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• ATI X800XT PE vs. eVGA 6800 Ultra: The Battle at the Top   [Review, 3dxtreme]
  For this review, being that these two Video Cards are the best of the best, we didn’t screw around. Most benchmarks were run at 1600x1200 with 4x AA and 8x AF enabled. Why pay $500 if not to enable all the eye candy and run high resolutions, it’s also fun to beat the crap out of a new Video Card to really see how well they perform – theres no 1024x768 testing here! A few benchmarks that we used we did drop to 1280x1024 like Doom 3. Other theoretical applications like Aquamark 3.0, 3D Mark 2001 SE, 3D Mark 2003 and 3D Mark 2005 we ran at the default settings giving the user a chance to compare scores with us. As far as overclocking – we did not get into any with this review. We just felt these Video Cards were as fast as they needed to be, also overclocking milage may vary and we didn’t want to give anyone false hopes on what to expect when overclocking. Oh yea, and there is that $500 price tag – are a few extra frames really worth burning up that new $500 Video Card – and while I can hear a collective “Hell Yeah” we still opted to pass on overclocking either card.
   Sun, 24 Jul, 2005 | 31 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• ATI Xenos: XBOX 360 Graphics Demystified   [Article, Beyond3d]
  Those that have followed the development of 3D graphics over the past ten years or so will have seen a continual development of the capabilities of the processors, but fundamentally following the path of OpenGL pipeline model. 3dfx really ignited the market with their "Voodoo Graphics" add-in boards, which were not much more than just a raster engine: it utilised one chip for texture sampling and another for pixel processing (a simple Render Output unit - ROP); 3dfx further evolved that by adding an extra texture unit, allowing for slightly more complex effects in the raster pipeline. And so it was that this model was followed for a number of years with the main developments being the number of pixel pipelines and textures supported per pipeline, until NVIDIA took the step of moving further forward on OpenGL pipeline and giving accelerated support to the Transformation and Lighting process with GeForce 256. Whilst graphics processors had varying degrees of the geometry process, from clipping to setup, handled in hardware, adding a T&L engine was a significant step up the OpenGL pipeline, but didn’t really fundamentally change our thinking of graphics processors.
   Sun, 24 Jul, 2005 | 11 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• G70: NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX Review   [Preview, Beyond3d]
  Historically we’ve been used to high end graphics refreshes every 6-9 months, however its been some 14 months since NVIDIA initially announced their Shader Model 3.0 NV40 architecture and there has been no refresh of the product since then. Of course, the need for refreshing were somewhat sidelined with an architecture that has the latest shader capabilities and SLI providing a mechanism for improving performance should end users wish to. Its not as though any of the NV40 based GeForce 6800 products were fairing poorly, performance wise, over the past year of availability either.
   Sun, 24 Jul, 2005 | 9 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• GeForce 7800 GTX Performance with Athlon 64   [Article, FiringSquad]
  Whenever a next-generation GPU such as NVIDIA’s GeForce 7800 GTX is launched, the buzz typically revolves around the card’s new features, and of course its performance. However, there’s also a less talked about concern that the new graphics card is in some ways, too powerful. What! It’s too fast? How does this happen? On the software side, even the latest games often lag behind the newest hardware by 6-12 months. This is because hardware cycles are refreshed so quickly today that game developers can’t keep up. Whereas ATI and NVIDIA often replace their latest products every six months, a game can take (at best) 1-2 years to develop, if not longer. By the time a game is developed from start to finish, the 3D graphics landscape may have advanced by a generation or two.
   Sun, 24 Jul, 2005 | 13 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Vendor Cards: EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX   [Review, AnandTech]
  Games like Doom 3, The Chronicles of Riddick, and the ever-popular (albeit still buggy) Battlefield 2 are capable of testing the limits of even the best video cards. This is good news for people who are able to fork over the money for the hardware to make these games look good, but might be bad news for everyone else. NVIDIA's 7800 series has proven itself to be just about the best graphics card on the market and the different variations (by different manufacturers) are squeezing every last drop of performance out of NVIDIA's card.
   Thu, 21 Jul, 2005 | 15 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon X800 XL for PCI Express Feature Preview   [Preview, Hexus]
  The change to the Microtune 2121 does the ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon X800 XL for PCI Express a lot of favours in Europe, technically, with a knock-on effect of increased feature set. The 400MHz X800 XL and AIW features, on PCI Express, should make it a massive seller in the UK and Europe when it appears later in the summer.
