X-bit labs

GeCube RADEON 9600 XT “Extreme” Graphics Card Review (page 28)

Category: Video

by Alexey Stepin

[ 02/15/2004 | 05:00 PM ]

CATALYST 4.1: Highs and Lows

All in all the new ATI CATALYST driver version provides a significant performance gain in most cases although it doesn’t arouse any superior joy: the problems which might occur during the driver installation are more than evident. So far we encountered some performance issues in certain OpenGL games, such as RTCW: Enemy Territory and 3DMark03 test package. We also discovered some problems with the implementation of forced FSAA, namely we failed to enable FSAA in Command & Conquer Generals.

We are still expecting an official comment from ATI Technologies officials, so that we could finally find out exactly what lies behind the above described problems. As soon as we receive this info, we will immediately share it with you.

I would also like to point out that a lot of contemporary games using new API features, such as DirectX9 cannot work correctly with enabled FSAA. Sometimes even anisotropic filtering works incorrectly in them or doesn’t work at all. All this forces the users to give up the means for image quality improvement. We hope that the software developers will do their best to improve the situation. So far, CATALYST 4.1 can only be recommended if you made sure it works fine in those applications you are planning to run. Otherwise you may get a performance drop instead of performance improvement.

Conclusion

It’s easy to make a verdict here: fast memory working at 350MHz (700MHz DDR) instead of the standard 300MHz (600MHz DDR) is exactly the thing RADEON 9600 XT has been lacking since the launch of its competitor, GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, with its ultra-fast GDDR-2 memory.

Although RADEONs feature efficient technologies for more optimal use of the memory bandwidth, 300MHz proved to be not enough to compete with the rival in applications that don’t use pixel shaders. GeCube RADEON 9600 XT “Extreme” graphics card is a fitting answer to NV36-based products. Its bonus - the faster memory - makes it more competitive against GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, especially in high resolutions. On the other hand, the memory frequency remained relatively low, thus allowing simple and inexpensive PCB design. The new graphics card proves exceptionally good in games using shaders.

Unlike cards on GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, RADEON 9600 XT-based products equipped with fast memory should boast lower power consumption and heat dissipation. Such cards don’t also require additional power supply, which makes them more appealing to the end-user.

Talking about this particular card, GeCube RADEON 9600 XT “Extreme”, I should acknowledge that it is an exciting product: high performance in modern games, simple design, excellent cooling system and good overclockability are the options you usually look for in a high-quality and fast graphics card of the mainstream class. So the card itself is good, but you should be aware of the humble set of accessories. Of course, accessories do not tell on the quality and technical characteristics of the card, but anyway.

Highs:

• High performance;
• High quality mounting;
• High 2D quality;
• Efficient cooling system;
• Compact size;
• Fast memory onboard;
• High overclockability.

Lows:

• Scanty accessories, no Half-Life 2 coupon;
• Strange behavior with ATI CATALYST drivers different from 4.1 version. Note: maybe the latter drawback is typical only of our sample of GeCube RADEON 9600 XT “Extreme”.