X-bit labs

ATI’s RADEON X700 Approaches Introduction.

Category: Video

by Anton Shilov

[ 08/22/2004 | 02:48 PM ]

UPDATE: NVIDIA Corp. has corrected statement in regards the number of vertex processors in the GeForce 6600 and GeForce 6600 GT GPUs.

Internet site that revealed some preliminary details about ATI’s code-named RV410 visual processing units days ago now reports that the Markham, Ontario-based graphics chip designer will formally launch its future-generation mainstream product on the 15^th of September, 2004.

A report over HKEPC.com suggests that ATI’s graphics processor internally named RV410 will be called RADEON X700. The new mainstream chip from ATI will have 8 pixel pipelines, 6 vertex pipelines and native support for PCI Express x16 bus. The technology will inherit feature-set of the RADEON X800-series products and will sport such technologies as Shader Model 2.0b, 3Dc and other.

Markham, Ontario-based ATI usually offers two or three product versions based on its mainstream graphics chips. Currently higher performance iteration of the RADEON X700 product is rumoured to sport 500MHz and 1000MHz core and memory speeds respectively.

Earlier this year it was reported that ATI RV410 visual processing unit would be made at TSMC using 0.11 micron fabrication process. Thin manufacturing process enables lower cost and potentially higher clock-speeds of complex chips, such as graphics processors.

To be unveiled in mid-September, ATI’s RADEON X700-series will compete NVIDIA’s mainstream GeForce 6600 family of graphics processing units formally announced in mid-August and proclaimed “the Doom III GPU”. NVIDIA’s GeForce 6600-series is also manufactured using TSMC’s 0.11 micron process technology, feature native PCI Express support, pack in 8 pixel and 3 vertex pipelines as well as inherit feature-set of the GeForce 6800 family of chips.

Graphics cards based on the GeForce 6600 GT and GeForce 6600 will be available in September 2004. Recommended retail price for the GT flavour is $199 for the USA and 229 euro for the EU. Pricing of ATI’s RV410 product line is expected to be in the same range, though, it is unclear when the company plans to start commercial shipments of its new product.

Official representatives for ATI Technologies did not comment on the story.