   Mon, 18 Jul, 2005 | 18 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• nVidia’s G70 Arrives : MSI’s GeForce 7800 GTX 256 MB   [Review, GamePC]
  Last week, nVidia launched their GeForce7 series of graphics cards. Unlike previous launches, the GeForce7 launch was fairly subdued and not engulfed in a sea of rumors and speculation beforehand. In addition, GeForce7 cards are available immediately from both the OEM and retail channels, unlike the GeForce6 series, which took months from the product launch to actually become available to mainstream gamers. Initial reactions from the enthusiast community regarding the GeForce7 have been very positive thus far due to this fact. Amazingly, here we are, just a week after the launch and we have final shipping cards in our hands for testing. Today at GamePC, we'll be looking at MSI's new GeForce 7800 GTX cards in both single-card and dual-card SLI scenarios, to see how nVidia's new architecture performs in modern games. We've also thrown in some new tests which should better reflect the usage patterns of someone who would consider an ultra-high-end graphics card such as this.
   Mon, 18 Jul, 2005 | 11 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• XFX GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB Video Card   [Review, Hexus]
  XFX GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB Video Card** You need to evaluate what you require in a graphics card. On the one hand, XFX's GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB makes a compelling case as a cheap, relatively-speaking, workstation-class card, capable of running exotic displays. On the other though, and this affects the majority of potential buyers who tend to be gamers, you'd be better off opting for a single GeForce 7800 GTX or a couple of GeForce 6800 GTs in SLI formation. £470, then, will be either a snip or prohibitively expensive, depending upon your intended need.
   Mon, 18 Jul, 2005 | 12 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• ATI Crossfire Sneak Peak with DFI @ Computex   [Article, Hexus]
  Using Supertiling, the default mode for Crossfire under Direct3D, shows that 6800 Ultra SLI is faster. However that's just in 3DMark05, not a modern game title, and that's using a beta driver that might not be there in terms of the performance that ATI have today, internally. It'll be interesting to see where performance is when Crossfire is launched using an official driver, along with NVIDIA hardware running any new driver that NVIDIA may or may not have planned for their hardware.
   Sat, 16 Jul, 2005 | 9 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• PowerColor X800 XL 512MB   [Review, Bjorn3d]
  Okay, so what if I told you that in addition to 512MB's of RAM, our PowerColor X800 XL is passively (sort of) cooled? If you don't know what I mean, check out our PowerColor Bravo X700 review to see what I'm talking about. The XL version comes with a similar system, but greatly improved. The SCS2 (Silent Cooling Solution 2) is what keeps the PowerColor X800 XL cool and quiet. For those not in the know Tul Corporation is a Tier-1 provider of ATI-based graphic cards. The company is also a leader in providing motherboards and barebone systems. So what about PowerColor?
   Sat, 16 Jul, 2005 | 17 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Exclusive ABIT Fatal1ty X800 XL 512MB Details   [Preview, Hexus]
  This document makes claims regarding the benefits of the ABIT Fatal1ty X800 XL 512MB's unique copper VPU cooler, its 'vGuru XTurbo mode' which in conjunction with an external switch seems to allow dynamic changes to its BIOS Clock settings and on the fly voltage increases (!) plus statements as to the performance increases through overclocking.
   Fri, 15 Jul, 2005 | 11 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Jon Peddie June 2005: ATI drives CrossFire to market   [Column, Hexus]
  While Nvidia has never denied that SLI’s speedup is application and usage dependent, we were impressed with ATI architects’ willingness to look for ways to make the 2nd GPU useful when applications, user demands, and/or host systems make it difficult for AFR or Scissor mode to produce a solid performance increase. As a result, CrossFire architects added support for two additional modes that SLI' have. (or at least not yet): Supertile and Super AA modes.
   Wed, 13 Jul, 2005 | 8 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• ATI Catalyst Report   [Article, Hexus]
  The Control Panel is coming to the end of it’s life and 8.16, August, will be the last driver to support it. ATI are moving towards CCC as the only UI available and from 8.17, September, only CCC will supported. All next gen ATI products will support CCC only. For more information on the up-coming features of Catalyst (focusing on CCC, of course) check out our article.
