ATI FireGL

infobox computer hardware generic
name = FireGL Graphics

---

caption = The FireGL logo
invent-date =
invent-name = ATIThe ATI FireGL range of graphics cards are a series fabricated by ATI for use with CAD (Computer Aided Design) and "DCC" (Digital Content Creation) programs, usually found in workstations. They are very similar in hardware to the Radeon range.

Differences with the Radeon Line

The FireGL line is designed for multimedia content creation programs, such as 3ds Max and CAD programs such as Solidworks, whereas Radeon counterparts are suited towards video games. FireGL drivers were built with maximum image quality and pixel precision, with CAD specific functionalities such as the recently introduced AutoDetection Technology to tune the parameters inside the driver to achieve maximum performance for predefined list of software. However, because the drivers are also based on the Catalyst drivers made for the Radeon line, it makes them suitable for casual gaming, at the expense of probable compatibility issues with the very latest games due to the age of the drivers, with FireGL cards in theory pushing more data than their Radeon gaming counterparts.

Since the 2007 series, high-end and ultra-end FireGL products (based on the R600 architecture) have officially implemented stream processing, which the Radeon line of video cards, although present in hardware, does not officially support.

oft-mods

Because of the similarities between FireGL and Radeon cards, some users soft-mod their Radeon cards by using third-party software or automated scripts accompanied with a modified FireGL driver patch, to enable FireGL capabilities for their hardware, effectively getting a cheaper, equivalent, FireGL cards, often with better OpenGL capabilities, but usually half of the amount of video memory. Some variants can also be soft-modded to a FireStream stream processor.

The trend of soft-mods continued with the 2007 series FireGL cards, as follows:

List of Cards

Original FireGL models

ATI FireGL models

ATI Mobility FireGL models

ee also

*NVIDIA Quadro - NVIDIA's workstation graphics solution
*Comparison of ATI graphics processing units

External links

* [http://ati.com/products/firegl.html ATi FireGL page]