ATI Rolls-Out Professional Direct X 9 VPU for Mobile Computers

by Anton Shilov
11/13/2003 | 06:43 PM

ATI Technologies released today its first visual processing unit with DirectX 9.0 capabilities for mobile workstations. The company claims the MOBILITY FIRE GL T2 to have everything necessary to run demanding professional applications on the go – low-power consumption, high-performance visualization as well as certifications from leading developers of workstation software.

The MOBILITY FIRE GL T2 is based on ATI’s FGL 9600 VPU that features 2 geometry engines and 4 parallel rendering pipelines as well as other technologies found in the highly-acclaimed RADEON 9600 VPU. The MOBILITY FIRE GL T2 is the first DirectX 9.0 supporting professional solution for mobile computers from Markham, Ontario-based ATI Technologies. The company’s main rival – NVIDIA Corporation from Santa Clara, California – has been supplying its Quadro FX Go700 since June.

ATI claims that its MOBILITY FIRE GL T2 delivers better performance than its competitor in 3D Studio Max and Pro ENGINEER applications.

Here are some of the key-features ATI’s MOBILITY FIRE GL T2 has to offer:

• 128MB of DDR SDRAM memory with 128-bit memory interface;
• Hardware accelerated rendering for 3D and 2D graphics acceleration;
• Complete array of workstation features and functionality including dual monitor support, hardware accelerated anti-aliasing, overlay planes and more, providing superior image quality and productivity;
• Fully programmable DirectX 9 pixel and vertex shader support;
• Maximized battery life and performance with ATI’s POWERPLAY technology;
• POWER-ON-DEMAND technology that constantly monitors system activity, dynamically adjusting clocks and voltage based on user scenario;
• Integrated dual-channel LVDS, with support for QXGA resolutions (2048x1536) with an integrated 165 MHz TMDS transmitter (Digital Flat Panels);
• Other important features for notebook computers, such as hardware accelerated DVD playback, AGP 9x and so on.

The novelty from ATI is a breed of MOBILITY RADEON 9600 announced in early March 2003. The MOBILITY RADEON 9600 graphics processor is manufactured using TSMC’s 0.13 micron technology and supports a low 1.0V core voltage, with power consumption as low as 0.5W in idle condition.

HP is currently shipping its new HP nw8000 mobile workstation powered by Intel Pentium M processor with MOBILITY FIRE GL T2 graphics and providing up to 5 hours of work from battery.