X-bit labs

December 2003 Hardware News Overview (page 12)

Category: Editorial

by Andy Yaschenko

[ 12/19/2003 | 05:36 PM ]

Take a step down and we see the RADEON 9600 SE and GeForce FX 5600 XT. The different suffixes actually mean the same thing: reduced core and memory frequencies. Anyway, these solutions should be demanded, considering their relatively high performance, DirectX 9 compatibility, and pricing below $130 for a 128MB version. Add the lack of noise – the heat dissipation is too low at such speeds and a passive heat-spreader can handle the GPU. November, Creative Labs pitted its Radeon-based solution against the GeForces from Leadtek and SUMA in this field.

Creative Labs Blaster 5 RX9600 SE

The RADEON 9200SE and its competitor, the veteran MX440, stand on the lowest step. The latter is doing nicely, although obviously needs some face-lifting. NVIDIA seems to be willing to update the oldie and name the result as “MX4000”.

Among the innovations, we’ll probably see support of 256Mb memory chips, although across the same 128-bit memory bus, plus the integration of TDMS and S-Video controllers into the chip. The core frequency is rumored to equal that of the MX440-8x, while the memory – that of the MX440. So we have 275/400MHz, capped with AGP 8x support. In other words, NVIDIA slightly adjusts the chip for the current market situation. The cost of the end solution may be lower due to the optimal memory use. Let’s wait to see whether the rumors are correct.

Monitors

The graphics card has no intrinsic value apart from the monitor, so this section of the review should have appeared. Well, it might never be here if the market was not boiling in the last month to give some matter for discussion. And the question is not about the choice of CRT or LCD models anymore. We should be forgetting about CRT displays already. I’m going to talk about LCD monitors and the next generation of technologies (plasma, OLED and the like).

The most important factor for evaluating a monitor remains the same – the diagonal length. And 15” LCDs are rarely spoken about, too. I could only remember 15” models from BenQ, FP557s v2 and FP567s v2, showcased at Comdex with their characteristic suffix and improved response time (to the today’s required 16ms), and DoubleSight DS-1500 from the namesake company, which consists of two 15” panels in one case separated by a thin strip of plastic. The “miracle” costs $800 and makes the option of two 15” LCD panels quite reasonable.

In the end of this year, and, accordingly, in the next year, 17-19” models of LCD monitors were most optimal for the manufactures and were promoted accordingly. This is related to the wafer size the production lines of the 4-5^th generation operate with, the number of panels of different diagonals that can be sliced up from one such wafer (that is, the self cost of the panel) and their market price.