Part.Number:.107-40413-20

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

Contents

Legal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Important.Safety.Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

. Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Installing.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.Graphics.Cards. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .6

Enabling.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ATI.CrossFire.Pro.FAQ.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices.Inc ...

All.rights.reserved ..

The.contents.of.this.document.are.provided.

in.connection.with.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.

Inc ..(“AMD”).products ..AMD.makes.no.

representations.or.warranties.with.respect.to.

the.accuracy.or.completeness.of.the.contents.

of.this.publication.and.reserves.the.right.to.

discontinue.or.make.changes.to.products,.

specifications,.product.descriptions,.and.

documentation.at.any.time.without.notice ...

No.license,.whether.express,.implied,.arising.

by.estoppel.or.otherwise,.to.any.intellectual.

property.rights.is.granted.by.this.publication ..

Except.as.set.forth.in.AMD’s.Standard.Terms.

and.Conditions.of.Sale,.AMD.assumes.no.

liability.whatsoever,.and.disclaims.any.

express.or.implied.warranty,.relating.to.its.

products.including,.but.not.limited.to,.the.

implied.warranty.of.merchantability,.fitness.

for.a.particular.purpose,.or.infringement.of.

any.intellectual.property.right ..AMD’s.products.

are.not.designed,.intended,.authorized.or.

warranted.for.use.as.components.in.systems.

intended.for.surgical.implant.into.the.body,.or.

in.other.applications.intended.to.support.or.

sustain.life,.or.in.any.other.application.in.

which.the.failure.of.AMD’s.product.could.

create.a.situation.where.personal.injury,.

death,.or.severe.property.or.environmental.

damage.may.occur ..AMD.reserves.the.right.to.

discontinue.or.make.changes.to.its.products.

at.any.time.without.notice .

Trademarks

AMD,.the.AMD.Arrow.logo,.ATI,.the.ATI.logo,.

AMD.Athlon,.AMD.LIVE!,.AMD.Phenom,.AMD.

Sempron,.AMD.Turion,.AMD64,.All-in-Wonder,.

Avivo,.Catalyst,.CrossFireX,.FirePro,.FireStream,.

HyperMemory,.OverDrive,.PowerPlay,.

PowerXpress,.Radeon,.Remote.Wonder,.

Stream,.SurroundView,.Theater,.TV.Wonder,.

The.Ultimate.Visual.Experience,.and.

combinations.thereof.are.trademarks.of.

Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc .

HyperTransport.is.a.licensed.trademark.of..

the.HyperTransport.Technology.Consortium .

Blu-ray.Disc.is.a.licensed.trademark.of..

the.Blu-ray.Disc.Association .

HDMI.is.a.licensed.trademark.of.HDMI.

Licensing,.LLC .

DisplayPort.is.a.licensed.trademark.of.Video.

Electronic.Standards.Association .

Microsoft,.Windows,.and.Vista.are.registered.

trademarks.of.the.Microsoft.Corporation.in.

the.United.States.and/or.other.jurisdictions .

Other.names.are.for.informational.purposes.

only.and.may.be.trademarks.of.their.

respective.owners .

Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

Manufactured.under.license.from.Dolby.

Laboratories ..Dolby.and.the.double-D.symbol.

are.trademarks.of.Dolby.Laboratories ...

©1992-1997.Dolby.Laboratories,.Inc ..All.rights.

reserved .

Macrovision

Licensed.for.limited.viewing.uses.only ...

This.product.incorporates.copyright.protection.

technology.that.is.protected.by.US.patents.

and.other.intellectual.property.rights ..Use..

of.this.copyright.protection.technology.must.

be.authorized.by.Macrovision,.and.is.

intended.for.home.and.other.limited.viewing.

uses.only.unless.otherwise.authorized.by.

Macrovision ..Reverse.engineering.or.

disassembly.is.prohibited ..

Disclaimer

While.every.precaution.has.been.taken.in..

the.preparation.of.this.document,.Advanced.

Micro.Devices,.Inc ..assumes.no.liability.with.

respect.to.the.operation.or.use.of.AMD.

hardware,.software.or.other.products.and.

documentation.described.herein,.for.any..

act.or.omission.of.AMD.concerning.such.

products.or.this.documentation,.for.any.

interruption.of.service,.loss.or.interruption..

of.business,.loss.of.anticipatory.profits,.or..

for.punitive,.incidental.or.consequential.

damages.in.connection.with.the.furnishing,.

performance,.or.use.of.the.AMD.hardware,.

software,.or.other.products.and.documentation.

provided.herein ..Ensure.that.you.have.the.

latest.documentation .

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc .

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

2

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

Important Safety Instructions

Note:.This.product.is.for.use.only.with.

compatible.UL-listed.personal.computers.that.

have.installation.instructions.detailing.user.

installation.of.this.class.of.product .

Read.all.instructions.before.beginning.

installation ..All.safety.and.installation.

instructions.should.be.read.before.the.

product.is.installed.or.operated .

