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This chapter contains information on special features associated with the AMD
FirePro V4900.
2.1 MultiCard Support
MultiCard Support is a feature that enables you to fully use the power of your AMD
FirePro graphics cards when more than one card is installed in a single system with
multiple displays.
With MultiCard functionality, each OpenGL graphics application automatically uses
the graphics engine of whichever GPU is associated with the display on which the
application is initially launched. Users who wish to run two OpenGL graphics
applications can take full advantage of their two GPUs by ensuring that the two
applications are launched on displays connected to different graphics cards.
For example, in a configuration comprised of four displays attached to two graphics
cards, you can obtain optimal performance for two OpenGL applications by launching
the first application on a display attached to graphics card #1 and launching the second
application on a display attached to graphics card #2.
Note: If a user launches an OpenGL application on a display attached to graphics card
#1 and then moves the application window to a display attached to graphics card #2,
the application will continue to use the capabilities of the original GPU (card #1 in this
case) and not the capabilities of card #2; the image is rendered via the GPU on card #1
and then copied over to the second card's display(s). This copy process is less efficient
than rendering on a display connected to the same GPU and results in a performance
penalty.
In order to make it easier for users to manage which OpenGL applications launch on
which display, the AMD FirePro card comes with HydraVision™ APS (Application
Position and Size) as a standard part of the driver installation package on
Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, and Windows® XP platforms. HydraVision APS provides
the capability to remember which display (and therefore which graphics card) an
application was last located on (as well as the application's exact position and size) and
to open there on subsequent invocations. The OpenGL driver works with
HydraVision APS to allocate 3D resources in an optimal manner.
With the HydraVision APS package installed, a user's second OpenGL application can
be fully accelerated via the second graphics card by ensuring that the second OpenGL
application is launched on the second graphics card, as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
© 2011 Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
Launch the second OpenGL application.
Move it to a display attached to the second card.
Exit the application.
Relaunch the same application.
Chapter 2
Product Features
AMD FirePro™ V4900
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