Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
First-generation CrossFire cards required users to buy special CrossFire Edition cards that contained
the composting engine (an Xilinx XC3S400 chip) and used a proprietary DMS-59 port for
interconnecting the cards. One of these cards was paired with a standard Radeon card from the same
series via a clumsy external cable between the CrossFire Edition's DMS port and the DVI port on the
standard card. Newer CrossFire-and CrossFireX compatible cards use a CrossFire bridge
interconnect (similar in concept to the SLI MIO component) to connect matching cards; a few models
can run in CrossFire mode without a bridge interconnect.
Note
For more information about CrossFire X and CrossFire compatibility, see
CrossFire and CrossFireX can be disabled to permit multimonitor operation; CrossFire and
CrossFireX cards can also be used to implement physics effects in games that use the HavokFX
physics technology (
www.havok.com
)
.
AMD Eyefinity for Multiple-Display Gaming
AMD Eyefinity enables a single game to use up to six displays for simultaneous views of the 3D
game environment, control panels, and more. The first two displays can be connected by either digital
(DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort) or VGA analog cables. Additional displays must be connected by
DisplayPort (either native DisplayPort ports or DVI or HDMI ports connected to active DisplayPort
adapters).
Note
Eyefinity is supported by a wide range of AMD RADEON desktop and mobile GPUs. To learn
more about Eyefinity and the games that support it, visit
Monitors
The monitors typically used with PCs come in a variety of sizes and resolutions and are typically
based on one of two display technologies: liquid crystal display (LCD) or cathode-ray tube (CRT). A
newer technology, organic LED (OLED), is expected to reach the market in 2013. Larger displays
such as big-screen TVs and projectors can also use LCD or backlit LED technology but may use
plasma or DLP technology as well. This section discusses the various features, specifications, and
technologies used in PC monitors.
Display Specifications
A number of features and specifications differentiate one display from another. Some of these can be
confusing, and some are more important than others. The following sections examine the features and
specifications to look for when comparing or selecting displays.
Display Size
PC monitors come in various sizes, generally ranging from 15 inches to 30 inches in diagonal
