ATI CrossFire Technology White Paper
ATI CrossFire Technology White Paper ATI CrossFire Technology White Paper
ATI CrossFire CrossFire is an exciting new technology developed by ATI that allows the power of multiple Graphics Processing Units to be combined in a single system. Key benefits include: Ultimate Performance • Up to two times the frame rates of a single GPU. Ultimate Image Quality • Up to twice the anti-aliasing quality of a single GPU, at full speed. Ultimate Compatibility • Improves the experience in any 3D application. Ultimate Flexibility • Simple upgrade for single GPU systems, driving single or multiple displays. ATI CrossFire system with dual graphics cards - 1 -
Background The world around us possesses an infinite level of detail. The process of creating virtual worlds that approach this level of detail can consume practically any amount of computing power made available to it. However, by breaking the task down into a finite set of elements (such as pixels and polygons), parallel processing can be used to perform calculations on multiple elements at once. Cost. Multi-Processor Single Processor Transistor Count (Performance) ATI is one of the pioneers of multi-processor technology for graphics. In 1999, ATI introduced MAXX technology, using a patented Alternate Frame Rendering technique. The Rage Fury MAXX graphics card combined two Rage 128 PRO processors on a single board for high-end gaming. Despite the limitations imposed by the AGP bus interface, it was able to achieve over 50% higher frame rates in games like Quake 3 at high resolutions. ATI Rage Fury MAXX with dual Rage 128 Pro graphics processors The most straightforward way to drive processing power upward is to add more transistors dedicated to the task. However, the cost of a microprocessor starts to increase exponentially as its size and transistor count increases beyond a certain point. Performance, on the other hand, does not necessarily continue to increase at the same rate. The goal of multi-processor technology is to allow performance increases to scale linearly with cost, independent of manufacturing process technology or architectural improvements. - 2 -
- Page 1: ATI CrossFire Technology White Pap
- Page 5 and 6: CrossFire - How it Works CrossFire
- Page 7 and 8: Alternate Frame Rendering (AFR) Mod
- Page 9 and 10: Scissor Mode In this mode, each fra
- Page 11 and 12: Super AA Mode 6x AA 12x SuperAA Com
- Page 13 and 14: Anti-Aliasing Sample Patterns An ad
<strong>ATI</strong> <strong>CrossFire</strong><br />
<strong>CrossFire</strong> is an exciting new technology developed by <strong>ATI</strong> that allows the power of multiple Graphics<br />
Processing Units to be combined in a single system.<br />
Key benefits include:<br />
Ultimate Performance<br />
• Up to two times the frame rates of a single GPU.<br />
Ultimate Image Quality<br />
• Up to twice the anti-aliasing quality of a single GPU, at full speed.<br />
Ultimate Compatibility<br />
• Improves the experience in any 3D application.<br />
Ultimate Flexibility<br />
• Simple upgrade for single GPU systems, driving single or multiple displays.<br />
<strong>ATI</strong> <strong>CrossFire</strong> system with dual graphics cards<br />
- 1 -
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