[Xfire] Chatteox: Hello and welcome to the Chat with the ATI Graphic Card Gurus! The ATI team will now introduce themselves and start answering your questions.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Hi this is Terry. I am also known as CATALYST MAKER
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: I am in charge of drivers for ATI
[Xfire] Chatteox: Sorry, there is a slight delay, we will get this rolling soon.
[ATI] Essa: Hi all... How's everyone doing? I am currently responsible for the entire support site. I control most if not all the technical documentation on the support site.
[ATI] Lucy: Hi! I'm Lucy. In charge of marketing for ATI's gaming segment.
[ATI] Peter: Hi I am Peter, the Brand Manager for CrossFire
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: hi again
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: sorry for the issues
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: i keep dropping out
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: zquark: What is the driving force for ATI developers to deliver/comply with high definition content for future games? Do they collaborate with gaming developers to get new ideas to support future games or does ATI developers take the existing games today and work with that?
Answer: We work with a ton of game developers in enabling their games. Typically we work with them 2-3 years before the game gets released, so we actually do see alot of things early. In essence high definition gaming is somethign that rocks.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: When will we be able to see superpowers, AMD and ATi release hardware which uses both technologies, and can you announce what advantages us gamers are likely to see?
Answer: Not sure. The deal hasn't officially closed yet, but I cant wait for it to happen
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: [IronChef]Chinese: How does ATI see the TV Wonder division progressing in the future considering the discontinuation of the All-in-Wonder series of cards?
Answer: We see alot of people starting to use their PC's for media center usage scenarios. That means you can watch TV on your PC, PVR it, and all kinds of awesome things. TV wonder is the best TV card you can buy today, so if you do want more than gaming I highly recommend one.
[ATI] Essa: Question: CoDJumper: How much testing goes into a new set of drivers for ATI?
Answer: ATI Drivers and Software is tested frequently and prior to and after posting. As we are testing, issues are being tracked and we make every attempt to resolve as many issues as we can.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: [106]=BFS=Slickdawg8: What future innovations will there be for the future releases of the Catalyst Control Center and drivers? What new features and fixes will there be?
Answer: Cant talk about upcoming stuff. In fact I hate to say it but no answers today will be relating to unreleased stuff. (maybe a few hints will be dropped)
[ATI] Peter: Question: =UGC=Therman Merman: What power supply do you reccomend for a CrossFire setup?
Answer: the ideal PSU depends one what cards - bigger is usually better but not always. Check our CrossFire Certified web site at http://www.ati.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown2.html
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: EdgeCrusher|Phaxx: Being a bit of an audio/visual guy, I try to look for a graphics card that suits both a gaming rig and a media PC. Does ATi design from a gaming perspective, or do they try to keep media playback standards as high as possible; or do you try and keep a balance for a card suited to both gaming and media? Basically, do you prioritise enhanced gaming standards, or aim for enhanced media suiltability too?
Answer: in the past it was more gaming stuff, but with our new push into video the balance has changed. in fact we have totally different groups architecting these things
[ATI] Lucy: Question: dc5chris: Do you think in the near future Graphics hardware could become an "external unit"?
Answer: Yes!
[ATI] Lucy: Question: sfsniper1991: Will the old dx9 cards be able to support dx10?
Answer: DX10 games require DX10 cards.
[ATI] Essa: Question: Akaruikage: I have noticed that with the newer video cards, specifically x1800 and upwards, that many gamers experience overheating issues; many heatsinks/fans need to be replaced just to get the card to even work for more than a year... so I guess my question is: How does ATI plan to make overheating issues a thing of the past?
Answer: That is strange. I have not heard of that issue as being wide spread. If you like, contact me directly and I can setup an RMA to replace your product.
[ATI] Lucy: Question: Tysoc: What can we expect in the way of dual GPU boards, comparable to Nvidia's current 7900GX2? When are the next generation DirextX10 cards going to be released?
Answer: We unfortunately cannot release that information at this time.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: Tysoc: What are ATI's plans for incorporating some form of physic's processing into their cards?
Answer: I am actually leading that effort and looking into physics as a gaming environment. I of course cant say when but when there are alot of cool games out there we will be ready with them
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: Agent[31]: how is windows vista technology being incorporated and what features should we except to see enhanced by using an ATI graphics card?
