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AMD gets official with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 and PowerXpress
AMD's on a roll at Computex, and it's keeping the stream alive with two more decently important announcements. First off, the company is making the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 official, which is said to "triple top-of-the-line graphics performance in comparison to the previous generation ATI Mobility Radeon GPUs." The unit also enables laptop makers to include CrossFireX technology for the first time, so yeah, there's that. Moving on, we've got the low down on its PowerXpress technology, which enables users to "double or triple the performance of the integrated graphics processor when plugged into a wall socket or extend their battery life by over an hour while on the go." In actuality, it's a variant of ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology for lappies, giving folks the option to switch between a Mobility Radeon HD 3400 series GPU and an integrated AMD M780G without the need for a reboot. If your eyebrows just perked up, you can snag said tech on select Fujitsu-Siemens machines right now. All the gory details are linked below -- enjoy!Read - ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 gets officialRead - ATI PowerXpress shipping on select Fujitsu-Siemens laptops
Next-generation ATI Radeon cards to pack GDDR5 memory
A full six months after Samsung took the wraps off of GDDR5 memory, along comes word from AMD that the next-generation ATI Radeon graphics cards will boast said technology. Apparently AMD will be tapping Qimonda for its supply of GDDR5 modules, which should boost gaming performance as well as benefit stream processing, "where GPUs are applied to address complex, massively parallel calculations." As Hot Hardware points out, the release comes just weeks away from the rumored debut of the Radeon 4000 series, so if our deductive reasoning is sound, we'd surmise that the looming Radeon 4800 will indeed feature GDDR5.[Via Hot Hardware]
ATI Radeon 4800 series launch details revealed
NVIDIA had already heard enough about AMD's ATI Radeon 4800 series to bump up the launch date for its GeForce 9900 series cards, but TG Daily has now apparently turned up some more launch details for the mid-to-high-end cards, the first of which is reportedly now on track for a release in mid-June. That first card will be the Radeon 4850, codenamed "Makedon," which will boast 512 MB of GDDR3 memory, single-slot cooling, CrossFireX support, and a price tag between $189-$219. That'll be followed in July by a pair of Radeon 4870 cards (dubbed "Trojan"), with one boasting 512MB of GDDR5 memory and the other boasting a full 1024MB, the latter of which will come with a dual-slot cooler. Look for those to cost between costing between $249 and $279. The whole lot of them will also pack "game physics processing capability," along with 7.1 channel audio via HDMI support, DirectX 10.1 support, and, as you might have guessed, some pretty heavy power requirements, with a 450 watt power supply needed for a single card and 550 watts needed for a CrossFire setup.
AMD says post-Phenom CPUs will be "completely different," 100 laptops to launch with Puma
Although most of the attention in the increasingly-competitive CPU market has been focused on Intel and newcomer NVIDIA lately, AMD's still in it to win it, and it looks like it's taking some bold moves. First up, the company says over 100 laptop designs based on the new Puma mobile platform are being developed for delivery in June, over twice as many as it's had in the past. AMD's touting Puma's Hybrid Graphics mode that allows the system to intelligently switch between a Radeon HD3400 and integrated graphics for max power-savings, so it'll be interesting to see how the system stacks up against Intel's Atom and VIA's Isaiah -- like NVIDIA, AMD seems to be betting that consumers care more about graphics than raw horsepower. That bet might also explain why AMD's technical director of sales and marketing Guiseppe Amato also recently told CustomPC that its next generation of chips will look "completely different" than Phenom, and that it will be capable of solving "problems that today we think can never be addressed by hardware." That's a pretty bold claim -- the whole processor market is getting pretty boastful lately, have you noticed? -- but we're at a loss to explain what it means. Any ideas? Read - 100 laptops to be based on Puma at launch Read - AMD's next CPU architecture will be completely different
ASUS EAH3850 Trinity crams three Radeon GPUs onto one card
Forget FPS and polygon crunching, we want one of these ASUS EAH3850 just for its sheer logic-defying properties. ASUS really took AMD's CrossFireX multi-GPU capabilities and ran with them, stuffing a ludicrous trio of GPUs onto a single "concept" card. Three RV670 cores power the setup, and it's kept cool by some heatpipes and a water block. If your box doesn't implode in incredulity, that means you can power four monitors with the three GPUs, or power a single monitor with all four at once for some seriously serious World of Warcraft, though we'll have to wait for benchmarks to see how well this setup actually runs.
