The take away:
“The FirePro V8800 certainly delivers the frame rates, but what many architects and engineers may find more exciting about the product is the potential for Eyefinity. Being able to drive a powerwall from a single machine is an exciting proposition, and one that could help bring large scale visualisation and clash detection into the hands of smaller organisations. But, transforming a desktop into an extended 3D accelerated workspace is even more compelling and with display prices tumbling all the time, well within reach of all companies, big and small. As more and more architect and engineers get involved with simulation, rendering and design direct on the desktop the timing could not be better.”
I wrote about using Eyefininty with a curved monitor with a video example from PC Perspective. But today I came across this great still image of an immersive display by Scalable for Windows 7 desktops using a single FirePro V8800. If this display was gesture sensitive, it would be Minority Report!
A new PLM Market Place blog talks about ATI Eyefinity technology for the CAD-specific market. The multi-display technology enables CATIA and Dassault Systemes users to run up to four simultaneous high-resolution displays with a single graphics card to create a hugely expanded visual workspace, and supports Dassault Systemes’ strategy for immersive virtual reality.
If you are not familiar with the DS virtual reality efforts and interest check out 3D Perspectives, the official corporate blog of Dassault Systèmes. A recent blog post of their talks VR and how what the virtual world has to offer, is life augmented. It is technology where you can be in communion with others to innovate where it’s otherwise impossible. Until we all have the VR goggles from Caprica, multi-display technology may be the next best thing.
Venutz Technology’s installation at Expo 2010 Shanghai features multiple plasma displays to create a multi-touch video wall, powered by ATI FirePro V8800 graphics cards using Eyefinity technology.
The following video shows the production workflow integration between Maya, MachStudio Pro and PhotoShop running on a single ATI FirePro V8800. The three 2560x1600 displays are all being driven by the single FirePro graphics card using ATI Eyefinity technology.
There is a good whitepaper on Eyefinity for professional markets that explains the configurations, usage scenarios, etc.
Do multiple monitors really matter for productivity? IDC did a quick study and wrote up a whitepaper on the experience of three different companies (Cosworth, Kirkham Motorsports, and Slappy Studios) that recently made the move to multiple monitors using ATI Eyefinity. All saw notable improvements in productivity and creativity from those employees who received a multi-display upgrade.
At the professional graphics division preview event a few weeks ago, TurboSquid’s Beau Perschall demoed ATI Eyefinity technology powered by the latest ATI FirePro graphics cards for DCC workflows.
When AMD released the ATI FirePro V8800 it was clearly just a matter of time before we saw the entire FirePro lineup upgrade to the new DX11, OpenGL 3.2/4, Eyefinity Evergreen-based chips. Well the wait is over. Today AMD released 4 new FirePro models in addition to the V8800. (see the ATI FirePro family page and press release for more details)
Below are some summary specs for the new FirePro accelerators (red) with a comparison to the workstation graphics card they replace (gray).
Entry
Mid-Range
High End
FirePro
V3700
FirePro
V3800
FirePro
V3750
FirePro
V4800
FirePro
V5700
FirePro
V5800
FirePro
V7750
FirePro
V7800
FirePro
V8700
FirePro
V8800
Memory Size
256MB GDDR3
512MB GDDR3
256MB GDDR3
1GB GDDR5
512MB GDDR3
1GB GDDR5
1GB GDDR3
2GB GDDR5
1GB GDDR5
2GB GDDR5
Number of Slots Required
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
Stream Processors
40
400
320
400
320
800
320
1440
800
1600
Max Power (W)1
32
43
48
69
58
74
76
138
151
208
Supplemental Power Requirement
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
1 x 6-pin
1 x 6-pin
2 x 6-pin
2 x 6-pin
Number of Dual-Link DVI Outputs
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
DisplayPort Outputs
0
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
4
Maximum Resolution per Output (@ 60 Hz)
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
Stereo 3D Connector (3-pin DIN)
X
X
Form Factor*
FH/HL
HH/HL
FH/HL
FH/HL
FH/HL
FH/FL
FH/FL
FH/FL
FH/FL
FH/FL
Eyefinity Support
X
X
X
X
Framelock/ Genlock
X
X
ATI CrossFire Pro2
X
X
X
X
X
X
Suggested MSRP (price)
$99
$109
$199
$189
$599
$469
$899
$799
$1799
$1499
* FH = Full Height, HH = Half Height, HL = Half Length, FL = Full Length
1. Measured under 3DMark 03.
2. Specific power, chassis space, connector and resource requirements may apply. Check with system manufacturer to see if dual cards are supported.
Obvious standouts to me: Faster memory, more memory (think VBO performance), huge increases in number of stream processors (a.k.a shader units), and Eyefinity support on all but the V3800. What I would like to also know is energy consumption in idle mode as well as some noise comparison to previous models. I know the V8800 was significantly better in both regards to its predecessor.
One last note: AMD actually released a 5th new card: the FirePro 2460 Multi-View - essentially a low-power, low-profile FirePro quad display solution designed for financial traders. So it is not for the CAD and DCC realm, but still pretty interesting because of the 13W average power consumption.
I have photos from this event from a demo showing off work being done by Kirkham Motorsports, designers and fabricators of absolutely awesome, custom-manufactured, aluminum-bodied, Anglo-American roadster legends. They use the EliteBook and of course, desktop systems for their design and fabrication.
This is the first time I have seen the advertised " use a combination of portrait and landscape displays" possible with Eyefinity, as well as the first time I have seen non-gaming or non-simulation uses.
Ever since the Radeon 5XXX series I've been eagerly waiting for the FirePro professional cards that are based on the Cypress architecture. The , announced today does not disappoint. It clearly takes the crown as the most powerful workstation graphics card on the market. Here's the gist:
1600 stream processors for more than double the computational power of the V8750
2GB of ultra high speed GDDR5 memory
Full 30-bit display pipeline (essential for medical imaging, pro video and photo editing)
Four DisplayPort outputs driven by ATI Eyefinity technology giving the option of a multi-monitor desktop of over 10,000 pixels wide; driving a 4K projector; delivering combinations of portrait and landscape orientations; driving virtual prototyping and curved "surround view" video walls.
Native CrossFire Pro multi-card support
OpenCL support!
Hardware tessellation
Stereo3D support
Windows and Linux drivers
Certified for leading CAD and DCC apps (i.e. guaranteed reliability)
Check out the FirePro V8800 web page and data sheet for complete specs.
One last note: At $1499 ($300 less than the FirePro v8750!) I want to point out that this is a really competitive price for high-end workstation graphics.
I haven't yet seen any actual performance specs, but I really want to see how this performs for Autodesk products, CATIA, and MachStudio Pro, in particular with the recently released v8.702 or better drivers. If anyone has any test results, please drop a comment.
Update: 04/07/10 - Performance reviews are already coming in from HotHardware and most notably 3DProfessor. General consensus is: performance at a completely new level.
Also worth noting are two PDF case studies for the V8800 used in Broadcast 3D CG and CAD visualization
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