AMD has taken the wraps off its new ATI Radeon HD 5800 series of high-performance graphics cards: the controllers feature a whopping 2.72 teraflops of processing power, and (perhaps more importantly) are the first video cards to support Microsoft DirectX 11, which is shipping with Windows 7. Of course, the cards also suppose DirectX 9, 10, and 10.1, along with OpenGL—in both single-card and multi-card configurations using ATI’s CrossFireX technology. The cards also support AMD’s Eyefinity multi-display technology (enabling a single environment to span multiple screens) and support offloading computing functions to the GPU processor…although apps have to be smart enough to take advantage of it.
“With the ATI Radeon HD 5800 series of graphics cards driven by the most powerful processor on the planet, AMD is changing the game, both in terms of performance and the experience,” said AMD senior VP Rick Bergman, in a statement. “As the first to market with full DirectX 11 support, an unmatched experience made possible with ATI Eyefinity technology, and ATI Stream technology harnessing open standards designed to help make Windows 7 that much better, I can say with confidence that AMD is the undisputed leader in graphics once more.”
The HD 5800 series consists of two cards, the Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 5870. Each feature 1 GB of video memory; the 5850 sports 1,440 stream processing units and 72 texture units, while the 5870 bumps up to 1,600 stream processing units and 80 texture units. Both sport GDDR5 memory interfaces with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth, support OpenGL 3.2, and support dual stream 1080p playback. The units sport integrated HDMI, DisplayPort, dual-link DVI, and VGA output, and can support stereoscopic displays. There’s also an integrated HD audio controller for handling 7.1 sound over HDMI with no additional cables.
Although AMD hasn’t announced pricing or availability information, the Radeon 5850 should be available in the United States shortly for a street price around $270; the Radeon HD 5870 is widely available for pre-order at prices around $380.
In 1950, Alan Turing asked whether machines can think. Rather than argue over definitions, he turned the question into a party game, where an interrogator trades typed messages with hidden players and tries to work out who is who. Since then, chatbots have gotten so good that they have already fooled humans in modern versions of the test.
So, four researchers from Paris Cité University asked the obvious follow-up question in a new study published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports: can AI at least catch its own kind?
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.