Alienware brings quad graphics support to ALX CrossFireX
Believe it or not, Alienware's Aurora ALX rig was boasting quad SLI support two whole years ago. After yesterday's official launch of ATI's CrossFireX technology, now the ALX has another partner in quad GPU crime. Dubbed the Area-51 ALX CFX, this rig features a 3.0GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9650 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, a bevy of HDD choices, optional Blu-ray burner, a 1,000-watt power supply and of course, twin 1GB Radeon HD 3870 X2 cards (four GPUs in all). Granted, this thing will run you at least $5,649 as a CrossFireX-equipped rig, so think carefully if slicing into your son's college fund is really worth 4x the graphical mayhem.
Intel gets official with Skulltrail, gives it an incredibly dull name
We actually thought Skulltrail was a pretty slick name for a gaming platform, but it looks like the suits at Intel were afraid of having too much fun -- say hello to the "Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform." Yep, it's official, just announced at GDC. Based on the new $649 D5400XS mobo and a pair of $1,499 3.2GHz QX9775 Core 2 Extreme chips, Intel says prototype machines have been the fastest ever tested, with 3DMark06 scores of 6481 and Cinebench 10 scores of 20,160 when configured with a pair of CrossFire'd ATI Radeon HD 3870 cards -- but don't fret, the platform also supports NVIDIA SLI cards. It looks like a variety of high-end system builders will be shipping Skulltrail (sorry, that's what we're calling it) machines over the next 30 days, including Falcon Northwest, Voodoo, and Velocity Micro -- better start saving those pennies.
Asus' quad DVI-packing EAH3870 X2 1GB TOP gets previewed
As if a regular Radeon HD 3870 X2 wasn't enough to make you envious, the folks at HotHardware have now gotten their hands Asus' new EAH3870 X2 1GB TOP behemoth, which increases the insanity of the dual-GPU card even further with a full four DVI ports. In addition to making that lone s-video port look woefully out of place, those'll let you push out more pixels than you'll ever likely need across four monitors, with none of the compromises associated with lesser multi-monitor solutions. What's more, Asus' card is apparently even lighter than the original reference design for the HD 3870 X2, and you can rest assured that it'll be overclocked right out of the box. No word on a price or release date just yet, but HotHardware is promising to deliver a full review of the card if they can ever pull themselves away from their bank of monitors.
AMD's Radeon HD 3870 X2 launched, benchmarked and back in the race
Holy Teraflops gamers, AMD just launched the Radeon HD 3870 X2. Their new flagship card previously known by its R680 codename features a pair of RV670 GPUs with CrossFireX built-in to a single card. According to HotHardware's performance testing, The 3870 X2 was "usually the highest performing single-card in the group." Yes, that group includes the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX. Here's the rub though, according to HotHardWare: the X2's performance is determined by how well the card's drivers scale in a particular game -- a new game without appropriate support renders the card's performance to that of a single-GPU HD 3870. A problem initially demonstrated during their Crysis testing and later solved with a new set of AMD drivers. Still, as PCPer sums-up, the ~$449 3870 X2 meets or beats NVIDIA's best in today's most demanding DX9 and DX10 titles and should be on your "short list" if searching for the ultimate performance graphics card. Read -- PC Perspective Read -- Hot HardwareRead -- Press Release
AMD's Radeon HD 3870 X2, 3650 and 3450 GPUs get reviewed
AMD / ATI is bustin' out with some new graphics cards for your gaming (or casual use) pleasure, and we've got details to share with you. The company has recently issued its Radeon HD 3870 X2 for review, and FPSLabs has the breakdown of the company's new high-end gamer, pushing it to the limit with Hell-ride tests utilizing Bioshock, Oblivion, and F.E.A.R., amongst others. The card performed like a monster in most arenas, though when it went up against EA's monster Crysis, even the dual-GPU card buckled under the intense pressure of the game, getting a surprise beating from the supposedly-less-powerful NVIDIA 8800GTS 512. We won't give you the nine-page rundown, but you can get the idea. The company also recently released a more consumer-oriented set of cards, the Radeon HD 3650 and 3450, meant for a kinder, gentler user -- you can check all the info on those dudes in the read link. Enjoy![Thanks, Robert C]Read - AMD Radeon HD 3870 X2 ReviewRead - ATI Radeon HD Refresh: The 3650 and 3450 Arrive
AMD gets official with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3000 series for laptops
It looks like AMD has a new solution for gamers in need of a little more than your run-of-the-mill laptop graphics have to offer, with it now trotting out its new ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3000 series graphics chips. Right now, that line consists of the HD 3400 and HD 3600 models, each of which boast full support for DirectX 10.1 (a first for laptop graphics, as AMD is quick to point out). Otherwise, you can expect PCI Express 2.0 support from each model, along with 1080p playback of Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies, and ATI's trademark Avivo HD Technology, which promises to free up the CPU for other tasks, not to mention a promised increase in battery life. If that's got you interested, you can look for Asus to begin offering the graphics in some its laptops right away, with other laptop manufacturers expected to follow in the first half of 2008.
