • zxxxxxx - Saturday, March 1, 2014 - link

    plz i really need one
  • TRSS - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link

    Well, I am an AMD fanboy xD
  • jfelano - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link

    I have a Z87, 4670K, 8GB ram and my old HD5850 is dying and soon I'll be on cpu graphics cause right now I cannot afford a new video card, I need new bed first!
  • JBVertexx - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    So, who won?
  • PCMerlin - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    I'm rather confused by the contests here as well. How do we find out who won (or even if 'we' won). There is nothing posted in the article or in the comments regarding the winners, so how is it possible to reply within 3 days (which is today) if we don't even know if we won?
  • JDub8 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    Begrudgingly accepting a chance to win free swag.
  • RanDum72 - Thursday, March 6, 2014 - link

    Low power draw, less heat, yet powerful enough to run games at medium settings and smooth video..sounds like HTPC duties for me...
  • clarketelecom - Saturday, March 8, 2014 - link

    I'm in dire need of a new GPU.
  • gorumskev - Saturday, March 8, 2014 - link

    Count me in!
  • FatalExceptionFL - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - link

    This video card will be a perfect compliment to my son's machine currently using integrated graphics. I promised a video card upgrade for him (the computer is brand new with an i3 4130/HD4400 Integrated) for his acceptance into college. His machine has a proprietary power supply (Lenovo TS140 server) without PCIe power headers, so an R7 250 is perfect as it can get all its power thru the PCI BUS. Looks like he will be accepted and get a scholarship - just waiting for the letter. He wishes to go to school for 3D Modeling and game design, and has won awards already for his 3DS Max work. This video card will also help with that.
  • GenMasterB - Friday, March 14, 2014 - link

    I would love to check out AMD's new R series.. I have high expectations from them.
  • jeffmena - Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - link

    i'll review the hell out of this card
  • randomness - Saturday, March 29, 2014 - link

    Why not?

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now