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ATI FirePro V9800 runs out of ideas, shoots up with 4GB of GDDR5 and six mini DisplayPorts
If somehow you were able to choke up the FirePro V8800 and its 2GB of graphics buffer -- traveling across an autobahn-wide 147.2GBps interface -- here's the card for you. ATI has just announced the V9800, which doubles its predecessor's memory allowance to a mighty 4GB of GDDR5, but otherwise looks an almost identical beast. It maintains the 1,600 stream processor count of the V8800 and makes some small advances in performance and power efficiency, but on the whole it's the same card, just strapped up with more buffer muscle. We shouldn't neglect the new array of six mini DisplayPorts -- the retail package will include six DVI adapters, worry not -- which will let you have your full six-screen Eyefinity cake driven by just this one card. So, is this future collector's item worth your time? Well, at $3,499, the V9800 is a whole two thousand dollars pricier than the V8800, but then if you have the highly specialized needs it's looking to cater for, we're guessing that won't be too much of a hurdle for you. Update: Oh, about the price, AMD just got in touch to say it'll suggest a $3,499 tithe, not the $2.5K indicated on the slide below. Sorry is we misled you into selling up your entire 3D rendering farm with the lower price we had before.
AMD kills ATI brand, you can look forward to blood-stained Radeons
This, dear friends, is a sad, sad day. ATI, the name of hope for all PC gamers who were sick and tired of NVIDIA rebadging the same GPU over the past couple of years, is to be no more. The callous souls over at AMD have decided that our little consumer brains aren't sophisticated enough to handle two awesome brands, so they're just axing the use of the ATI moniker from here on out. Product line names will be retained, with the Radeon and FirePro branding still intact, but ATI Eyefinity will now be known as AMD Eyefinity. The first graphics cards to, erm, benefit from the new nomenclature will ship "later this year," and the whole thing is said to have been motivated by AMD's move to Fusion APUs -- hybrid CPU and GPU chips -- where it's considered beneficial to have a unified branding strategy. Great, but did anyone consider the fact that the graphics wars will now be fought between two teams wearing green jerseys?
ATI FirePro V8800 takes Cypress core into workstation woods, emerges victorious
ATI has just let loose the first professional tier card based on its Cypress XT core, which in itself is part of the company's highly successful Evergreen series of 40nm chips. Boasting 2GB of GDDR5 memory running at 1.15GHz, 1,600 stream processors and an 825MHz core clock speed, the FirePro V8800 is very much an HD 5870 adapted to the demands of the digital creation world, and as such it's no surprise that it also requires the same pair of 6-pin auxiliary power connectors. It also supports DirectX 11 and the fresh new OpenGL 4.0 standard, something those business crazies seem to appreciate, but its killer feature is most probably the price, which -- although steep by common standards -- is $300 less than the $1,800 FirePro V8750 predecessor. Oh, and this card can drive 4 simultaneous displays, but we're kinda used to that by now with ATI -- the real question is how this pup ranks relative to its forebears and NVIDIA competition. The answer, according to the commonly used Maya, SolidWorks and 3ds Max applications, is that the FirePro V8800 simply destroys the V8750 while also generally outpacing the aging Quadro FX 4800. Feels pretty nice to have a straightforward conclusion, doesn't it? Check out the links below for the full disclosure.
HP EliteBook 8740w specs begin to take shape, ATI FirePro M7820 revealed
You've been wondering, we know, why the newly unveiled 2540p and 2740p EliteBooks from HP weren't accompanied by their heavyweight compadre, the 8740w, but as it turns out the latter might be taking a bit longer to launch due to its inclusion of ATI's as yet unannounced FirePro M7820 GPU. Joining up with the earlier leaked M5800, this is likely to form the backbone of ATI's pro graphics refresh, with its innards based on the successful HD 5870, meaning it offers DirectX 11 functionality, 1GB of GDDR5 memory, and probably the most graphical horsepower your lap has ever seen. This is aided by the low-voltage, but highly potent Core i7-720QM CPU and four DDR3 slots for up to 16GB of RAM on the 8740w. You have until the end of the month to figure out what to do with all that power, which is when the rumormongers expect this machine to be announced. [Thanks, Reznov]
Dell Precision M6500 mixes Core i7 with business savvy
In typical Dell style, the new Precision M6500 17-inch workhorse laptop has shown up on the company's website with nary a peep of self-congratulatory PR from Round Rock. Notable as the successor to the well-juiced M6400 and its even gaudier Covet variant, the M6500 boasts wallet-busting specs like a Core i7-920XM allied to a maximum of 16GB DDR3 memory speeding along at 1,333MHz, a choice of ATI FirePro M7740 or NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M workstation graphics chips, support for up to three storage devices with optional RAID configurations, and a 1920 x 1200 LED-backlit display. The machine is not quite yet available to purchase, meaning it's safe to go beyond the read link without fearing any heart-stopping sticker shock. [Thanks, Jonty]
ATI's $1,800 2GB FirePro V8750 GPU introduced and reviewed
Need a quick way to blow 1,800 bones? Looking to single-handedly jump-start this so-called "economy" we keep hearing about? Look no further, friends, as ATI just did you a solid. Just four months after the outfit dished out its 1GB FirePro V7750, the company is now looking to strike it rich once more with the 2GB FirePro V8750. Obviously designed for the workstation crowd, this CAD destroying GPU is equipped with more GDDR5 memory than our own four-year old Quake III server, but as HotHardware points out, the clock speed remains exactly the same as the entirely more affordable V8700. When pushed, this newfangled card did manage to best every other rival on the test bench, but not by a wide margin. What you're left with is a cutting-edge device that's priced way out of consideration for most, and frankly, way outside the realm of sensibility. If you just can't shake the urge to hear more, give that read link a tap for the full review.Read - ATI FirePro V8750 reviewRead - ATI press release
ATI's 1GB FirePro V7750 GPU pushes serious pixels for pros
Earlier this month, AMD popped out a 512MB ATI FirePro 2450 quad-display card, but if that's just not pro enough for your professional needs, have a gander at the company's FirePro V7750. Sporting 1GB of GDDR3 frame-buffer memory, a 30-bit display pipeline and twin DisplayPort connectors + one dual-link DVI socket, this workstation powerhouse also features High Dynamic Range (HDR) rendering with 8-bit, 10-bit and 16-bit-per-RGB color component support. You'll also get 320 stream processing units, full Shader Model 4.1 support for vertex and pixel shaders and a unified video decoder for H.264, AVC, VC-1 and MPEG-2 video formats. Show your CAD who's boss for just $899.
