Items tagged with x16
PCI-SIG, the organization in charge of maintaining and developing PCI-Express, has announced that the third version of the PCIe standard is finished and ready for implementation. The new standard is fully compatible with earlier PCIe cards; a Gen 1 or Gen 2 card will run perfectly in a PCIe 3.0 slot. Just as PCIe Gen 2 offered double the performance of Gen 1, Gen 3 again offers twice the performance of Gen 2 (8GT/s). Unlike Gen 2, however, Gen 3 incorporates a number of additional changes to improve its efficiency. PCIe 1.1 and 2.0 both use an 8b/10b encoding scheme. This means that 8-bit words are mapped to 10-bit packets. This is part of why PCIe bandwidth numbers are quoted differently. Technically,...
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In early November of last year, NVIDIA unveiled their successor to the nForce 5, the nForce 600 series. The starting line-up included three solutions supporting Intel's Core 2 processor, each aimed at a different segment of the market and each with a different price point. The most expensive chipset in the series, the high-end 680i SLI provided a host of new features including dual X16 SLI support with a third X8 PCI-E slot. Next comes the 650i SLI, which lacks many of the 680i's fancier features like dual x16 SLI support, but makes up for it with a significantly lower price point. Finally at the low end is the 650i Ultra, which lacks SLI support altogether. While the three boards in...
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Hello Everyone. We wanted to let you all know that we've just posted a new article in which we evaluate the features, bundles, and performance of two HDMI-equipped cards from Asus, the EAX1600PRO/I/256M/A and the EN7600GT/HDTI/256M/A. As their names imply, these cards are powered by ATI's Radeon X1600 Pro and NVIDIA's GeForce 7600 GT GPUs. Click the link below to check them out... Read The Rest of the Article Right Here....
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Today at HotHardware, we will be looking at two video cards from Asus. They don't necessarily scream "power user" and they aren't adorned with the flashiest packaging. Instead, these two cards are more like the utilitarian work-horses that one might expect to find in a mid-range PC, or even a DYI build that's catered more to function than fashion. That doesn't mean we won't run any benchmarks with our favorite games to see how they compare to each other, as well as to another mid-level card, but don't focus strictly on the benchmark results in this article. These two cards aren't designed to set records in Half-Life 2, but rather offer...
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Today we've launched an analysis on two mid-range graphics cards from HIS based on the AMD-ATI Radeon X1650 XT graphics processor. HIS Radeon X1650 XT IceQ Turbo and Radeon X1650 XT iSilence II...
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About a month ago, we had the privilege of reviewing HIS' Radeon X1950 Pro, a mainstream oriented graphics card that performed well, but we felt ultimately came up short against the similarly priced GeForce 7950 GT. The model we received was outfitted with an oversized cooler dubbed the IceQ3 Turbo, came overclocked by default, and supported CrossFire natively using internal ribbon cables, much like SLI with NVIDIA's cards. Although we found much to praise regarding the performance of the X1950 Pro, we found that the lack of availability of HIS products in the reseller market, combined with the possibility of DirectX 10 becoming much more important...
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Not long ago, when we reviewed MSI's GeForce 7600 GT, the closest ATI-based competitor available was the Radeon X1600 Pro. It was far from an apples-to-apples comparison from a technical standpoint, however. While both models sported the same number of Pixel and Vertex Shaders and had similar prices, the X1600 Pro's performance was hampered by fewer ROPs and DDR2 memory which was clocked significantly lower that the GeForce 7600GT's GDDR3 complement. With the recent release of the Radeon X1650 Pro, however, ATI now offers a card that matches up better to the GeForce 7600 GT, with faster GDDR3 memory and a higher GPU clock speed. The question remains,...
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As many of you saw with AMD's Press Release earlier this morning, ATI has just released their new Radeon X1650 XT GPU. This new budget-oriented graphics card has been reviewed by a wide variety of websites including Hot Hardware, and we've compiled a list for your viewing pleasure. PC Perspective Anandtech Tech Report Rage 3D Legit Reviews ...
