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| AMD Introduces the ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series AMD has announced the introduction and immediate availability of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of graphics processing units. As the world's first series of graphics processors to deliver Microsoft's DirectX 10.1 support, 55nm process technology and tri and quad multi-GPU support with ATI CrossFireX, the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series ushers in a new era of enthusiast gaming performance. The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series will be introduced in two variants at launch: the ATI Radeon HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and the ATI Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB GDDR4 memory. This new series of graphics products also represent the first step in the launch of AMD's upcoming enthusiast platform codenamed "Spider." With the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series AMD delivers the first graphics processor with support for Microsoft's upcoming DirectX 10.1 specification. Designed to deliver more immersive gaming environments, increase the amount of tools for developers and enhance overall image quality, DirectX 10.1 support ensures ATI Radeon HD 3800 series users can enjoy a more complete next-generation gaming experience. The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series also introduces the world to ATI CrossFireX, AMD's next-generation multi-GPU technology designed to deliver unprecedented performance scaling with support for two, three and four graphics processors in CrossFire configurations. At launch, the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series will support dual-GPU CrossFire with tri and quad-GPU support scheduled for January 2008. Graphics bandwidth is also greatly enhanced with the introduction of PCI Express 2.0. Delivering over 16 gigabytes per second of bi-directional bandwidth, PCIe 2.0 doubles the bus data rate over the previous generation. The combination of PCIe 2.0 and HyperTransport 3 on next-generation AMD platforms provides a dramatic increase in the amount of system bandwidth for high definition, multi-GPU PC gaming. The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series GPUs are the first graphics processors to use TSMC's 55nm process technology. The smooth transition to 55nm has allowed for a 2X increase in performance-per-watt over the previous generation with a significant reduction in die size. In addition to 55nm, AMD has also added its patented ATI PowerPlay technology to the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series to provide increased control over the graphics processor in multiple power states. With PowerPlay technology users can benefit from dynamic adjustment of clocks and voltages depending on their usage scenario, which allows for a cool and quiet user experience. With the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 3850 and ATI Radeon HD 3870, AMD has answered the call of HD video enthusiasts with top-to-bottom support for the Unified Video Decoder (UVD). The addition of UVD ensures exceptional platform efficiency and image quality in HD-DVD and Blu-ray decoding for both H.264 and VC-1 specifications. Enhanced HDMI functionality also continues on this series of products with integrated HDCP and audio for HDMI video. The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series launches with broad availability and eco-system support from AMD's Add-in-Board (AIB) and Systems Integrators (SI) partners. AIB partners building boards based on the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series include Asus, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, Gigabyte, HIS, Info-Tek, MSI, Palit, Sapphire, Tul and Visiontek. Systems integrators launching ATI Radeon HD 3800 series include ABS, Alienware, AMAX, Canada Computers, CyberPower, Extreme PC Corporation, Falcon-Northwest, iBUYPOWER, Maingear, Systemax, Ultra Gaming and Velocity Micro. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Computing News :: home page |