AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU pictured and benched?

With only two more days to go before the launch of AMD's Hawaii GPU, we're finally seeing some leaked pictures and benchmarks. X-bit Labs compared the card with Tahiti and reports the Radeon R9 290X looks quite similar to the Radeon HD 7970.

If the photos published by DG's Nerdy Story web-site are to be believed, then the new AMD Radeon graphics card looks exactly like the current-generation Radeons from the first look. The same red-black cooling cover system that shelters a high-speed blower, two CrossFire multi-GPU connectors as well as several digital monitor connections. The new AMD Radeon graphics card – which is believed to be called AMD Radeon R9 290X in accordance with alleged new AMD nomenclature – features AMD code-named Hawaii graphics processing unit as well as 14 GDDR5 memory chips. The new graphics card features similar multi-phase GPU power supply circuitry.

DG Nerdy's benchmark results appear to be offline but Legit Reviews has a copy over here. If these leaked benchmarks can be trusted, it appears AMD's new card will give NVIDIA a run for its money. Depending on the benchmark, the R9 290X sits somewhere between NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 780 and GeForce GTX Titan, but in a lot of benchmarks it even beats the Titan.