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AMD DELIVERS INNOVATIVE GAMING EXPERIENCE AT A KNOCKOUT VALUE WITH THE ATI RADEON X1650(R) XT SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - OCT. 30, 2006 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today introduced an innovative graphics card that makes use of its new native CrossFire(tm) technology, the ATI Radeon(R) X1650 XT. With its incredible image quality features and superb performance, the ATI Radeon X1650 XT delivers enthusiast-class technology at an impressive price point. The ATI Radeon X1650 XT will hit store shelves during the week of 13 November, at an estimated street price of US$149. The ATI Radeon X1650 XT enables a breathtaking gaming experience, as the graphics card has the ability to enable High Dynamic Range effects and anti-aliasing...
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Hello All. ATI is taking the wraps off yet another mid-range product offering today, the Radeon X1650 XT. Like the X1950 Pro that was released a few weeks ago, the new Radeon X1650 Pro features a new GPU with native CrossFire support. Here's a snip from the article... "Today, ATI is adding yet another member to the Radeon X1K family of products, the Radeon X1650 XT. While its name suggests the X1650 XT is nothing more than a higher clocked variation on the barely 2-month old Radeon X1650 Pro, that's actually not the case. The Radeon X1650 Pro is based on a new GPU, formerly code-named RV560, that is much more powerful than anything else in the X16x0 family." You can read the rest...
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About two weeks ago, ATI launched the Radeon X1950 Pro, a new mainstream graphics card with a host of new features. This graphics card was equipped with a single-slot cooler, a relatively low-power GPU that was manufactured on TSMC's 80nm fabrication process, and in a first for ATI, native CrossFire support. Native CrossFire support meant there would be no more confusion over CrossFire Master and Slave cards, and the clunky external dongle previously associated with CrossFire was no longer a necessity. In our evaluation of the X1950 Pro, we praised ATI for producing a high-performance, affordable, single-slot solution, with a more elegant approach to multi-GPU technology...
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The BoxGods (That's right mortal! Bow and worship the machine!) have a good hard apocalyptic look at Sapphire's Radeon X1650 Pro. The Gods have spoken and offer... "Building your PC on a budget is a lot more fun when that budget is closer to $3,000 than $1,000; but, sadly, most of us read about the wallet busting uber cards and buy the budget and mid-range cards out of fiscal necessity. The good news is that the current budget segment has some pretty decent choices--like the Sapphire Radeon X1650 PRO we will be looking at today." OK, so maybe it's not so doom and gloom...
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If you read our coverage of ATI's Radeon X1K fall-refresh featuring the new Radeon X1950 XTX, X1900 XT 256MB, X1650 Pro, and X1300 XT from last week, you know that we did not receive X1300 XT or X1650 Pro cards in time for launch. A few days after posting the article, however, Sapphire's "retail-ready" versions of these cards arrived. We have since updated the original article with pictures and comments regarding Sapphire's Radeon X1300 XT Overclock Edition and Radeon X1650 Pro, and have added a few pages worth of benchmarks as well. You can view the article in its entirety right here, or jump right to the Sapphire Radeon X1300 XT and X1650 Pro images and benchmarks...
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Although there has obviously been a lot going on behind the scenes at ATI these last few months, i.e. the proposed AMD merger, the company has remained relatively quiet. The last major graphics card launch was for the Radeon X1900 family back in January. And since then, the company has released only a couple of mid-range graphics cards that utilized existing GPU technology. Today, however, ATI is announcing five new products targeting virtually every segment of the graphics market. At the high-end ATI is announcing the Radeon X1950 XTX and Radeon X1950 XTX CrossFire Edition cards. The new flagship features essentially the same GPU found on the older Radeon X1900 XTX, but...
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Good afternoon folks. Just in case you're the type who likes to jump straight down to the news, we wanted to drop in to let you all know that we've just posted a new article (link and summary at the top of the page), where we evaluate the features and performance of Sapphire's Ultimate Radeon X1600 Pro and Ultimate Radeon X1600 XT cards. Click here to check them out... ...
