256 bit memory bus in the mid end
- Thread starter Ante P
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What do you think ATI's mid end boards are?
Well, I didn't have that in mind. However, when you consider the rumour SE specs are for 2 quads this sounds like an R9700/9800 configuration which is a 256-bit bus. To reduce the bus width and provide 256MB they would also need to support a different reference board design for this part.
I think Ante talking about the $199-$249 region because the 6800NU is $299 and known to have a 256bit memory bus already.
The X800SE rumors to be priced at $299 if i'm not mistaken.
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Honda Orthia specifications
The X800SE rumors to be priced at $299 if i'm not mistaken.
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Honda Orthia specifications
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There are points to be made for cards with seemingly little bandwidth and high fillrate. Fragment shader bound applications won't care much about memory bandwidth. If you write 8 pixels every ten clocks or so, you obviously need much less bandwidth than you would for 3DMark2k1's so called "single texture fillrate" test 
For more "legacy" apps you can get healthy amounts of trilinear AF for free. AF primarily burns fillrate on current architectures.
You'll be having problems with multisampling performance though.
*smiles and twinkles at his Radeon 9500Pro*
For more "legacy" apps you can get healthy amounts of trilinear AF for free. AF primarily burns fillrate on current architectures.
You'll be having problems with multisampling performance though.
*smiles and twinkles at his Radeon 9500Pro*
I recall seeing the x800se described as a "performance mainstream" part. (I don't remember the exact source, but it was one of the chinese sites iirc.) This struck me as odd because "Performance Mainstream" is ~$200 US. $299 is an enthusiast card.
I have a hard time believing ati can hit $200 unless they cripple it with 128 bit mem. That strikes me as a waste of an r420 because even an 8 pipe version should need lots of bandwidth. Why waste a good, expensive gpu on such a low cost card?
x800se at $299 with 256 bit memory seems quite probable at this moment.
Of course, I'd prefer the x800 pro at that price... but that's just a pipedream.
I have a hard time believing ati can hit $200 unless they cripple it with 128 bit mem. That strikes me as a waste of an r420 because even an 8 pipe version should need lots of bandwidth. Why waste a good, expensive gpu on such a low cost card?
x800se at $299 with 256 bit memory seems quite probable at this moment.
Of course, I'd prefer the x800 pro at that price... but that's just a pipedream.
I have an alternative take on this issue.
Basically, all of the above discussion focus on performance vs cost.
I'm more interested in performance vs. power draw (=noise).
So, rather than asking when a 256-bit bus going to be used on a crippled version of the same high power draw chip, when is it going to be used for portable chips or desktop variants thereof? There has been precious little rumours about new low-power chips.
Basically, all of the above discussion focus on performance vs cost.
I'm more interested in performance vs. power draw (=noise).
So, rather than asking when a 256-bit bus going to be used on a crippled version of the same high power draw chip, when is it going to be used for portable chips or desktop variants thereof? There has been precious little rumours about new low-power chips.
Isn't the 5900xt a mid end card and it has a 256bit memory bus too.
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DaveBaumann said:
Dunno, no idea. All rumours seem to indicate X800 SE as 128 bit. If that board is 128 bit then I doubt the lesser ones will be 256 bit.
But I dunno, just rumours. The nVidia 256 bit mid range is a fact (official documents, but I guess they could always change their mind before it goes public).
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