Test Candidates In Detail
ATI FireGL X2-256: Bargain Sprinter
ATI's FireGL X2-256 is based on the Radeon/FGL9800 (R350W). The VPU has approx. 107 million transistors and features 256 MB DDR II memory. The corresponding interface has a bus width of 256 bits. Its clock speed of 350 MHz gives a theoretical bandwidth of 22.4 GB/s. The chip is clocked at 380 MHz.
The main functions on this chip are:
- 4 parallel geometry engines
- 8 parallel pixel pipelines
- 128 bit floating-point precision
- two integrated RAMDACs with 400 MHz and 10 bits per channel
- max. 8 light sources (hardware-accelerated)
- 16 textures per pass
- Frame buffer support with 10 bits per channel
- 2X/4X/6X full-scene anti-aliasing modes
The card is designed to take up one slot. In comparison, the older X1-256 takes up two motherboard slots. The X2 features two DVI-I jacks that can be used to hook up a digital flatscreen monitor or, using the adapter supplied, an analog monitor. Maximum resolution per display is 2048x1536 pixels. However, there is nowhere to plug in stereo glasses.
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The FireGL X2-256 requires an additional power supply. The jack is similar to that of a drive power supply.
