AMD Unleashes Enthusiast Gaming Performance for the Masses with ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 3800 Series
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — November 15, 2007 –AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the
introduction and immediate availability of the ATI Radeon™ HD 3800
Series of graphics processing units (GPU). As the world’s first series
of graphics processors to deliver Microsoft’s DirectX® 10.1
support, 55nm process technology and tri and quad multi-GPU support with ATI
CrossFireX™, the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series ushers in a new era of
enthusiast gaming performance at mainstream price points. The ATI Radeon HD
3800 series will be introduced in two variants at launch, from US $179 MSRP,
the ATI Radeon™ HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and from US $219
MSRP, the ATI Radeon™ HD 3870 with 512MB GDDR4 memory. The launch of
the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series redefines the enthusiast segment and puts high
performance gaming in reach of more users than ever before. This innovative
new series of graphics products also represent the first step in the launch
of AMD’s upcoming enthusiast platform codenamed “Spider.”
“With the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series we are redefining the market for enthusiast graphics with a new class of price, performance and features that have never been seen before in this industry,” said Rick Bergman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Graphics Product Group, AMD. “Through a flawless transition to 55nm and Microsoft DirectX® 10.1, we can deliver an unprecedented level of scalable performance, image quality enhancements and power efficiency at the sub- $200 segment that rivals today’s most expensive graphics processors and opens up enthusiast gaming to more end users than ever before.”
High Definition Gaming Leadership
With the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series AMD
delivers the first graphics processor with support for Microsoft’s upcoming
DirectX® 10.1 specification. Designed to deliver more immersive gaming
environments, increase the amount of tools for developers and enhance overall
image quality, DirectX 10.1 support ensures ATI Radeon HD 3800 series users can
enjoy a more complete next-generation gaming experience.
The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series also introduces the world to ATI
CrossFireX™, AMD’s innovative next-generation multi-GPU technology designed to
deliver unprecedented performance scaling with support for two, three and four
graphics processors in CrossFire™ configurations. At launch, the ATI Radeon HD
3800 series will support dual-GPU CrossFire with tri and quad-GPU support
scheduled for January 2008.
“Alienware has a long and proven track record in staying on
the forefront of graphics performance and innovation,” said Patrick Cooper,
Director of Product Management at Alienware. “As a pioneer in multi-GPU
technology we are excited about the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series
with CrossFire technology on our Area-51 ALX platform and look forward to
delivering a best-in-class PC gaming experience for our customers.”
Graphics bandwidth is also greatly enhanced with the
introduction of PCI Express 2.0. Delivering over 16 gigabytes per second of
bi-directional bandwidth, PCIe 2.0 doubles the bus data rate over the previous
generation. The combination of PCIe 2.0 and HyperTransport™3 on next-generation
AMD platforms provides a dramatic increase in the amount of system bandwidth
for high definition, multi-GPU PC gaming.
Performance Per-Watt
Leadership
The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series GPUs are the first graphics
processors to use TSMC’s 55nm process technology. The smooth transition to 55nm
has allowed for a 12X increase in performance-per-watt over the
previous generation with a significant reduction in die size.
“TSMC and AMD have blazed a long and successful trail of
process technology innovation, delivering increased value to end users through
manufacturing innovation. Our innovative half-node process, including 55nm, is
the quickest and simplest way to achieve performance gain,” said Kenneth Kin,
Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Service, TSMC. “ to users than
they have ever seen before in a graphics processor.With the immaculate
execution and launch of the 55nm ATI Radeon HD 3800 series we are demonstrating
once again how the strength of our successful collaboration delivers more
performance-per-watt and performance per-mm”
In addition to 55nm, AMD has also added its patented ATI
PowerPlay™ technology to the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series to provide increased
control over the graphics processor in multiple power states. With PowerPlay
technology users can benefit from dynamic adjustment of clocks and voltages
depending on their usage scenario, which allows for a cool and quiet user
experience.
High Definition Video
With the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 3850 and ATI Radeon HD
3870, AMD has answered the call of HD video enthusiasts with top-to-bottom
support for the 2Unified Video Decoder (UVD). The addition of UVD
ensures exceptional platform efficiency and image quality in HD-DVD and
Blu-rayTM decoding for both H.264 and VC-1 specifications. Enhanced HDMI
functionality also continues on this series of products with integrated HDCP
and audio for HDMI video.
The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series launches with broad availability
and eco-system support from AMD’s Add-in-Board (AIB) and Systems Integrators
(SI) partners. AIB partners building boards based on the ATI Radeon HD 3800
series include Asus, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, Gigabyte, HIS, Info-Tek, MSI,
Palit, Sapphire, Tul and Visiontek. Systems integrators launching ATI Radeon HD
3800 series include ABS, Alienware, AMAX, Canada Computers, CyberPower, Extreme
PC Corporation, Falcon-Northwest, iBUYPOWER, Maingear, Systemax, Ultra Gaming
and Velocity Micro.