Answer: Vista is going to rock and we are totally pumped about it. AERO is the name of the 3d desktop. And you need a good gpu for it
[ATI] Essa: Question: =UGC=Therman Merman: If i had a Crossfire setup, would my CPU be the bottleneck?
Answer: That will all depend on the game and the CPU. In most cases, the CPU would be the bottle neck.
[ATI] Essa: Question: iGreenBananas: I bought a HDTV, I had it on DVI and on Component cables, what would you say is better? I perfer DVI-D then Component.
Answer: DVI-D is much better. DVI-D is digital and component is still analog
[ATI] Lucy: Question: Strayfire: After seeing screenshots of DX10 water (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1989817,00.asp), are such visuals actually feasible, and if so, can we expect to see this with the R600?
Answer: Yes! This is feasible and wait till you see what's yet to come!!
[ATI] Peter: Question: [+]SCC[+]Maj.Akitas371: How long does it usually take to develop a next gen card?
Answer: about 18 to 24 months.
[ATI] Essa: Question: valekor: Does Crossfire use PCI-E slots? and if not, does this require me to buy an entire new motherboard just to fit the card?
Answer: Yes you will need a motherboard that supports PCI-E as all our high-end cards are based on the PCI-E architecture.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: [IronChef]Chinese: There is a trend in dual slot coolers in the higher-end models. The problem is that they generally block a PCI slot to accomodate them and is a concern for small form factor and expansion-concious builders. Is this a trend that will be emerging in the mid-range cards, or continuing only in high-end models?
Answer: Yea, you can expect big coolers if its speed you are after. Fast chips need good cooling. Its unfortunate but thats the way it goes.
[ATI] Lucy: Question: moonhowler=IMM=: QUESTION I know ATI is working with Nintendo on the Wii. What should we expect from the graphics of the Wii.
Answer: Until the Wii is released we unfortunately cannot speak about the graphics.
[ATI] Essa: Question: A ShiftyZeppelin!!!!: My 9800pro has lasted a very long time. I am extremely impressed with the life and performance of that card. While developing your cards is the long term performance of the card a factor?
Answer: No the performance is not a factor as we always strive on increasing the performance of each product we release.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: I just got on here and have no friends. Anyone wanna add me?
[ATI] Peter: Question: }cAs{ hawk16: I am a casual gamer, the competitors mid-range cards seem to outperform ATI's mid-range cards. My question is how will ATI mid-range cards be better in the future for the casual gamer?
Answer: on the contrary, our mid range cards are better performers, especially when you factor in the simultaneous HDR + AA capabilities. There is a clear misconception on what cards compete with each other - look at price points rather than the standard numbering!! Additionally, we have outstanding video capabilities with our Avivo technology
[ATI] Lucy: Question: [BK]theeztarget: What college classes are needed to be taken to work at a place like ATI, i would really like to be able to work at a place like ATI in the future.
Answer: If you want to work in Marketing any University/College programs are suitable. For other positions in product management etc. look at engineering, computer science specializations.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: damn i got lots of friends now cant keep up
[ATI] Essa: Question: BladeOfOld: Is there a minimum recommended system specification to run the new graphics card. As in, what abouts could you expect someone who wants to upgrade their computer with a new graphics card expect to upgrade other components as well?
Answer: As long as it fits in the slot it should work. As with anything, you should always verify the system specs on the box and site to ensure you meet the bare minimum specs.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Question: [354th NC] Mithril Mike: With DX10, the capabilities of video cards will be a standard. How (beyond speed) does ATI plan to differentiate their cards in the market?
Answer: Unified Shader Architecture. Keep your eye out on it.
[ATI] Peter: Question: [GAFF]Acoimas The Audigy: When ATI made the x1600 and x1300 cards. Why was the Crossfire Cable decidide it was not need? Does this lose some performance?
Answer: Because of the performance/throughput of our chipsets, the PCIe bus is perfect for the the X1300 and X1600 cards. We also wanted to improve the user experiece by removing the dongle.
[ATI] Lucy: Question: EdgeCrusher|Phaxx: As a follow up to [IronChef]Chinese's question, does ATi put much effort into decreasing the physical size of cards, or is that seen as not much of an issue? It seems that with the lastest generation of cards, they're getting as big as an XBOX, and can be cumbersome.
Answer: Size matters baby!
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: OMG
[ATI] Peter: OMG, i cant believe she just said that!!!
