AMD Radeon recently launched its monstrous new AMD Radeon HD 6990 GPU, codenamed 'Antilles' (yes Star Wars fans, we know), claiming the title of fastest single chip graphics card in the world. The title, coveted among the two main GPU powerhouses, was last held by Nvidia with its GeForce GTX 580.

According to Engadget, the massive HD 6990 boasts 4 GB of GDDR5 RAM, 3 072 Stream Processors, 64 ROPs, and an 830 MHz core clock speed. A dual-BIOS switch will also allow users to raise clock speed up to 880 MHz.

The sizeable card will however be quite the power-hungry GPU, with a minimum of a 375W PSU required to satiate the beast. Cooling is supplied by a vapour chamber heatsink with a central blower fan, which early reviewers have said keeps the card frosty, but can also be a tad noisy when it wants to.

And while the HD 6990 may hold the 'most powerful' crown for the time being, AMD Radeon's chief competitor Nvidia is already preparing its next contender to head out into the ring in the form of the GTX 590. Time will tell whether Nvidia's offering will be able to compete with the sheer power of the 6990, but if anything it should at least be a bit more forgiving on the power consumption.

The AMD Radeon HD 6990 is currently for sale in the US for $699 (R4835), with units expected to start shipping internationally in the coming weeks.