by Ilya Gavrichenkov
03/04/2008 | 02:54 PM
AMD today announced its latest graphics driver release to advance the use of multiple graphics card configurations based on ATI Radeon chips. Expected to be available for download starting March 5, ATI Catalyst 8.3 is a software update in delivering both CrossFireX for Windows Vista – the three-GPU and quad-GPU support technology, as well as ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology for casual gamers. These multi-GPU capabilities provide gamers a more realistic and immersive experience allowing them to play at high resolutions with demanding image quality settings.
Through three- and four-GPU configurations in CrossFireX, gamers can see multi-GPU performance scaling across a range of today’s most popular DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 games on Windows Vista - up to 3.2 times the performance over a single GPU in some scenarios. The flexible architecture of CrossFireX allows for the mixing and matching of high-performing ATI Radeon GPUs. Any ATI Radeon HD 3850, ATI Radeon HD 3870 or ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 cards can be combined to harness the power of up to four GPUs. CrossFireX also supports a wide range of platforms, enabling many gamers to take advantage of three- and four-GPU gaming on their existing hardware.
Boosting Game Performance through ATI Hybrid CrossFire ATI Catalyst 8.3 also introduces ATI Hybrid Graphics support for Windows Vista, that allows combining discrete graphics cards and integrated solutions into a single graphics subsystem. An industry first that is unique to AMD processor-based platforms, ATI Hybrid CrossFire delivers a significant 3D performance boost. For example, up to 70 percent increases in performance are possible in some gaming scenarios based on PCs comprised of an AMD 780G motherboard and ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series graphics product in Windows Vista. ATI Hybrid Graphics also support up to four independent displays through the SurroudView feature for those who want to maximize productivity.
Moreover, the new Catalyst 8.3 will also offer other improvements: DirectX 10.1 and Tessellation Support, Anti-Aliasing enhancements, HydraVision support for Windows Vista, Digital Panel GPU image scaling and Advanced Video Quality controls.