ATI Mobility Radeon X800 XT: More Pipes in Notebooks
by Derek Wilson on June 6, 2005 7:48 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Final Words
Again, for a refresher on the technology behind the Mobility Radeon X800 XT, check out our earlier review of the original M28.This has been quite an interesting weekend for us. Here, we are testing the latest mobile graphics card from ATI, which keeps up with the fastest desktop part that they have to offer. Back when the NVIDIA Go 6800 Ultra was released at a higher clock speed than the desktop part, we were happy to see parity between desktop and mobile offerings. We have felt for quite some time that the "chicken and the egg" problem of getting more users to buy mobile hardware could be solved by taking an "if you build it, they will come" perspective. It is fitting that ATI should launch this new mobile speed demon just after the first month in history that saw mobile platforms outsell desktop computers.
The 3.8GHz Pentium 4 Alienware system with 1GB of RAM, 2 DVD players, all sorts of I/O, and the Mobility Radeon X800 XT surpasses the performance of most of our desktop test beds in many areas. As this article is typed on an IBM X31 notebook with the rain clearing up outside, the feeling that the much predicted mobile revolution is in full swing overwhelms the moment. Of course, the moment is lost when the fans spin up on the Alienware notebook and the ear plugs are just out of reach.
It is quite impressive that both ATI and NVIDIA are competing as hard in the mobile space as they are on the desktop. But the real credit needs to go to these notebook designers who can offer the graphics vendors all the power and thermal headroom that they want. We still haven't seen a truly mobility oriented graphics solution as of yet. Intel had the right idea when they ventured down the path to the Pentium M, and it's about time that the rest of the industry followed suit and designed a mobile part that offers good performance rather than retrofitting a performance part for mobility.
In the case of the Mobility Radeon X800 XT, we are quite impressed. We would love to get our hands on a platform in which we could test both the MRX800 XT and the Go6800 Ultra for a fair comparison. Unfortunately, such an itch is difficult to scratch. The few real concerns that we have are the same as what we had back at the launch of the original M28. We are very happy to see this part in Alienware's latest offering, but (like the NVIDIA counterpart) this is still a very niche product.
We'd love to see parts like this move into a tighter and tighter thermal and power space. As excellent as it is to see products like this on the market, we want to see this type of graphics power available to users who want to actually be able to lift their notebook or hear themselves think.
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HermosaBeach - Saturday, June 18, 2005 - link
A 1600x1080 LCD would cost more than $400.I would love to see the ATI X800 as an option with Dell XPS Gen 2 laptop.
For me, battery life is nice, but not as important as performance. I like the portability, but I don't mind plugging in where-ver I go - airports, friends house, at work, different locations around the house, even restaurants have available power.
Dave
ElFenix - Friday, June 10, 2005 - link
systems like this should not be called notebooks, much less laptops. more like 'super huge 3 ring binder stuffed full of papers'i like how alienware doesn't mention the weight on the 'tech specs' page of the monster. oh, i found it. "starting at 10.0 lbs*" i wonder what that asterisk is for? there is no asterisk as the bottom of the page. lets continue on to configure... oh, i get it, the asterisk tells you that that is the weight without the battery! "12.5lbs with battery"
SDA - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link
>>Seeing as I'm not going to spend the time to come up with specifics, I'm going to have to conceed the point. But, the original comment wasn't meant to be insulting, so I wish you'd lighten up. >>I'm sorry if I seem rude or insulting, but I hate it when people say that AMD machines (or Intel machines, or Transmeta machines, or DEC machines, or Apple machines, or...) are innately unstable in some way. It's a silly argument on many levels, but one that people take to very easily if they see it. I appreciate your response, fwiw.
Hatglance - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link
Seeing as I'm not going to spend the time to come up with specifics, I'm going to have to conceed the point. But, the original comment wasn't meant to be insulting, so I wish you'd lighten up.The point of my original post was to add my own first hand observation about the fan noise issue and my general satisfaction with this well built machine.
To add more perspective to the cost issue, I remember 10+ years ago a high end laptop cost nearly $10k.
SDA - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link
>>I do get the thermal and power advantage of AMD, but I'm afraid my comment stands. If anything has really changed with AMD stability recently, I may be proven wrong.>>Nothing has changed with "AMD stability". Processors can not be innately instable unless they are defective. It is possible for overheating processors to cause instability, but obviously this is not a problem with the A64.
Again: do your research before you spew BS.
>>Problems which are a minor anoyance to the average Anandtech poster are a nightmare to the average gamer who is buying the majority of computers. They want it to work, period. >>
What "problems"? Are you just assuming that AMD processors must have problems because they aren't in any of the overpriced laptops you've bought, or do you think they have problems because your friends have stability problems? If it's the latter, guess what: just because someone builds an unstable system with component X in it doesn't mean component X is causing the problem. In the case of processors, it is VERY unlikely that the CPU is the problem.
Hatglance - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link
re #35I do get the thermal and power advantage of AMD, but I'm afraid my comment stands. If anything has really changed with AMD stability recently, I may be proven wrong. Problems which are a minor anoyance to the average Anandtech poster are a nightmare to the average gamer who is buying the majority of computers. They want it to work, period. Developing a laptop is difficult as it is (the reason for the price premium), so offering a choice of Intel or AMD probably isn't an option.
What has really brought laptops up to speed with desktops is the Mobility 9800 & X800 and Geforce go 6800 cards. Any performance advantage gained with AMD64 is marginal. My previous top of the line laptop was 2 years behind desktops when I got it, so I'm more than happy with the new one.
SDA - Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - link
#25, when are they slated for release? Also, hi.#29, but the 9300's a brick.. oh, right, they're all bricks. Good price, then.
#31, I think "these AMD lovers" are just trying to say that since A64s offer (slightly) better performance in games than comparable P4s AND put out less heat, they seem like much better choices for this application. Also, if you're implying that systems based on AMD processors are somehow innately unstable, you really need to learn more about hardware before you comment on it. (Of course, that goes for most Alienware owners.)
Shadowmage - Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - link
Wow, amazing! This includes the RAM, GPU, etc?The nVidia 6800 Ultra go uses 66+W!
Another GREAT design win for ATI :D
DerekWilson - Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - link
Shadowmage -- you are correct -- 35W.Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link
What's the TDP on the X800XT Mobility part? I heard it's 35W, but I would really like to verify it :)