SUMMARY: We've been seeing a lot of 3D video boards hitting the market lately, but with so many of us on a limited budget, we really need to take a look at some of the alternatives that fall into a more reasonable price category. Come join Mike "Darthtanion" Wright as he takes a look at the Sapphire Radeon 9500 Atlantis Pro Video Card. With a price tag that is in the same general area as the Ti4200-8x boards, we'll take a look to see which one gives you more bang for the buck.
Here we go again with everyone’s very favorite page, the Specs!
Well, maybe not the favorite page, but if you take a peek at what this variety of video board has to offer, it will give you a good gauge for comparing other graphics boards in this price range.
* 128MB DDR memory accelerates the latest 3D games
* 128-bit DDR memory interface provides end users with fast graphics performance
* 8-pixel pipeline architecture cuts rendering time in half when compared to any competing product
* Supports the new AGP 8X standard, providing a high-speed link between the graphics board and the rest of the PC (2.0 GB/sec)
* Provides full support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 and the latest OpenGL® functionality
* SMARTSHADER™ 2.0 technology allows users to experience complex, movie-quality effects in next-generation 3D games and applications
* SMOOTHVISION™ 2.0 technology enhances image quality by removing jagged edges and pinging out fine texture detail, without compromising performance
* 128-bit floating-point color precision allows for a greater range of colors and brightness
* ATI's latest FULLSTREAM™ technology removes blocky artifacts from streaming Internet video and provides sharper image quality
* Unique VIDEOSHADER™ engine uses programmable pixel shaders to accelerate video processing and provide better-looking visuals
So what do all of these little facts and figures tell us in normal terms? It tells us that the Radeon 9500 Pro offers a full 128MB of DDR memory and also offers a much larger 128-bit data path for those hardcore 3D graphics chores. It keeps up with modern technologies by supporting the AGP 8x standard and will be fully ready to take advantage of DirectX 9 when it becomes readily available for public consumption.
It also offers built-in technologies that handle several of the functions that the nVidia counterpart handles such as shader program support for better visual quality and Smoothvision to help get rid of those nasty jagged edges in your visuals.
So now that we know the technical wherefores, it is time to delve a bit deeper into this package.
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