AMD Introduces New Next-Generation FirePro Graphics Cards

AMD's FirePro line of graphics cards don't get the same level of attention as the consumer-oriented Radeon lineup, but with the introduction of Eyefinity, DisplayPort and DirectX 11, the "professional" line is suddenly becoming a lot more appealing to anyone. Following the introduction of the FirePro V8800, AMD has today rolled out four new additions in the next-gen FirePro family: ATI FirePro V7800, ATI FirePro V5800, ATI FirePro V4800, and ATI FirePro V3800.

These cards are aimed at professionals in the digital content creation (DCC) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) industries, and in case those weren't enough, AMD is also unveiling the FirePro 2460 Multi-View. This card is a low-profile one with support for four displays, and while it's designed for banks, we could see it being used in quite a few other applications. Full details of each card are below, and after you spend some time investigating, you can work up the courage to ask your boss for a new GPU to aid in your "digital content creation" duties.

The next generation of the ATI FirePro family of professional graphics cards is designed to meet the specific needs of each market segment. The cards have been tested in real-world scenarios to help ensure compatibility and stability for certification with many leading software applications. Each card supports Microsoft^® DirectX^®11, OpenGL^® 4.0 and OpenCL™ along with ATI Eyefinity technology – providing professionals with the ability to expand their display resolution for increased productivity.⁴

• High-end: With 2GB of GDDR5 memory, the ATI FirePro V7800 offers superior performance capabilities¹ and visual quality in a compact single slot form factor. Its massively parallel architecture can handle computationally or visually demanding applications without negatively impacting performance. With ATI Eyefinity technology, professionals can drive up to three independent 30” displays at one time.
• Mid-range: The ATI FirePro V5800 is a true workhorse and offers professionals the perfect balance of price and performance. Featuring 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, and support for up to three independent displays through ATI Eyefinity technology, the ATI FirePro V5800 delivers more than double the performance capability of the previous generation.⁵
• Entry-level: The ATI FirePro V4800 features 1GB of GDD5 memory and delivers 1.25X the performance capability compared to the previous generation,⁶ with outstanding results for entry-level CAD users, all at value level pricing. With 512 MB of DDR3 memory and a 30-bit display pipeline⁷ that offers accurate color reproduction and exceptional visual quality, the ATI FirePro V3800 brings dramatic performance and up to three display support through ATI Eyefinity technology to entry-level 3D graphics professionals.

The ATI FirePro 2460 Multi-View is a low profile, quad display graphics solution designed to improve the visual experience for financial traders while simultaneously helping to reduce power and cooling costs for some of the world’s largest financial institutions. With an average board power consumption of 13W, ATI FirePro 2460 is designed to meet the performance and productivity requirements of enterprise environments without increasing the power consumption needs of users while offering the capability to support multi-monitor ATI Eyefinity technology.