ATI Technologies has introduced its first professional graphics cards based on the Radeon X1800-series graphics processors and also the first workstation graphics accelerator for digital content creation with 1GB of memory onboard.

“ATI’s new ultra high-end workstation graphics accelerators leverage our best technology while focusing on the unique features of the workstation market. ATI has coupled increased visual fidelity with the power to drive extremely large data sets with the release of the workstation industry’s first 1GB board,” said Dinesh Sharma, director, workstation products, ATI.

The new FireGL V7300 and V7350 equipped with 512MB and 1GB frame-buffers respectively are based on the code-named R520 GL graphics processors that have similar architecture compared to the Radeon X1800. The new FireGL V7300-series have 16 pixel shader processors and 8 vertex shader processors along with 512-bit ring-bus memory controller, just like the Radeon X1800 XT or XL. The clock-speeds of the professional graphics do not correspond to any of the consumer boards, however, they are clocked at 600MHz/1300MHz for core/memory.

ATI’s FireGL products are supported by a unified driver, which is tested and certified by professional 3D ISV partners, making system administration and upgrades cost effective and simple. All FireGL products come with a three year warranty and direct access to a dedicated workstation technical support team.

The FireGL V7350 and FireGL V7300 are shipping today from workstation system integrators, distributors and value added resellers at manufacturer suggested retail price $1999 and $1599 respectively, which means that both products are aimed at ultra high-end workstation market.

“ATI has made tremendous strides in their market position over the last year and they’ve done that by zeroing in on features and pricing that resonate with professional users,” said Dr. Jon Peddie, President of Jon Peddie research, a workstation market research firm. “This latest foray into the ultra high-end segment market gives ATI a complete top-to-bottom offering and will solidify their position as a leader in workstation graphics”.