Tech Shout!

AMD has announced its latest graphics driver, the ATI Catalyst 8.3. This software update delivers both CrossFireX for Windows Vista and ATI Hybrid Graphics technology. PC as well as casual gamers can expect to get the Ultimate Visual Experience from it!

CrossFireX for Windows Vista offers the world’s first quad-GPU support as well as scalable and cost-effective three GPU support.

The presence of the ATI Hybrid Graphics technology will benefit casual gamers. Besides, the multi-GPU capabilities will provide gamers with a more realistic and immersive experience, allowing them to play at high resolutions with demanding image quality settings.

According to Rick Bergman, senior vice president, AMD Graphics Product Group, “AMD packed ATI Catalyst 8.3 with a double-barreled set of leading technologies to simultaneously push the Ultimate Visual Experience to new heights and to a wider population of PC users. We deliver industry firsts that make a visible difference to PC users, whether it’s CrossFireX and the first ever quad-GPU performance on Windows Vista, or ATI Hybrid Graphics that bring a new level of performance to mainstream PC platforms.”

The ATI Hybrid CrossFire ATI Catalyst 8.3 update not only boosts game performance, but also introduces ATI Hybrid Graphics support for Windows Vista. In fact, ATI Hybrid CrossFire delivers a significant boost in 3D performance. Up to 70 percent increases in performance are possible in some gaming scenarios3 based on PCs comprised of an AMD 780G motherboard and ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series graphics product in Windows Vista. ATI Hybrid Graphics also support up to four independent displays through the SurroudView feature for those who want to maximize productivity.

New features introduced with the ATI Catalyst 8.3 software update:

DirectX 10.1 and Tessellation Support: ATI Catalyst 8.3 marks the first time DirectX 10.1 support for the ATI Radeon HD 3000 series, and tessellation support for the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series have been made available to developers.

Anti-Aliasing enhancements: ATI Catalyst introduces anti-aliasing support for all Unreal Engine 3.0-based games running in DirectX 9 mode. ATI Catalyst also allows users to enable the Custom Filter Anti-Aliasing filters (box and wide tent) while running in CrossFire Super Anti-Aliasing modes, providing superior image quality

HydraVision support for Windows Vista: HydraVision support is now included in ATI Catalyst Control Center for Windows Vista. HydraVision enables users to efficiently organize multiple applications across single or multiple displays. You may configure up to nine virtual desktops, and divide the Windows Vista desktop into definable areas helping to easily move and organize multiple applications.

Digital Panel GPU image scaling: For those using widescreen displays, ATI Catalyst now allows users to enable GPU-accelerated scaling to maintain the aspect ratio of the display while providing superior image quality.

Advanced Video Quality controls: With ATI Catalyst 8.3, multimedia enthusiasts get further control over video quality. Using the new edge enhancement feature, the level of sharpness of video content can be adjusted. Through the new noise reduction feature, ghosting artifacts can be removed while preserving the details of the original video. The new slider controls can be found in the All Settings page of the Avivo Video tab found in ATI Catalyst Control Center.

ATI Catalyst 8.3 is available as a free download from today onwards from target="_blank">here.