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: she rocks
[ATI] Essa: The cat just came out of the bag
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: =UGC=Therman Merman: Ive noticed that the linux drivers arent very good, when will we see an improvement with ati linux drivers?
Answer: really? let us know what you find wrong with them. I love to get them fixed
[ATI] Essa: Question: |FcG| Jgallstar1: Does the temperature of the inside computer effect the performance of the graphics cards a lot?
Answer: Yes it does. The higher the temp the harder your machine needs to work
[ATI] Peter: Question: Akaruikage: How does ATI plan to market crossfire technology as well as future technology? Will the day come when we actually see commercials for ATI video cards?
Answer: Actualy we are ramping up on our marketing efforts for CF globally - there is a campaign running now in NA and Europe. As for commercials, not on TV in the near future but certainly we are looking at innovative ideas online. You will see some cool new stuff on CrossFire soon!
[ATI] Peter: Question: *=PA=* Yorkshire: What are the principal diffrences between ATI's crossfire platform and their competitors solution?
Answer: CF is an open platform - eg we support the highend Intel 975 Chipset - and we have ATI Avivo tech in our Radeon cards
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Soooo....
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: anyone been to a lan party where ATI is at?
[ATI] Peter: Question: moonhowler13: What kind of computer specs will be needed to effectively run the x1900
Answer: the best place to get any compatibility info is on our CrossFire Certified web pages - http://www.ati.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown.html this components are all tested and work with CrossFire.
[ATI] Lucy: Question: PyScH0.SirRoxen: Question: I've read that the All-in-Wonder cards are being discontinued, is this true?
Answer: We haven't made any official announcements on this.
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Here is what we do for fun at lan parties http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0qXZTOtszI
[ATI] Lucy: Question: CoDJumper: Ati Cards require a smaller power than Nvidia's top cards, why is this?
Answer: Thanks for the compliment!
[ATI] Lucy: Question: |FcG| Jgallstar1: Is ATI going to be sponsoring LAN parties anywhere in America next year? I would certanly love to go to one of those. :D
Answer: We will certainly be a presence at several LAN parties all over the globe.
[ATI] Essa: Question: =UGC=Therman Merman: at what resolution would I start to see improvements on a CrossFire setup?
Answer: You will see immediate improvement at all resolutions
[ATI] Peter: Question: BladeOfOld: Do any of you play computer games yourselves, even if just a minesweeper break here and there? ^_^
Answer: Im a freakin CSS addict...
[ATI] Essa: Question: 880753: Does the new X1900 support HD DVI?
Answer: Yes it does
[ATI] Lucy: Sorry All! Have to go. Great talking to you! Have fun tonight and good luck!! :-)
[ATI]Terry CATALYST MAKER: Ya I gotta run right now as well. Im late for a meeting to review the graphic card you guys will want to own in 2 years.
[ATI] Essa: Question: |82ndID|1stLt.Kenny CSSXO: How do you guys at ATI feel about overclocking utilities such as ATITool?
Answer: Overclocking utilities are great.
[ATI] Peter: Question: |FcG| Jgallstar1: How do you test your graphics cards? Is there one game that has high preformance needs that you try those out on?
Answer: we test on lots of games and as most benchmarks show, the focus is on the really intensive ones like Oblivion that have simultanues HDR and AA capabilities
[ATI] Peter: Hi everyone, thanks so much for your time and we are really sorry we cant answer all your questions!
[ATI] Peter: Hopefully I will be able to get into some of the CSS games tonight, see you there!
[ATI] Essa: OK guys... It was fun. But all good things have to come to an end. It was a pleasure chatting with everyone. Have fun gaming tonight.
[Xfire] Chatteox: Ok, that concludes the chat. A special thanks again to everyone from ATI!
[Xfire] Chatteox: Now onto the prizes:
[Xfire] Chatteox: 5 Xfire Caps:
[Xfire] Chatteox: 5. Blade of Old
[Xfire] Chatteox: 4. iceman
[Xfire] Chatteox: 3. syn[jake]
[Xfire] Chatteox: 2. iron chef chinese
[Xfire] Chatteox: 1. Anti - to - the Camper
[Xfire] Chatteox: And the final prize! The ATI Radeon X1900 CrossFire Video Card!
[Xfire] Chatteox: The winner is:
[Xfire] Chatteox: moonhowler13