AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced its latest graphics driver release
to advance the Ultimate Visual Experience(TM) for PC gaming
enthusiasts and casual gamers alike. Expected to be available for
download starting March 5, ATI Catalyst 8.3 is a milestone software
update in delivering both CrossFireX(TM) for Windows Vista(R) -- the
world´s first quad-GPU support, and scalable, cost-effective three GPU
support -- as well as ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology for casual
gamers. These multi-GPU capabilities provide gamers a more realistic
and immersive experience allowing them to play at high resolutions
with demanding image quality settings, and at a better value than
competing multi-GPU solutions.(1)
"AMD packed ATI Catalyst 8.3 with a double-barreled set of leading
technologies to simultaneously push the Ultimate Visual Experience(TM)
to new heights and to a wider population of PC users," said Rick
Bergman, senior vice president, AMD Graphics Product Group. "We
deliver industry firsts that make a visible difference to PC users,
whether it´s CrossFireX and the first ever quad-GPU performance on
Windows Vista, or ATI Hybrid Graphics that bring a new level of
performance to mainstream PC platforms."
Advancing Multi-GPU Gaming with CrossFireX
Through three- and four-GPU configurations in CrossFireX, gamers
can see multi-GPU performance scaling across a range of today´s most
popular DirectX(R) 9 and DirectX(R) 10 games on Windows Vista -- up to
3.2 times the performance over a single GPU(2) in some scenarios. The
flexible architecture of CrossFireX allows for the mixing and matching
of high-performing ATI Radeon(TM) GPUs. Any ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3850,
ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3870 or ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3870 X2 cards can be
combined to harness the power of up to four GPUs. CrossFireX also
supports a wide range of platforms, enabling many gamers to take
advantage of three- and four-GPU gaming on their existing hardware.
Boosting Game Performance through ATI Hybrid CrossFire
ATI Catalyst 8.3 also introduces ATI Hybrid Graphics support for
Windows Vista. An industry first that is unique to AMD processor-based
platforms, ATI Hybrid CrossFire(TM) delivers a significant 3D
performance boost. Up to 70 percent increases in performance are
possible in some gaming scenarios(3) based on PCs comprised of an AMD
780G motherboard and ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series graphics product in
Windows Vista. ATI Hybrid Graphics also support up to four independent
displays through the SurroudView(TM) feature for those who want to
maximize productivity.
Additional Innovations Found in ATI Catalyst 8.3
Beyond multi-GPU configurations in CrossFireX, ATI Catalyst 8.3
introduces a number of new features including:
-- DirectX 10.1 and Tessellation Support: ATI Catalyst 8.3 marks
the first time DirectX 10.1 support for the ATI Radeon(TM) HD
3000 series, and tessellation support for the ATI Radeon(TM)
HD 3800 series have been made available to developers.
-- Anti-Aliasing enhancements: ATI Catalyst introduces
anti-aliasing support for all Unreal Engine 3.0-based games
running in DirectX 9 mode. ATI Catalyst also allows users to
enable the Custom Filter Anti-Aliasing filters (box and wide
tent) while running in CrossFire Super Anti-Aliasing modes,
providing superior image quality.
-- HydraVision(TM) support for Windows Vista: HydraVision support
is now included in ATI Catalyst Control Center for Windows
Vista. HydraVision enables users to efficiently organize
multiple applications across single or multiple displays. You
may configure up to nine virtual desktops, and divide the
Windows Vista desktop into definable areas helping to easily
move and organize multiple applications.
-- Digital Panel GPU image scaling: For those using widescreen
displays, ATI Catalyst now allows users to enable
GPU-accelerated scaling to maintain the aspect ratio of the
display while providing superior image quality.
-- Advanced Video Quality controls: With ATI Catalyst 8.3,
multimedia enthusiasts get further control over video quality.
Using the new edge enhancement feature, the level of sharpness
of video content can be adjusted. Through the new noise
reduction feature, ghosting artifacts can be removed while
preserving the details of the original video. The new slider
controls can be found in the All Settings page of the
Avivo(TM) Video tab found in ATI Catalyst Control Center.
Availability
ATI Catalyst 8.3 is scheduled to be available as a free download
starting Tuesday, March 4 online at
http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of
innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and
consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open
innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior
customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses
worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
1. Based on AMD benchmark results that demonstrate a performance/$
ratio in favor of ATI Radeon GPUs vs. competing Nvidia GeForce GPUs.
Cost per 3DMark determined based on AMD internal benchmark results in
3DMark06 v1.1.1.0 at 1920x1200 4xAA 8xAF on an ASUS P5E (X38) or EVGA
780i platform running an Intel X9650, 2GB DDR2-800 (5-5-5-12 timings),
Windows Vista RTM 64bit, and 8.471-Beta2_080214a-059709E-ATI or
ForceWare 169.28beta. Based on the average price at Newegg.com as of
March 3, 2008, two ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3870 X2 cards at $900, and two
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX cards at $900, two ATI Radeon(TM) 3870 X2
cards combine to score 16412 3DMarks while two GeForce 8800 GTX cards
combine to score 12748 3DMarks resulting in the two ATI Radeon(TM) HD
3870 X2 cards delivering 28% more performance for the same price as
the Nvidia solution.
2. Based on AMD benchmark results in Supreme Commander
(2560x1600x32 8xAA 16xAF quality=Very High) and Unreal Tournament 3
(2560x1600x32 4xAA 16xAF dxmode=dx9) on an AMD Phenom 2.6GHz platform,
using MSI K9A2 Plat (790FX) motherboard, 2GB DDR2-800 (5-5-5-12
timings), Windows Vista RTM 64bit, ATI Catalyst 8.3 beta drivers and
Forceware drivers 169.28 Beta. Comparing the performance of two ATI
Radeon(TM) HD 3870 X2 cards vs. one ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3870 card,
Supreme Commander exhibits 3.32 times the performance of the single
card when using quad CrossFireX, and Unreal Tournament 3 exhibits 3.23
times the performance of the single card when using quad CrossFireX.
3. Based on AMD benchmark results in 3DMark06 (1280x1024), Quake 4
(1600x1200 HQ), Prey (1280x1024) and FarCry (1600x1200) on an AMD
Phenom 2.3 GHz platform using MSI K9A2 Plat (790FX) motherboard, 2GB
DDR2-800 (5-5-5-12 timings), Windows Vista RTM 64bit, ATI Catalyst 8.3
beta drivers. With ATI Hybrid CrossFire enabled, the four applications
listed above exhibit at least 1.7 times the performance of stand-alone
integrated graphics on the AMD780G motherboard without ATI Hybrid
CrossFire enabled.
(C) 2008 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo,
ATI, the ATI logo. Radeon, CrossFire, ATI CrossFireX, Avivo,
HydraVision and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro
Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may
be trademarks of their respective owners.
