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• Scissor Mode - each graphics card renders up to half of the display,
either vertically or horizontally depending on the game or
application.
• Alternate Frame Rendering - the two graphics cards are used to
render alternate frames of the display. This configuration increases
the performance of the 3D objects, as each card handles half of the
total number of frames.
• Super Anti-aliasing - improves image quality by combining the
results of full-screen anti-aliasing across two graphics cards in a
CrossFire™ configuration. The two graphics cards work on
different anti-aliasing patterns within each frame.
The first three features are performance features settings
automatically selected by ATI's Catalyst™ Control Center. Super
Anti-aliasing is a display quality mode selectable using Catalyst™
Control Center.
14 On what basis are different rendering modes chosen?
When Catalyst™ A.I. is enabled in Catalyst™ Control Center, it
determines the optimal rendering mode to use, based on the
application or game being used. The default rendering mode is
dependant on both the hardware configuration and the application
being run; typically it will be either Scissor or SuperTiling mode. If
Catalyst™ A.I. is not enabled, any Direct 3D® applications that are
running on a system based on graphics cards with 16-pipeline
graphics processors will use SuperTiling Mode.
15 What type of performance improvement is expected?
Performance enhancements experienced on a CrossFire™ system
depend on the application or game being used. Performance
improvements can be increased up to 100%, and the latest graphics-
intensive programs will generally see over 80% performance
improvement at high resolutions and image-quality modes.
16 How many independent displays can be connected to a
CrossFire™ system?
While CrossFire™ is designed for optimal use on a single display, it is
possible to drive multiple monitors using a CrossFire™ system when
CrossFire™ is not enabled. If the motherboard contains an integrated
video connection and SurroundView™ is enabled, more displays can
be added.
Additional troubleshooting tip are covered in the “Reference” chapter.