X-bit labs

GeCube to Sell Dual-GPU Radeon X1650 XT.

Category: Video

by Anton Shilov

[ 11/29/2006 | 08:06 AM ]

GeCube, a maker of graphics cards, has unveiled its graphics cards with two Radeon X1650 XT graphics processing units (GPU), which is likely to become one of the first dual-chip ATI Radeon X1000-series graphics board.

“GeCube announced another breakthrough in the development of innovative products today – the latest high-end product X1650XT Gemini Twin 2,” a statement by the company, which was not published on English version of the company’s web-site and is currently only available in Chinese, reads.

The new GeCube Gemini 2 Radeon X1650 XT graphics card carries two Radeon X1650 XT (RV560) graphics chips each of which has 24 pixel shader processors, 8 vertex shader processors, 8 texture units, 128-bit memory interface and supports Avivo technology. The new graphics board uses CrossFire technology to take advantage of two GPUs in order to increase performance and/or image quality in games, however, in future end-users will be able to utilize the power of the second GPU for physics calculations in future titles.

GeCube says that each of the chips has 256MB dedicated frame-buffer, but is tight-lipped over clock-speeds of GPU and memory. The board also comes with four DVI-I outputs for monitors and single-slot cooling system.

It is uncertain whether enthusiasts of 3D performance will find the novelty useful, as ATI already has single-chip solutions with 48 pixel shader processors that is likely to be generally faster than dual-GPU graphics boards.

Earlier it was reported that dual-GPU Radeon X1600 XT graphics card, which were never released commercially, employed a special TLX bridge chip that connected the chips between each other and the system. Similar bridge is used by Nvidia Corp. on its dual-GeForce 7900 GT graphics cards.

Currently it is unclear whether GeCube’s Gemini 2 Radeon X1650 XT graphics card has special mainboard-related requirements or can work on any platform. Pricing of the product was not announced as well. Earlier this year GeCube announced plans to ship its graphics card with two Radeon X1600 XT chips for $399, but such a product has never emerged in retail.