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ATI Radeon X850 XT 256mb GDDR3 AGP Video Cards

Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 | Reviews, Video Card Reviews

When it comes to power in a video card, it’s all about the pixel pipelines. The ATI Radeon X850 XT has 16 pixel pipelines that result in a fill rate of over 8.3 gigapixels per second. What this boils down to is throughput, and serious graphics acceleration. There are several X850s in the series, including two platinum editions (one AGP, one PCI), the X850 XT, and the X850 Pro. The X850 XT video card is aimed at the elite gamer that loves to tweak his system to optimize performance and push the limits, and is willing to pay a little more to do so.

The X850 XT has impressive specs. Memory clock speed rings in at 540 MHz, while engine clock speed is 520 MHz. The memory interface is 250 bit, and the bus architecture is AGP 4X, 8X. Memory bandwidth is comes in at a crisp 34.6GB per second. A detailed look at the technology built into the ATI Radeon X850 XT video card follows.

SMARTSHADER HD
CPUs historically have played a leading role regarding graphical output due to their flexibility and programmable nature. The ever improving speed and versatility of graphics cards has lessened this burden, but an optimal graphical effect has still been challenging to develop. SMARTSHADER HD is ATI’s fourth generation shader technology that allows developers to program an unlimited range of visual effects that execute on the graphics processor. This leads to more sophisticated effects and great performance.

SMOOTHVISION HD
SMOOTHVISION HD is also a fourth generation technology developed by ATI. The result of SMOOTHVISION HD integration is a high performance smoothing technology that cleans up rough edges and results in a cleaner, crisper graphic.

3Dc
3Dc is comparatively new ATI technology. 3Dc is a compression technology that highlights details while minimizing memory requirements to view them. 4:1 compression is possible, meaning that game designers can add up to four times the details, without adding memory requirements.

CATALYST
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER is a driver configuration tool that really puts the ability to tweak in the gamers’ hands. The configuration tool allows you accelerate or decelerate you graphical environment, which allows you to determine your preferred graphics solution.

Specifications:

• GPU - RADEON X850 XT
• Video Memory - 256MB
• Memory Type - 256-bit GDDR3
• Memory Bandwidth - 34.6 GB/sec.
• Interface Type - AGP
• Interface Speed - 4X8X
• Connector(s) - DVI, VGA, VI, VO

In the Box

• RADEON X850 XT Graphics Card
• Manuals
• Set-up CD
• HDTV out cable
• DVI to VGA adapters
• Power cable connector
• Composite and S-video cables

In Sum
ATI made a strong step toward competing in the elite gamer market segment with the release of the X850 series, and the X850 XT in particular offers gamers a great deal of options. This card is expensive, but does match up reasonably well in its class. If you are looking for a great gaming experience, but don’t want to pay for an ultra elite video card, then the X850 XT might be a good option for you.

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