AMD ATI FirePro V9800 Workstation Graphics Card

It didn't take AMD long to respond to the release of NVIDIA's new line of Quadro workstation-class graphics cards. The new flagship FirePro V9800 we'll be showing you here is the latest ultra high end professional graphics card from AMD, and competes in the same space as the 6000 and 5000 models from NVIDIA. It replaces the V8800 as the flagship model of the FirePro line, and targets professionals who require the highest levels of performance and connectivity, with plenty of onboard memory and support for multiple displays.

In case you were wondering, the ATI brand still exists. Radeon and FirePro cards like the V9800 continue to wear the ATI badge, but as we confirmed recently, change is on the horizon. We were told by AMD that moving forward, ATI will not be used on next-gen graphics cards or Fusion-based processors. Consequently, expect this transition to materialize by the end of 2010.

With that said, let's go over the tech specs of the new FirePro V9800. In a nutshell, this is the Eyefinity 6 card of the professional market, with a huge frame buffer. Digital content creators are treated to 1600 stream processors, 4GB of GDDR5 memory, and a huge amount of memory bandwidth. Furthermore, the GPU has a core clock of 850MHz, while memory is set to a frequency of 1150MHz. It supports DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.0, and Shader Model 5. Above all, the V9800 takes the place of the V8800 as ATI's fastest FirePro product, while offering even more options for professional users. The table below lists additional features of the V9800.

ATI FirePro V9800 Ultra High End Graphics Card Professional Videocard

Core Clock	850 MHz
Memory Clock	1150 MHz
Stream Processors	1600
Total Memory	4 GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	256 bit
Memory Bandwidth	147.2 GB/s
Output Connectors	6 x mini-DisplayPort, 1 x Stereo 3D
Bus Type	PCI-E 2.0
Form Factor	Dual Slot
Accessories	5 x DisplayPort to DVI passive adapters 1 x DisplayPort to DVI active adapter
Power Requirements	1 x 8 pin PCI-E power connectors 1 x 6 pin PCI-E power connectors
Power	199W
Price	$3,499

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In terms of its specifications, the FirePro V9800 looks similar to the V8800. The core clock gets bumped up by a modest 25MHz, an additional 2GB of memory is present, and it offers a two more DisplayPort outputs. It's worth noting that AMD includes six mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapters with the card. But at $3,499, it costs twice as much as the V8800. That's a hefty price to pay for the luxury of two additional outputs and some extra memory. Then again, this product targets a specific set of users with the most demanding set of display requirements. Let's find out if the additional features are worth the extra money.

It's true that high-end workstation graphics cards may be based on the same core architectures as gaming-targeted graphics cards, however, their purposes are very different. While they both accomplish the same task, processing commands and rendering images on-screen, workstation cards endure a more strenuous existence than their gaming counterparts. Workstation cards are used to solve complex, mission-critical problems, like helping engineers design and build cars; helping architects to plan and construct buildings, and even help oil and gas companies to provide more effective means of production and transportation.

Like its predecessor, the V9800 uses a matte black heatsink assembly that houses ATI's dual-slot copper heatpipe cooling solution. The embedded fan exhausts air out of the back of the card and out of the system, which keeps components cooler inside the case. Upon start up, the V9800 powers on quietly and stays that way during normal use. AMD has tuned the latest batch of FirePro cards to remain relatively quiet, even with high end models, and V9800 owners will benefit from it.

On the front end of the card, we find a 6-pin and an 8-pin PCIe power connector. This is different from the V8800, which featured two 6-pin connections. Interestingly enough, the maximum board power is 199W, down 9W from the V8800. It's worth noting, the RV870 GPU is well known for its low power consumption during idle due to aggressive clock gating and voltage reductions when the card is not under significant load.

The FirePro V9800 sports six mini-DisplayPort connections and one stereo port. That's a couple more than the V8800 which offered four DP outputs. Also seen in the image above is the backplate which helps to dissipate heat created by the components installed on the card.

FirePro V9800 vs Quadro 6000 Comparison Chart