The ATI FireGL V7700 graphics accelerator is made for professional computers used in computer-aided design, digital content creation, and medical imaging. "The ATI FireGL family of workstation graphics accelerators is designed to deliver visible advantages and performance leadership at every price point, from entry level to ultra-high end," Janet Matsuda, senior director of professional graphics at AMD, said in a statement.
The FireGL V7700 supports the latest DisplayPort standard. Version 1.1, approved a year ago by the Video Electronics Standard Association, defines a license- and royalty-free digital audio-video interconnect for a computer to its display monitor or a home-theater system. The card also supports the video interface standard DVI.
The new product, which has drivers for Microsoft Windows XP and Vista and Linux, includes 512 MB of memory for handling large datasets and complex models and scenes. One FireGL product can support up to two displays.
Other features include a new AMD-developed GPU with 320 unified shader units. The card's firmware includes intelligent management of computational resources that enable the product to increase frame rates when rendering complex models and scenes.
The ATI FireGL V7700 is scheduled to ship next month to system integrators and AMD channel partners worldwide. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $1,099.
Besides graphics-oriented professional applications, AMD's FireGL cards are used with third-party software to boost the performance of scientific and financial applications. PeakStream was an example of a software company that designed technology to use graphics cards in boosting supercomputer performance in oil and gas exploration, investment banking and defense. Google acquired the company early last year.