Introduction

Microsoft DirectX 9 compatibility. AGP 8x support. Fast 128-bit DDR memory interface and fully programmable vertex and pixel shaders. All of the aforementioned features are being incorporated into the latest generation of high-end video cards. Some manufacturers are going further than others – ATI utilizes a 256-bit memory bus for its RADEON 9700 Pro and NVIDIA claims to go beyond the DirectX 9 specification in its upcoming GeForce FX. The point is, though, that cards boasting these features seem to cost $300 or more.

However, last month ATI made it a point to introduce a series of accelerators based on its R300 graphics processor, the least expensive of which, RADEON 9500, to be priced at a paltry $179. We’ve already received a couple of ATI’s mainstream cards, each featuring 64MB of memory and a 128-bit memory bus. Surprisingly, the boards appear to be based closely on ATI’s RADEON 9700 Pro reference design, minus 64MB of memory, of course.



The RADEON 9500 cards also differ in that the R300 chip, operating at 275MHz, sports four rendering pipelines instead of eight. One of DirectX 9’s accompanying specifications is that a compatible graphics processor be capable of processing 16 textures in a single pass. Even though the 9500 is limited to four rendering pipelines, ATI confirms that the processor is still able to satisfy the texture requirement. Finally, the memory clock is set at 270MHz, as opposed to 310MHz on the 9700 Pro.

Gigabyte GV-R9500 card

Looks a lot like the 9700 PRO reference, even from the back

In halving the number of rendering pipelines and the width of the memory data path, a lot of performance is naturally sacrificed. ATI’s partners are still hoping that the lure of DirectX 9 and AGP 8x are enough to make the card worth up to $180.

Gigabyte GV-R9500

The first RADEON 9500 to land in our labs happens to be from Gigabyte. Gigabyte was also one of ATI's launch partners for the RADEON 9700 PRO, so it's no surprise to us to see that they're one of the first manufacturers out of the gates with a RADEON 9500 card. Gigabyte is also manufacturing cards based on ATI's RADEON 9000 core.

Besides the card, Gigabyte includes a single cable with S-video and composite outputs, a DVI adapter to enable a second VGA output, PowerDVD XP, and a couple of games. As mentioned, the hardware looks to be derived from ATI’s RADEON 9700 PRO reference design, including the heat spreader on the back of the card and the oversized heat sink.

More confirmation that this is a 9700 PCB

DVI and VGA outputs, as well as video output

So, at first glance (and based on ATI’s marketing strategy), the RADEON 9500 looks very attractive. It sports a comprehensive feature set and, since it centers around the distinguished R300 processor, is still a potential performer. Let’s take a closer look and see if that potential can be validated.