Retain.all.instructions ..Safety,.installation,..

and.operating.instructions.should.be.retained.

for.future.reference .

Heed.all.warnings ..All.warnings.regarding.the.

product.and.its.operating.instructions.should.

be.obeyed .

Use.appropriate.grounding .

CauTIon:

For continued protection against the risk of electric shock and fire, install this accessory only in products equipped with a three-wire grounding plug, a plug having a third (grounding) pin. This is a safety feature. Do not remove the grounding pin of a three-pin plug.

Attach.product.securely ..All.product-securing.

screws.or.fasteners.should.be.completely.

tightened.in.order.to.provide.continuous.

bonding.between.the.product.and.the.PC.

chassis,.as.appropriate .

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc .

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

3

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

Introduction

ATI ™ .CrossFire

™ .Pro.leverages.ATI.CrossFireX

™ .

technology.to.scale.professional.OpenGL.

applications.in.a.windowed.mode.by.

combining.the.computational.power.of.two.

discreet.ATI.FirePro

™ .workstation.graphics.

cards.to.drive.a.single.display ..Note.that.

unlike.ATI.CrossFireX,.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.does.

not.allow.more.than.two.discreet.cards..

to.be.combined .

Figure 1–1 aTI CrossFire Pro Diagram

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

4

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

Modes

ATI.CrossFire.Pro.significantly.scales.high-end.

DCC,.CAD,.and.VizSim.applications.on.a.single.

display.using.the.following.modes:

In.this.mode,.all.even.frames.are.

rendered.on.one.GPU,.and.all.odd.

frames.are.rendered.on.the.other ..

geometry-limited.applications ..ATI.

CrossFire.Pro.significantly.scales.

applications.such.as.Autodesk..

Maya,.UGS.NX,.UGS.Teamcenter,..

and.Ensight .

mode,.each.frame.is.split.into.two.

sections,.and.each.GPU.renders..

one.section .

Chapter 1

and.video.applications.that.are..

fillrate.limited .

Figure 1–2 aTI CrossFire Pro aFR Rendering

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

5

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide Chapter 1

Modes, cont’d.

provides.higher.quality.anti-aliasing.than.

single.discrete.workstation.cards .

Note:.Example.applications.are.trademarks.or.

registered.trademarks.of.their.respective.

owners .

For.more.information.on.ATI.CrossFire.Pro,.

please.visit.http://ati .amd .com/products/ workstation .html .

simulations,.TV.productions,.and.video.

applications.requiring.a.high.level.of.

image/line.quality .

Figure 1–3 aTI CrossFire Pro SFR Rendering

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

6

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide Chapter 2

Installing aTI CrossFire Pro Graphics Cards

These.instructions.assume.that.a.PCIe

® .

graphics.card.has.already.been.successfully.

installed.in.the.secondary.slot.(slot.one),.and.

that.the.primary.slot.(slot.zero).is.empty .

Note:.Consult.your.system.builder.or.OEM.to.

ensure.that.your.system.has.an.adequate.

power.supply .

For.an.up-to-date.listing.of.CrossFire.Pro.

certified.motherboards,.see.ati .amd .com/ products/certification

1 .. Make.sure.the.computer,.monitor,.and.

other.peripheral.devices.are.off .

2 .. Unplug.the.computer.power.cord.and.

disconnect.the.monitor.cable.from.the.

back.panel.of.the.computer .

CauTIon:

To avoid possible damage to the motherboard, wait approximately

20 seconds after unplugging the power cord before disconnecting a peripheral or removing a component from the motherboard.

3 .. Remove.the.computer.cover ..

If.necessary,.consult.the.computer.

manual.for.help.removing.the.cover .

CauTIon:

Remember to discharge your body’s static electricity by touching the power supply case or the metal surface of the computer chassis.

4 .. Locate.the.primary.PCIe.slot.on.the.

motherboard ..If.necessary,.remove.the.

corresponding.back.panel.cover .

5 .. Align.the.new.workstation.card.in.the.

primary.PCIe.slot.next.to.the.existing.

graphics.card.and.press.firmly.until.the.

card.is.fully.seated ..

.

Note:.You.may.need.to.hold.open.the.PCIe.

card.slot-locking.mechanism.with.your.

finger.when.you.seat.the.card .

6 .. Fasten.the.workstation.card.securely.to.

the.back.panel .

7 .. Connect.external.power.to.the.

workstation.card.from.the.systems.power.

.

supply,.if.necessary ..

Consult.your.ATI.FirePro.workstation.

card’s.user.guide,.if.necessary

Figure 2–1 aTI FirePro Card Installation

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

7

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

Installing aTI CrossFire Pro Graphics Cards, cont’d.

8 .. Connect.the.two.ATI.FirePro.workstation.

cards.using.the.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.flex.

connector .

