AMD announced today that its next-generation ATI Radeon graphics cards will be the first commercial implementation of GDDR5 memory. According to the company, the new memory will allow for faster, smaller, and cheaper graphics cards:

"The higher data rates supported by GDDR5--up to 5x that of GDDR3 and 4x that of GDDR4--enable more bandwidth over a narrower memory interface, which can translate into superior performance delivered from smaller, more cost-effective chips."

The benefits of GDDR5 memory also include increased accuracy in calculations by way of new error detection mechanisms and more power-efficient graphics cards, according to AMD.

This is all well and good, but without honkin' graphics card that sounds like a vacuum when you fire up Crysis, how will the others at the LAN party know you mean business?