AMD has announced a new FirePro solution that is quite different than their typical professional graphics offerings. The new FirePro RG220 is a remote graphics solution that supports dual display output. The card utilizes the PCoIP protocol to send video data to a thin client, giving the user the reliable stability and top-end performance of a workstation GPU on any appropriately-equipped thin client computer.
Not only will the RG220 deliver outstanding video performance without the need for a massive workstation desktop PC, but the solution will also help IT managers to set up power-efficient offices in professional environments where power consumption and desktop real estate are limited.
Last month I was invited to AMD’s beautiful world headquarters in Sunnyvale, California to get a first hand look at the new FirePro RG220. I had the opportunity to test drive an RG220 setup, and I left the Golden State impressed. Before I dig into my experience with the product, let’s take a look at the details on the FirePro RG220.
AMD's world headquarters in Sunnyvale, California
The FirePro RG220 has 512MB of memory, marking it an entry-level 2D and 3D professional graphics solution. The RV771 GPU is DirectX 10.1 compliant, and has an impressively low average power consumption of <35W. It supports dual display output with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200, and two RG220′s can be paired up to deliver quad display output. It contains two RJ45 Ethernet ports, and requires the receiving thin client to have a PCoIP portal receiver. The card is passively cooled.
The card also gives the remote client computer USB control of the host computer. This control is obviously important for the client PC to be able to have USB keyboard and mouse input.
Within the heart of AMD’s home campus, in a room filled with impressive computers and curious journalists and professionals, the RG220 display was certainly one of the most interesting. On one end of the room was the host PC, which had an RG220 installed. The local machine had dual display output via the onboard DVI-D port with an attatched DMS-59 splitter. This host PC is doing all of the work. It renders video, compresses it, and sends it over Ethernet via PCoIP. On the other side of the room, roughly 100 feet away, was the client computer. An Ethernet cable, from the host PC, was plugged into the PCoIP portal receiver on a thin client. The computer had dual display output and was showcasing various feats of video, such as CAD programs and video playback. The client computer had no noticeable lag as I interacted with it and ran through the programs.
Amidst the full FirePro refresh that AMD is dishing out, the RG220 is certainly an exciting addition with a lot of potential. There are many industries that would benefit from having such technology in their offices. The board offers a lot of features for such a simple, passively-cooled PCI device.
Pricing for the FirePro RG220 has not yet been announced, but if the solution is priced competitively, AMD will certainly have a winner on their hands.
The Icrontic Viewpoint
While playing with the setup, I immediately thought of the broadcast news industry and how incredibly helpful a FirePro RG220 setup would be. At the time I was employed by a local NBC affiliate station in Northern Indiana. In our newsrooms, broadcast producers write their newscasts on thin clients. To assist the producers in choosing stories to populate their newscast, they have a VOD connection to NBC in which they can stream, download, and watch video from various network news stations around the country. The process is slow, intensive, and painful. The thin clients used have terribly weak video capabilities. With an RG220 solution, our IT staff could manage these systems from a centralized, secure hub while giving all of the producers in the newsroom rock solid reliability and speed that is expected of workstation graphics hardware.
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