AnandTech's R520, RV530 and RV515 Pre-NDA Extravaganza
by Kristopher Kubicki on September 13, 2005 9:24 PM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
ATI's RV515 aka Radeon X1300
ATI's internal roadmap reveals that the RV515 (X1300) is the follow up to RV370, and will come in three main variations with several HyperMemory options and differing core clocks as well. Our previous roadmaps have revealed that RV515 is exclusively a single quad design, with memory interfaces from 32 to 128bits. Even the low end RV515 cards will utilize some form of H.264 decoding and/or HDCP support, making these cards extremely attractive for DVR machines.
ATI RV515 Roadmap
|
||||
Card | Pipes | Std Core Clock | Std Memory | Memory Width |
X1300 Pro | 4 | 550MHz | 500MHz | 128-bit |
X1300 LE | 4 | 450MHz | 400MHz | 128-bit, 64-bit |
X1300 LE HyperMemory | 4 | 450MHz | 500MHz | "64-bit" |
HyperMemory versions of RV515 will utilize a 32-bit memory bus, but since they utilize the system memory they use a different system of determining the "Supported Memory" configurations as follows:
HyperMemory "Supported Memory"
|
||||
Card Memory | System Memory | "Supported Memory" | ||
32MB | 256MB | 128MB | ||
64MB | 256MB | 128MB | ||
128MB | 256MB | 256MB | ||
32MB | 512MB | 128MB | ||
64MB | 512MB | 256MB | ||
128MB | 512MB | 256MB |
Wrap Up
Among other noteables in the roadmap, some of the more prominent features of R520 included HDMI over Silicon Image's WALDO interface -- all other cards in the roadmap that feature HDCP but not HDMI will use TI's TFP513PAP. On low profile RV530 cards, HDMI connectors are supported directly on the PCB, while analog and DVI connectors are attached via a ribbon cable to a daugther card. For users looking to set up a cheap TV-only DVR, the daughtercard is completely optional - saving money and space.
In the roadmap we also saw some new SKUs from the X550 line and X600 line supporting HyperMemory. With NVIDA's quasi-TurboCache GeForce 6500, an X600 HyperMemory card could put a real advantage of low end video processing back in ATI's court.
X800GTO is also going to be hitting the shelves soon with street prices of $159 for the 128MB version and $179 for the 256MB version. You might want to check our previous roadmap on this particular product, since everyone (including ATI) expects a sub $200 12 pipe R420 to really become the de facto midrange option. A low volume sixteen pipe version will show up for select vendors in select regions.
We go under NDA in the near future for many things ATI, so get ready for AnandTech's upcoming coverage come launch time!
65 Comments
View All Comments
Griswold - Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - link
Yea but what if they got a 24 or 32 pipe version up their sleeve? I planned to buy a 7800GT for my new box this year, but after finding out how bad the visual quality (texture flickering) is compared to older GF and the current ATI card, I'm not so sure what I should do right now. I'm even tempted to get a very cheap card from either the current ATI line or the 6xxx series from NV and replace it later with a 7800GT (if NV can fix their visual problem with drivers) or the next ATI line - if it's superior.
At any rate, it will be a step-up from my trusty 9700pro. :)
patrick0 - Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - link
Texture flickering has been fixed with the new driver release.Griswold - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - link
Really? Would be good news.
nserra - Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - link
What more nvidia optimizations? Never heard that before....Griswold - Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - link
Check out this article:http://tinyurl.com/9kwzn">http://tinyurl.com/9kwzn
nserra - Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - link
I dindt know that....But why toms, anand, xbit, ....
doesnt say anything about it...
But what is nvidia trying to achive? Sis Xabre image quality levels?
I dont understand the AF hit is much lower then AA. Why remove quality from it if AF is much more important (with less performance it than AA) to achive higger image quality levels.
Why did Nvidia disable the "old" AF of Geforce3/4 (and FX)? Is it impossible to suppord both at hardware and driver level?
Griswold - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - link
It seems that FPS is what sells hardware these days.. ATI is no exception, though their image quality was not as low as the nvidia counterparts. This episode taught me a lesson though. I value image quality very high, especially when I put down several hundred bucks for a single piece of hardware. I will check and doublecheck any vid card from either company before I even consider upgrading in the future.Somebody mentioned that the newest drivers fixed the texture flickering, gonna have to check that out somehow before I order the 7800GT I planned to buy.
Slappi - Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - link
So for $50 more you get 1250mhz memory vs. 1000mhz memory and a 550mhz core vs. a 500mhz core AND 256MB of more memory?!?I smell BS.
KristopherKubicki - Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - link
MSRPs have a difficult time translating into Retail.Kristopher
knitecrow - Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - link
When doesthe NDA expire?