Date: September 26th, 2004
Article by: Nathan Glentworth
(Owner, Head Editor & Hardware Reviewer)
Product was donated by: ATI
<--SHOP FOR A ATI RADEON X300 BASED PCI EXPRESS VIDEOCARD HERE
ATI CORPORATE PROFILE
ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design
and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon
solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world's foremost
visual processor unit (VPU) provider and is dedicated to deliver leading-edge
performance solutions for the full range of PC and Mac desktop and notebook
platforms, workstation, set-top and digital television, game console
and handheld markets. With 2001 revenues in excess of US $1 billion,
ATI has more than 1,900 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange
(ATY).
PRODUCT INTRODUCTION
For ATI's next generation of PCI Express chipset, you
have these options. For performance gaming you have the various versions
of the X800 chipset, for mainstream videocards you have the various
versions of the X600 and the newer X700 based VPU processors and for
the budget and value market you have the X300 and the X300SE.
The X300 is not targeted towards anyone looking to play
Doom 3 or the upcoming Half Life 2, but is targeted towards the price
conscious consumer looking for a basic native PCI Express videocard
with full DX9 support. With a modestly clocked R300 core set at 325Mhz
and a native memory speed set at 400Mhz DDR, this card is not intended
for blazing speed in any way shape or form.
The X300 I will be testing today is an ATI reference sample
with 128megs of 128-bit interfaced DDR memory for performance testing
and did not come in retail condition with the drivers or the retail
box. Because this is a reference card, standard benchmarks will apply
but I will not be able to test the overclockability seeing most people
will not see this exact card with this exact setup and memory.
RADEON X300 GRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY (From ATI)
RADEON® X300 graphics technology is an affordable upgrade
to broaden the visual possibilities on your PC. RADEON X300 delivers
enhanced visual quality and performance for today’s and tomorrow’s graphics-intensive
digital photo and video applications, web-surfing and gaming. The RADEON
X300 fully supports the newest PC architecture standard – PCI Express™
with the ability to send and receive data simultaneously at twice the
speed of current AGP 8x solutions. The RADEON X300 offers reliability,
speed and graphics computing power.
Whether it’s digital photography, video editing, web surfing,
viewing streaming video or gaming, RADEON X300 graphics technology offers
the performance to achieve the best visual experience possible at an
affordable price!
Maximize Peripheral Investments
When buying the best digital peripherals like digital
cameras and widescreen monitors, upgraded graphics is required to fully
optimize their capabilities. It’s about balancing input with output.
The RADEON X300 drives high-end monitors to full capacity, ensures better
refresh rates for reduced eye strain and improves digital photo and
video image quality. The RADEON X300 is an ideal PC upgrade to make
your digital photos appear at their best before you email or edit them
for all to see.
Game for Glory
Gaming enthusiasts reap the rewards of ATI’s outstanding
gaming reputation. RADEON X300 is designed with a 4 pipe rendering architecture.
It provides full support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9, and ATI’s SMARTSHADER™
and SMOOTHVISION™ technologies to deliver impressive processing power,
and superior 3D image quality. All this ensures that the RADEON X300
fully supports today’s game titles, allowing for a much better gaming
experience.
Future-Proof Hardware
Next generation operating systems and applications will
be designed around PCI Express™. The RADEON X300 incorporates ATI’s
one-chip PCI Express™ graphics solution so that users can keep pace
with changing technology requirements.
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