Upcoming AMD Radeon HD 3450, 3470 and 3650 low-enders leaked
DisplayPort is the most fun when you snag it on the cheap, and according to some leaked specs over on Madbox PC, AMD has a $50 Radeon in the works that'll have you running that 30-incher off of USB for a pittance. The Radeon HD 3450 card is based on the RV620 core, running at 525MHz, with 256MB of RAM and just a VGA plug to accompany the DisplayPort. The HD 3470 ($60) hits 600MHz and 512MB of RAM, and does DVI, while the HD 3650 ($100) maxes out the trio at 800MHz, with 512MB of RAM as well and the RV635 core to back it up. You might not be thrashing around in Crysis, but HD video and perhaps some last-gen shooters should be totally within your grasp whenever AMD gets these to market.[Via Gadget Lab]
Toshiba readying Radeon HD 3800-equipped Dynabook TXW/69DW?
We already knew Toshiba's Dynabook TXW/69DW came loaded with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 GPU, but according to AVing, Japan could be seeing a revamped iteration that includes the HD 3800. Moreover, the 15.4-inch machine would boast an Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU and PM965 Express chipset, but we're left to wonder if any of the other critical components would be upgraded, too. Nevertheless, it seems that a price / release date is also uncertain, but if you just so happen to peep one of these in downtown Tokyo, be sure to holler in comments.[Via SlashGear]
AMD launches budget-friendly Radeon HD 3800 cards
They're the ones featuring atrocious fantasy box art which tries to create a link between the cutting-edge graphics card inside and some poorly rendered ice queen, wolf-man and/or wizard grasping a glowing bauble. Alright, so that doesn't narrow it down in the slightest -- you'll have to look out for AMD's new ATI Radeon HD cards by their general model numbers (38XX) and their pleasing price tags ($179 - $219).Recent tests place the DirectX 10.1-compliant Radeons slightly behind Nvidia's latest budget solution, the GeForce 8800 GT, though they compare favorably with other mid-range cards. Reviewers also seemed to like the series' 55nm chipsets and the resulting reduction in both heat and noise. If you're wondering how well these cards respond to Crysis situations, peer past the break for a comprehensive set of benchmark links.[Via Engadget]
AMD launches ATI Radeon HD 3800 series for budget gamers
Here we go, AMD just announced the immediate availability of their ATI Radeon HD 3800 series of GPUs. Four days earlier than predicted. According to AMD, these are the world's first to support DirectX 10.1, 55nm process technology, and tri and quad multi-GPU support with ATI CrossFireX. Out today are the $179 Radeon HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and $219 Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB of GDDR4. Now, how 'bout giving us the Phenom processor AMD, and we'll call it a day?[Via I4U]
AMD to launch Phenom on November 19th?
AMD is apparently getting ready to launch its new Phenom processor on November 19th, according to DailyTech. The chipmaker's media guide for the launch seems to have been leaked early, and it's got some interesting info in it regarding the Phenom and the next-gen Radeon. We already knew most of the Phenom deets, but it looks like the supporting RD790 chipset is also ready to go, along with three versions of the RV670 Radeon HD 3800 series. The low-end 3850 is actually a revised version of the existing Radeon HD 2900 with a die shrink from 80nm to 55nm, but the top-end Radeon HD 3870 is a new design with a 100MHz clock bump to 775MHz. All the cards feature support for Quad Crossfire and AMD's Triple Play Physics system, but don't feature any of the hardware video decoders that had been rumored. Unless something changes, we should be seeing all this stuff on the 19th -- which is probably when we'll know about pricing as well.
