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ATI Radeon 9700 Pro
Author: Daniel Topler
Date Posted: February 18th, 2003
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| Bottom Line: The Radeon 9700 Pro is the most powerful card on the market at the time this review was written, but is it worth purchasing, read on to find out. |
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Introduction
I've never dealt with an ATI video card before. You can say that I've been a true nVidia fan. I've used and owned a TNT2, GeForce2 MX, GeForce 2 GTS, GeForce 3 Ti 500, and the GeForce 4 Ti 4600. I had no idea what to expect when I put that ATI 9700 Pro card into my AGP slot, except from what I heard from reviews. I expected to get a powerful, realistic gaming experience with the card. Read on to find what I found and how the card surpassed my expectations.
Initial Thoughts
I've never seen such a powerful card in my entire life, the ATI video card is the most powerful card at the time of writing and is packed with features. This card provides any gamer with a true experience of how a game should be played, packing realism and power in a card that is about 7 inches long. There is no question that the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro is simply the most powerful card out there at the moment so we will move on to the impressive features of the card, such as Frame Scene Anti-Aliasing and Antistrophic Filtering. All the things needed to give the gamer a completely realistic experience while gaming.
On top of looking at the incredible features of the card, we'll also review it like any other product, but rather than compare it to the competition we will concentrate on its features and performance as we believe that the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro is currently the graphics champion.
So, let's take a look at the king of video cards, the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro.
Specifications
Before I get to the actual benchmarks, I'd better take you through the specs of the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro.
Overview
ATI revolutionizes the world of graphics technology with the RADEON™ 9700 Visual Processing Unit (VPU). Featuring fast 3D graphics performance, coupled with sophisticated real-time visual effects, unsurpassed image quality and cutting-edge video features, RADEON™ 9700 provides you with an amazing PC entertainment experience.
First to fully support DirectX® 9.0
With its new SMARTSHADER™ 2.0 technology, RADEON™ 9700 supports DirectX® 9.0 and the latest OpenGL® functionality to give developers the freedom to create more complicated and realistic visual effects than ever before.
First 8-pixel pipeline architecture
RADEON™ 9700 is the first graphics technology capable of processing 8 pixels simultaneously - twice as many compared to any existing product. This highly optimized design provides top 3D performance for both Direct3D® and OpenGL® games and applications.
256-bit DDR memory interface
The high-bandwidth memory interface of the RADEON™ 9700, utilizing the latest HYPER Z™ III bandwidth-conserving technology, removes a key performance bottleneck and provides end users with faster graphics performance.
Support for AGP 8X specification
RADEON™ 9700 supports the new AGP 8X standard, which allows large volumes of texture and vertex data to be transferred faster from system memory to the chip (2.0 GB/sec).
First to use pixel shaders to accelerate video
With ATI's new VIDEOSHADER™ technology, RADEON™ 9700 continues the tradition of providing industry-leading video and DVD playback. RADEON™ 9700 also offers FULLSTREAM™ - a new technology that removes blocky artifacts from video and provides sharper image quality.
Fastest* 3D Gaming Performance
128MB DDR memory accelerates the latest 3D games
256-bit memory interface removes hardware performance bottleneck and provides end users with faster 3D graphics
Industry's first 8-pixel pipeline architecture, providing twice the rendering power of any currently competing product.
Supports the new AGP 8X standard, providing a high-speed link between the graphics board and the rest of the PC (2.0 GB/sec)
Highest Level of Realism
First to fully support DirectX® 9.0 and the latest OpenGL® functionality
New SMARTSHADER™ 2.0 technology allows users to experience complex, movie-quality effects in next-generation 3D games and applications
SMOOTHVISION™ 2.0 technology enhances image quality by removing jagged edges and bringing out fine texture detail, without compromising performance
128-bit floating-point color precision allows for a greater range of colors and brightness
Revolutionary New Video Features
Unique VIDEOSHADER™ engine uses programmable pixel shaders to accelerate video processing and provide better-looking visuals
ATI's new FULLSTREAM™ technology removes blocky artifacts from Streaming and Internet video and provides sharper image quality
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