Note:.Connect.the.cards.using.only.one.flex.

connector.on.the.“top”.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.

connector.tab.(the.one.closest.to.the.bracket).

on.each.card

Chapter 2

Figure 2–2 aTI CrossFire Pro Flex Connector Installation

1. newly installed aTI FirePro card

2. aTI CrossFire Pro flex connector

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

8

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

Installing aTI CrossFire Pro Graphics Cards, cont’d.

9 .. Make.sure.that.no.cables.are.interfering.

with.anything.inside.the.computer..

(for.example,.a.cooling.fan).and.then.

replace.the.computer.cover .

10 .. Reconnect.any.cables.you.have.

disconnected.and.plug.in.the.computer.

power.cord .

11 .. Turn.on.the.monitor.and.then.the.

computer .

Enable.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.in.ATI.Catalyst

™ .

Control.Center.as.described.in.Chapter.3.

Enabling.ATI.CrossFire.Pro .

Figure 2–3 aTI CrossFire Pro Connector Tabs

1. Top connector

2. Bottom connector (do not use)

Chapter 2

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

9

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide

Enabling aTI CrossFire Pro

Note:.The.CrossFire.option.will.not.appear.

unless.two.workstation.cards.are.installed..

in.the.system.and.connected.using.an..

ATI.CrossFire.Pro.flex.connector .

1 .. From.the.Graphics.Settings.tree,.expand.

CrossFireX.and.click.Configure .

2 .. From.the.Graphics.Adapter.list,.select.the.

graphics.card.to.act.as.the.display.GPU .

3 .. Select.Enable.CrossFireX .

4 .. Click.Apply .

Chapter 3

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

10

ATI

™

.CrossFire

™

.Pro

User Guide Chapter 4

aTI CrossFire Pro FaQ

The.following.are.frequently.asked.questions.

regarding.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.technology .

How do you connect two discreet

FirePro cards to enable this feature?

ATI.CrossFire.Pro.requires.only.one.ATI.

CrossFire.Pro.flex.connector.to.connect.the.

two.discreet.workstation.cards.to.enable.this.

feature ..The.flex.connector.should.be.connect.

to.the.“top”.connector.tab.(the.one.closest.to.

the.bracket) .

Can any two aTI FirePro cards be connected to enable this feature?

Currently,.only.identical.ATI.CrossFire.

Pro-ready.cards.can.be.combined.to.enable.

this.feature ..All.mid-range.or.greater.ATI.

FirePro.cards.are.ATI.CrossFire.Pro-ready ..This.

line-up.currently.includes.the.following.cards:.

ATI.FirePro

™ .V5700,.ATI.FirePro

™ .V5800,.

ATI.FirePro

™ .V7750,.ATI.FirePro

™ .V7800,.

ATI.FirePro

™ .V8700,.ATI.FirePro

™ .V8750,.

ATI.FirePro

™ .V8800,.and.ATI.FirePro

™ .V9800.

graphics.accelerators .

Which professional applications currently scale on aTI CrossFire Pro?

Currently,.many.Alternate.Frame.Rendering.

(AFR).applications.that.are.geometry.bound.

show.good.performance.scaling,.including.

Autodesk.Maya,.Ensight,.UGS.Teamcenter,.

and.UGS.NX .

What is the optimal hardware for using this feature?

ATI.CrossFire

™ .Pro.technology.performs.

best.with.PCIe

® .2 .0.and.up.configurations ..

If.you.are.using.a.workstation.that.does.not..

support.PCIe

® .2 .0,.you.may.see.some.

performance.variation .

Which driver do I need to run applications in the CrossFire Pro mode?

Driver.version.8 .63.and.Catalyst.version.8 .6x.

(or.later).will.support.this.feature .

Is this feature platform or chipset dependent? Which platforms does this feature support?

This.feature.is.designed.to.provide.open.

support.for.all.AMD.and.Intel.chipsets ..

Currently,.it.supports.AMD.790FX,.790X,.and.

790GX.platforms.and.Intel.X58,.X48,.X38,.975X,.

and.955X.platforms ..No.proprietary.bridge.or.

licensing.is.required.to.use.this.feature .

Which operating systems are supported for this feature?

ATI.CrossFire.Pro

™ .is.supported.on.Windows.

XP,.Windows.Vista,.Windows.7.and.Linux .

There are two aTI CrossFire Pro connector tabs and only one flex connector supplied in the box. Which tab should I connect the flex connector to?

All.ATI.FirePro.boards.have.two.ATI.CrossFire.

Pro.connector.tabs.to.accommodate.future.

requirements ..Currently,.ATI.CrossFire.Pro.

requires.only.one.flex.connector,.which.

should.be.connected.to.the.first.cutout..

(the.one.nearer.to.the.bracket) .

Note:.Example.applications.are.trademarks..

or.registered.trademarks.of.their.respective.

owners .

©.2009.Advanced.Micro.Devices,.Inc ..

11