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AMD unveils 55-nm, sub-$100 graphics processors

As part of its effort to deliver "the ultimate visual experience," the microprocessor challenger is including DirectX 10.1 support with modular graphics capabilities in its new ATI Radeon HD 3000 series processors.

By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- EDN, 1/23/2008

With the aim of delivering outstanding graphics performance to the mainstream, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) late Tuesday announced entry-level and mainstream graphics processor (GPU) additions to its ATI Radeon HD 3000 series: the ATI Radeon HD 3400 and ATI Radeon HD 3600.

Both processors contain display connectivity through DisplayPort integrated into the GPU, which is meant to allow it to exceed current manufacturing expectations in the industry, AMD noted.

The chips are part of what AMD said is its first family of graphics cards built using 55-nm manufacturing process technology and allow Blu-ray or HD DVD disc playback to be viewed in full HD (1080p) thanks to AMD’s unified video decoder (UVD) technology.

AMD said immersive home theater environments can be created using the built-in support for six-channel (5.1) Dolby Digital surround audio transmission through HDMI. In addition, the ATI Radeon HD 3450 supports fully silent (passive) cooling, aimed at home theater PCs.

Further, the GPUs allow twice the bandwidth of DVI due to the integrated DisplayPort support, which the company said allows low-cost high resolution and bit-depth panels.

Gamers looking for graphics processors that allow for further scalability will find that both series contain ATI CrossFireX, which is meant to add the option of multi-GPU upgradeability. ATI Hybrid Graphics will allow users to combine an ATI Radeon HD 3400 GPU with a compatible AMD 7-series chipset to provide 3D performance as part of the upcoming AMD mainstream high-definition "Cartwheel" codenamed desktop platform, adding further value to the gaming experience, AMD claimed.

Support for Microsoft DirectX 10.1 support allows gamers to play HD games with 3D graphics, realism, and shading effects, whereas support for PCI Express 2.0 allows for twice the throughput of current PCI Express cards. The peak throughput of PCI Express 2.0 is 5 Gbps per lane in each direction, versus 2.5 Gbps per lane in each direction for PCI Express 1.1.

The ATI Radeon HD 3400 and ATI Radeon HD 3600 series are priced at $49 to $65, and $79 to $99, respectively.