AMD announces plans to open up ATI graphics drivers
It looks like AMD's trying to make some friends in the open source community, with it today announcing some new drivers for Linux along with some details on its plans to open up its drivers to the community at large. Set to be released later this month, the new Catalyst 7.9 software will add Linux support for the ATI Radeon HD 2000 series of graphics processors, along with other "major performance improvements across the board," which it says should result in a "90 per cent improvement in such popular titles as Doom 3 and Quake 4." What's more, AMD also reportedly took advantage of this week's Kernel Summit to announce a fairly major push to go open source with its drivers. As part of that initiative, AMD will apparently work with the open source community develop a 2D and 3D driver that supports all the latest Radeon chipsets, and it'll even release documentation to let anyone (with the necessary skills) build some drivers from scratch. According to blogger Christopher Blizzard, however, that will apparently be a rather slow process, with the documentation for the 2D drivers coming first, and the 3D docs coming some time after that. Still, we're guessing that there's quite a few folks that now know what they'll be doing with their free time for the foreseeable future.Read - AMD Press ReleaseRead - Christopher Blizzard, "A new road for AMD and ATI"[Via LWN.net]
Fujitsu launches FMV-TEO HTPC with Blu-ray recorder
If you'll recall, Fujitsu's unsightly TEO HTPC was first seen way back in January, and while the newest iteration most certainly steps it up in the hardware department, the aesthetics are still sorely lacking. Nevertheless, the TEO90X/D sports a 1.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor, 2GB of RAM, a half terabyte of HDD space, integrated multicard reader (SD / Memory Stick / xD support), WiFi, FireWire, gigabit Ethernet, audio in / out, and of course, a Blu-ray writer. Furthermore, you'll find an optical digital audio output, HDCP-compliant HDMI / DVI connectors, an ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics set (um, weak?), digital TV tuner, and Vista Home Premium runnin' the show. Slated to hit Japan here shortly, the TEO90X/D is priced at ¥265,000 ($2,282).[Via AkihabaraNews]
New iMacs feature DirectX 10-compatible ATI Radeon GPUs
Just unveiled at the Apple's latest press conference is a new line of iMacs. And while we still won't be able to upgrade anything except for the RAM, each of the three new models feature graphics cards from ATI's Radeon R600 series that support Microsoft's DirectX 10, which is sure to bring a smile to the handful of Mac users who see dual-booting Windows Vista a viable gaming solution.The low-end model ($1199) features a 20-inch display, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and Radeon HD 2400 XT. The high-end model ($1799) features a 24-inch display, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and Radeon HD 2600 Pro. (Comparison) If hardcore gaming is your primary concern, then the iMac is still not a long-term, cost-effective option. However, for those who love the design and using Mac OS X for non-gaming means, this looks to be a pretty good setup.A new keyboard was also revealed today, showing a design more akin to what has been seen with the Macbook laptops. Gamer-friendly? We're just not sure at this point. Though the picture shown after the break doesn't have it, we're pretty sure the above image shows a numeric keypad still on the right side of the keyboard. The new iMacs are available starting today.
QA glitch allows defective ATI Radeon cards to slip out
According to "sources" at AMD, the firm's official graphics card diagnostic and validation software was recently discovered "to have a bug that failed to detect defective ATI Radeon HD 2400 and 2600 graphics cards." The problem was actually discovered by various "channel vendors" who supposedly pointed out an error in the BIOS application process, and it was noted that Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte were all bitten by the mishap. Thankfully, the glitch can seemingly be rectified by "reapplying the BIOS," but now some 20,000 to 30,000 units are already being shipping back in order to be mended before reaching consumers' hands; interestingly, there's no mention of a remedy for the "small number" of end users that may actually own one of these marred boards. Nevertheless, AMD has responded by stating that this ordeal was simply "an isolated incident," and assured us all that "measures were taken to solve the issue as soon as it was detected."[Via TGDaily]
