Total screamer with tons of features
Written: Sep 30 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great features, high performance in 32 bit applications
Cons: Price is a tad bit high, budget gamers may want to wait for 32 MB SDR version. Also, performance in 16 bit leaves a bit to be desired
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| jinsengchs_sg's Full Review: ATI Radeon 64MB DDR |
ATi has been a very successful comany. While nVidia and 3dfx duke it out for the performance crown, with such descriptive adjectives like "Ultra" and etc thrown in for good measure, ATi has been pretty much content with making not-so-small profits from the OEM market. In terms of reliability and stability, ATi just cannot be beat. This is certainly a must in the OEM market.
However, it seems that ATi is not content with just being a behind-the-scenes success story. Finally, the company strikes back with a powerful board, which is obviously the Radeon.
To sum it up, the Radeon boasts 3D performance that nearly beats the Geforce 2 GTS. Also, it is currently the most future-proof card available. It is made to be compatible with Direct X 8.0, which is coming out soon.
Plus, the Radeon offers all the features of the Geforce 2, and then some. You can see that ATi is obvously making a great comeback, and this is simply not another attempt like the MAXX, the card that was mostly a failure.
The most compelling aspect of the Radeon is the Charisma Engine. It promises to make characters in games more life-like by, for example, smoothing out the jagged edges in limbs. Additionally, ATi seems to have configured the card for optimum performance in 32 bit gaming, another clue to which road ATi is taking. We can obviously see here that ATi has taken quite a few measures to prevent the card from being obselete.
Another feature built into the card is HyperZ technology. While other cards spend precious resources rendering surfaces that are not seen in games, the Radeon HyperZ ensures that surfaces that are not seen (for example, walls in houses), thus conserving its energy for more demanding tasks (like being a Geforce-beater).
The only disadvantage of the Radeon is its performance in 16 bit. ATi, having optimized heavily in the direction of 32 bit, has made a card which is unable to take on the GTS in terms of 16 bit gaming performance. This can be either good bad, depending on which point of view you are looking from.
The Radeon will come in many flavours to suit the serious gamer and also the budget-conscious shopper:
.Radeon 32MB DDR: This is the mid-range Radeon that offers a decent blend
of performance and value. The best of both worlds?
.Radeon 64MB DDR: This is the power Radeon for equally power-hungry gamers
who demand the very best. It is also the one that offers
performance very close to the GTS's.
.All-in-Wonder Radeon: ATi's fascination with boards that offer a bit of
everything carries on with the Radeon. This one has
almost everything you can imagine: TV out, dual-
monitor support, TV-tuning, and more. The Swiss
Army Knife of all boards.
There will also be a Radeon board with 32MB of SDR memory that will be out soon. It will offer a lot of value for the money, since it will debut in the $150-200 price range, making it a suitable competitor against the Geforce 2 MX from nVidia. Whether it actually beats the MX is another story; that will have to wait.
Conclusion:
The Radeon 32MB DDR will probably be enough for most gamers. The most hardcor of them will probably choose the 64MB DDR. The only disadvantage of the latter is probably its sky-high price tag, making it an unreasonable choice for casual and budget-restricted gamers. If you are strapped with wads and wads of cash, then maybe...
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300 and above
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Epinions.com ID:
jinsengchs_sg
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Location: Singapore
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 1 member
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