   Tue, 12 Jul, 2005 | 12 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• GeCube RADEON X800XLA-VIVO 256MB AGP   [Review, Hexus]
  The bridged card opens up the X800 XL for a well-established market that covers a plethora of chipsets, and the Rialto bridge doesn't appear to hurt performance at all. GeCube's eschewed the reference design by using an in-house cooling system, although it's not as elegant as the company's Uni-Wise implementation. Going with a custom cooler has added extra noise over and above the reference card's, so GeCube loses a few marks here. The card, too, is a larger-than-normal affair, making installation into small form-factor PCs needlessly difficult. The saving grace, as far as design is concerned, is the inclusion of ATI's no-frills Rage Theater ASIC, giving rise to basic VIVO functionality. The bundle makes a point of reiterating the card's HDTV and VIVO compatibility, but, other than that, it's strictly average.
   Tue, 12 Jul, 2005 | 13 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• CrossFire Up Close   [Article, Hexus]
  HEXUS managed to get down and dirty with a Crossfire based rig today. The solution was running on a complete reference design, which was built by Sapphire - an ATi AIB and Motherboard partner.
   Sun, 10 Jul, 2005 | 13 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Gigabyte Silent-Pipe Radeon X800 XL (GV-RX80L256V) PCIe Review   [Review, Bjorn3d]
  Completely silent and fragtastic gaming? Oh yeah, baby, and it comes in the form of Gigabyte's Silent-Pipe Radeon X800 XL. By now, we all know that the X800 XL offers a lot of bang for the buck, and if you read my last couple of X800 XL reviews, you would know that ATI's stock cooler on the X800 XL is quite noisy. While some companies are releasing 'quiet' or 'nearly silent' X800 XL solutions, Gigabyte completely eliminated the noise problem by extending its Silent-Pipe technology to this excellent VPU. My first thought when asked to review a completely silent X800 XL was, 'Hey, that would be a perfect HTPC card. Good gaming and silent! Sign me up!' Unfortunately, the height of the Silent-Pipe X800 XL (GV-RX80L256V) due to its heatpipes will prohibit it from fitting in my current HTPC case (an Antec Overture) and many others. Nevertheless, it still seems like a top media PC option to me. Keep reading to find out if the performance is on par with other X800 XL PCI Express cards and to learn more about this cool and silent offering from Gigabyte.
   Thu, 07 Jul, 2005 | 24 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• ATI Crossfire - Technology Preview   [Preview, Hexus]
  Radeon's screen tiling approach to rendering, accelerating almost everything after rasterisation if you add more GPUs, seemingly gives you compatibility with a large amount of games and can increase image quality for little to no performance cost. Screen tiles are processed by a particular GPU (or all, when anti-aliasing is being done after fragment processing) and the outputs from all are combined for display by dedicated hardware, accelerating performance and, optionally, increasing image quality.
   Wed, 29 Jun, 2005 | 12 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• Computex 2005: PowerColor demonstrate ATI CrossFire   [Article, Hexus]
  With the NDA expiring for ATI Crossfire coverage around the web this morning, all the talk at Computex this morning is of partner solutions on display. I wandered by PowerColor's stand to find it running in an unassuming box on the far wall of their stand. Using Radeon X850 XT CrossFire Edition and a regular X850 XT, the system is sat looping FutureMark's 3DMark05 benchmark.
   Wed, 29 Jun, 2005 | 13 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• PowerColor Bravo X700 PCI-e review   [Review, Bjorn3d]
  If you are looking for a mid-range card with passive cooling system, Tul is one of the companies that offer such solution on X700 based cards. With good performance in its class and okay bundle, PowerColor Bravo X700 is an interesting product to consider. The Silent Cooling System has proven to be a worthy addition, the passive solution performed marvelously and ran very cool.
   Wed, 29 Jun, 2005 | 15 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail

• PCI Express technology backgrounder   [Article, Hexus]
  PCI Express isn’t just about increased bandwidth. It also offers better power management, including native hot-plug support. And, although the physical interface is not backwards compatible, the driver architecture is. So PCI products can rapidly be moved over to PCI Express with little rewriting of software needed to make them work.
   Sun, 26 Jun, 2005 | 11 Click(s) | Related: Reviews or Talks | Detail