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Selecting the right video card when you're on a budget can be difficult. The major deciding factor for many gamers out there is price. As mouthwatering as it is to think about getting a top-notch SLI or CrossFire setup, it's a luxury that most simply cannot afford. Fear not though, as both Nvidia and ATI have some quality entry-level and mid-range graphics cards in their respective line-ups. Today we have two such cards with us, Sapphire's Ultimate X1600 Pro and X1600 XT. Aimed towards consumers looking for a silent video card at a budget price, Sapphire's Ultimate X1600s will appeal to those looking to build up an HTPC or a PC for casual gaming. Both cards are based...
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The folks in the XtremeSystems forum have posted some images of the new ASUS P5W64 WS Pro workstation motherboard. The most unique aspect of this new board is the presence of four PCI-E x16 slots. Obviously, the first thing our readers will think of is coming up with a way to get two ATI "Master" cards and two standard cards and try for a Quad-Crossfire setup. Time will tell if drivers will allow this to function properly. However, in the meantime the gang is having a great time pushing the limits of the board and have managed to hit an impressive 472MHz FSB in their overclocking adventures. Although it might not be the ideal board for most, this unique motherboard will certainly be...
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It's a shame, really. After nearly one year on the market, Socket-939 Athlon64 motherboards are finally getting to a point where we've always wished they would be. Feature packed, refined, tweakable, and quiet. Why is this a shame? Well, as AMD is transitioning to their new Socket-AM2 interface, interest in Socket-939 platforms will undoubtedly dwindle away. However, there is a huge install base of Socket-939 users on the market already, and new Socket-939 processor sales will likely continue throughout 2006. So, while Socket-AM2 may be getting all the press lately, it's still Socket-939 that's the workhorse, powering the vast majority of AMD desktop and gaming systems...
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For a time it seemed like AGP was long gone, but we're still seeing more cards put out in the aging format. HIS has produced an AGP version of ATI's X1600, and while it's certainly not top of the line, it's still a decent upgrade if your going from say, a GeForce FX5200 or something of that caliber. "With VGA manufacturers releasing only PCI Express-based video cards, owners of AGP-based PCs were simply forgotten. Even though you can find quite easily AGP VGAs on the market, AGP users cannot find the latest releases for the AGP platform. For those who have an AGP-based motherboard, HIS is an oasis in the middle of the desert: they have just released an AGP-based Radeon X1600...
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For the last year, Abit's biggest challenge has been conquering itself. Struggling with a combination of internal financial woes, corporate investigations, and a generally un-exciting product lineup, there is no doubt that the once mighty Abit has sagged as of late. Once considered a tier one motherboard maker with a keen ear to the needs of the enthusiast, Abit has lost a lot of their exciting customer base to Asus and DFI, whose product lines have simply been all-around better. Without a killer product to drive sales, and the (seemingly) inevitable corporate implosion forcing potential customers to question their long-term support, it had been originally unclear if Abit would even make...
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HIS releases X1600Pro IceQ Turbo video card Hong Kong, Mar 23, 2006 – HIS (Hightech Information System Limited) delivers the HIS X1600Pro IceQ Turbo GDDR3 card, promising faster, quieter and cooler radically new 3D performance architecture technology and the next generation image quality by ATI. The strongest air cooling technology - IceQ HIS X1600Pro IceQ Turbo equips with the most efficient cooling technology among the current graphic cards' series. HIS IceQ can actively draw the air inside your PC case to cool down the card, and blows amounts of hot air out of your case, dramatically decreasing the GPU temperature together with your PC components. Our laboratory tests have proven that...
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PC Perspective has posted a very interesting new article which investigates some of the bandwidth limitations for SLI and Crossfire chipsets. With the launch of ATI's Crossfire Xpress 3200 we reviewed here, ATI has made several allegations indicating NVIDIA's SLI technology was at a distinct architectural disadvantage. Ryan puts the marketing aside and walks away with a clear understanding of how the two architectures truly match up.The truth of the matter is that both the NVIDIA NF4 SLI X16 chipset and the ATI XPress 3200 chipset provided enough bandwidth for today's SLI and CrossFire generations, at the least. ATI's attempt to promote their RD580 chipset by showing poor performance numbers...
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