Lately there's been a lot of excitement around value video cards. Part of it is due to the simple fact that for low resolution gaming, you can generally approximate the experience of a modern game console with fairly low end hardware. 

Late last year AMD announced its Radeon R7 250, an Oland based part priced at $89 for the value discrete market. The R7 250 also serves as an interesting Dual Graphics/CrossFire option for Kaveri users looking to increase the performance of their processor graphics (we'll have a look at this later this month).

AMD wants to give a bunch of these R7 250s away to users who can really use them. This week we're giving away three Radeon R7 250s from ASUS to three lucky readers.

Here's the deal. To enter, simply post a comment below (US residents only, please only make a single post, contest requirements below) explaining your current PC setup and why you want, or need to win a Radeon R7 250. 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. Make your entries good as they may come in handy for some other stuff we've got planned in the future. If your entry from last time still applies, feel free to re-use it.

If you win, AMD wants your feedback on the GPU after you get it. You'll be asked to provide a short review (a paragraph or two, or video if you'd like) talking about your experience with the card. Do a good job and your feedback may even be featured on AnandTech.

AMD Radeon R7 250 Specifications
  AMD Radeon R7 250
Stream Processors 384
Texture Units 24
ROPs 8
Core Clock 1000MHz
Boost Clock 1050MHz
Memory Clock 4.6GHz GDDR5
Memory Bus Width 128-bit
VRAM 1GB
FP64 1/16
TrueAudio N
Transistor Count N/A
Typical Board Power 65W
Manufacturing Process TSMC 28nm
Architecture GCN 1.0
GPU Oland
Launch Date 10/11/13
Launch Price $89

 

Entries will be accepted from 9:00 AM ET on 2/20/2014 through 9:00 AM ET on 2/27/2014. We will draw 3 winner(s) who will be selected by 3/1/2014.

Official Rules and Regulations for AnandTech Sweepstakes
No Purchase Required to Enter or Win

Upon entering any contest, sweepstakes, or promotion (a “Promotion”) offered by anandtech.com (the “Site”), a website owned and operated by AnandTech, Inc. (“AnandTech”), you must agree to the following Official Rules and Regulations (the “Rules”) as well as any additional rules governing a specific Promotion that AnandTech publishes on the Site.

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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING.

  1. Eligibility.  Promotions are open to entrants who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry, and a legal resident of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico).  Entries are limited to individuals only who are not presently banned from AnandTech’s website or comments section; commercial enterprises and business entities are not eligible.  Directors, officers, employees, contractors, and agents of AnandTech (excluding volunteer AnandTech forum moderators) and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings, and children) are not eligible.  Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  Void where prohibited.  Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Rules and AnandTech’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters relating to a Promotion.
     
  2. Entry Period.  Each Promotion will contain a specific time period within which entries will be accepted (a “Promotion Period”).   The Promotion Period for this Promotion shall run from 9:00 AM ET on 2/20/2014 through 9:00 AM ET on 2/27/2014.  Only entries received during the Promotion Period will be accepted. 
     
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  5. Prizes.  Winning a gift, prize, or other promotional item (a “Prize”) in a Promotion is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements in these Rules.  Winners will be selected in a random drawing of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.  AnandTech will notify Prize winners using the contact information provided in the winning entry.  Failure to claim a Prize by the time or in the manner specified in the particular Promotion will invalidate any claim to the Prize.  Prizes are not transferable.  The odds of winning a Prize or the Grand Prize depend on the number of entries received by AnandTech.  TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ARE NOT EXCHANGEABLE FOR FAIR MARKET VALUE.  TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANANDTECH DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIZES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. For this Promotion, 3 winner(s) will be selected by 3/1/2014 and will each receive a ASUS Radeon R7 250 described above (“Grand Prize”).  The Total U.S. Retail Value of the Grand Prize is $89.  The Grand Prize may not be substituted for cash.  The Grand Prize winner will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges associated with receipt and/or use of the Grand Prize.  After the Grand Prize winner has been notified and has complied with all applicable Rules, AnandTech will post the Grand Prize winner’s name on this website.
     
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  • 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

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