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ATI has brought to the table the first graphics card to utilise GDDR4 and they've done it seemingly without trouble. In introducing the new RAM and tweaked R580 core, they've cut power consumption on their high-end product, which means less heat and less work for the PSU, particularly in a CrossFire configuration. They've paired the X1950 XTX with a great new reference cooler that doesn't make an obnoxious amount of sound. Top of the range can be reasonably quiet, folks.
Currently, performance isn't much above that of the Radeon X1900 XTX. This is in part due to identical core clocks on what are essentially the same chips. The X1950's GDDR4 RAM provides extra bandwidth that consistently delivers a slight boost over the X1900 XTX. We expect that in time ATI will couple their R580 memory controller tweaks with driver based optimizations that will allow the new RAM to flourish; it can only get quicker.
X1950 in CrossFire can yield some luscious performance benefits, but, much like any multi-GPU solution, the benefit changes from one scenario to another. Oblivion players will get a much greater boost than Quake 4 players, for example.
A question many of you will be posing is "what about X1950 XTX vs. 7950 GX2?", and rightfully so. Right now, on an i975X mainboard, it looks as though a single X1950 XTX can keep up with, or even beat off, a dual-GPU 7950 GX2. There's something awry with GX2 on Intel's enthusiast chipset, we think. However, we'd be wrong to suggest an NF 4/5 chipset as the solution to this. While the GX2 uses SLI technology, and i975X doesn't technically support it, it's still one card, so should we feel, perform regardless. Further, i975X is a perfectly good high-end chipset. Unless, or until, NVIDIA fix this, ATI has the upper hand on i975X.
The Radeon X1950 XTX is set to hit the market in mid-September at the £299 mark, with the CrossFire edition costing pretty much the same (although that price point may be a little ambitious of ATI, so say some). That makes it cheaper than the 7950 GX2 and in competition with the 7900 GTX, which we've shown it to beat at the kind of resolutions and IQ settings you'd want for your money. That pricing also puts it right in X1900 XTX territory, so we anticipate X1900 prices will drop as the X1950 becomes available.
With a quiet cooler, GDDR4 memory and reduced power consumption, the X1950 XTX makes a very appealing card. If you're already running high-end GeForce 7 or Radeon X1000 series hardware, then you're best staying put, but if you're in the market for a new high-end solution, the Radeon X1950 XTX is a clear winner on multiple fronts.
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