AMD has revealed its newest workstation-class graphics card, the ATI FirePro V9800. It flaunts 4GB of GDDR5 RAM and 1,600 stream processors, while supporting maximum resolutions of 2,560×1,600 at 60Hz. The design is an evolution of the FirePro V8800, with double the RAM and improvements in power and efficiency.

There are otherwise six Mini DisplayPort outputs, with the connected displays driven by ATI EyeFinity. Support for DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.0 and ATI CrossFire Pro is ensured, and the card gets a 256-bit memory interface. The same Cyprus GPU is used as in the V8800, but it’s faster in this application at 2.72 terraflops as opposed to 2.64. Power usage is lower, at less than 225W.

The card is priced at $3,499

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ATI has just released their latest Catalyst video driver, version 10.8. This new release will bring with it official support for anti-aliasing (AA) in Starcraft II, and improved performance in games such as Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Stormrise. The driver also includes support the OpenGL ES 2.0 specification, which continues ATI’s commitment to open source development tools.

Additionally, the new drivers eliminate problems with Adobe Photoshop CS5 crashing when numerous windows are open, stops screens from dimming when exiting Mafia II and will also fix games such as Borderlands from crashing during gameplay.

The Catalyst™ Software Suite 10.8 contains the following:

* ATI Radeon™ display driver 8.762
* HydraVision™ for both Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
* Southbridge/IXP Driver
* ATI Catalyst™ Control Center Version 8.762

New Features:

OpenGL ES 2.0 support – ATI Catalyst™ 10.8 delivers full support for OpenGL ES 2.0 specification

* Enables 3D accelerated graphics within a web browser that supports OpenGL ES 2.0
* Supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

Video Quality default options

* The Default video options for ATI Catalyst™ have been greatly enhanced to deliver
the best quality video viewing experience. Users can also choose to apply these
settings to Internet Video via a new checkbox control within the ATI Catalyst™
Control Center

* In the “Advanced Color” section, the following defaults are now enabled:
* Color vibrance (default = 40)
* Flesh tone correction (default = 50)
* Brighter Whites
* In the “Advanced Quality” section, the following defaults are now enabled:
* Edge-enhancement (default = 25)
* De-noise (default = 64)
* Mosquito Noise Reduction (default = 50)
* De-blocking (default = 50)

Performance enhancement for Eyefinity Quad ATI CrossFireX™
configurations

* Performance has been greatly improved for users running with ATI Eyefinity on a Quad ATI CrossFireX™ configuration

* Anti-Aliasing support for StarCraft II

* ATI Catalyst™ Control Center enabled Anti-Aliasing is now available for StarCraft II

Catalyst™ Application Profiles - The following application profiles are available with this release of Catalyst™ 10.8

* Singularity – CrossFire™ profile update
* Mafia 2 – CrossFire™ profile update
* Final Fantasy XIV Benchmark – new CrossFire™ profile
* Lord of the Rings Online – new CrossFire™ profile
* Aliens Vs. Predator – CrossFire™ profile update

Performance Improvements – The following performance gains are noticed with this release of Catalyst™ 10.8:

* Far Cry 2
* Performance increases 2-6% on ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire™ configurations
* Performance increases 2-4% on ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire™ configurations
* Performance increases 3-8% on ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 Series single and CrossFire™ configurations
* Left 4 Dead 2
* Performance increases 3-5% on CrossFire™ ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 series and CrossFire™ ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 series configurations
* Stormrise
* Performance increases 5-10% on ATI Radeon™ HD 5600 series and ATI Radeon™ HD 5500 series configurations

Download ATI Catalyst 10.8