Radeon HD 2900 XT In Trouble
ATI definitely did not pull off another Radeon 9700 Pro. The Radeon 9700 Pro was a phenomenal card for the time. It introduced a 256-bit bus for the first time and excelled in DirectX 9 shader performance. The Radeon 9700 Pro positively shocked gamers and had a very long life span. Everyone wanted a generational jump such as that with the R600. The ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT however is more akin to NVIDIA’s GeForce FX 5800. It does not seem like this will have a very long life span in comparison. NVIDIA quickly answered the GeForce FX 5800 by introducing the GeForce FX 5900 (NV35). ATI really needs to do something similar in this situation, or they may lose some loyal fans in the enthusiast community and you can bet they are going to continue to lose sales to NVIDIA’s 8000 series products.
Here is what it boils down to. If the Radeon HD 2900 XT performed exactly on par with the GeForce 8800 GTS in every game, it would still be a loser because it draws nearly 100 more watts of power, meaning it is very inefficient. The facts are though that it doesn’t even match the 8800 GTS currently. In every game it slides in underperforming compared to the GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB, and it does it while drawing a lot more power, as much power or more as an 8800 GTX. Not only that, but a GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB based video card can now be had for up to $70 cheaper than the Radeon HD 2900 XT. I don’t know about you, but a video card that is cheaper, runs a lot faster and draws less energy just seems like the better value to me.
This doesn’t even bring into the equation the GeForce 8800 GTX which outclasses the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT on every front. Yes, it costs about $130 more, but that $130 buys you a lot more performance in games. It is sad that ATI does not have a GPU to compete with the GeForce 8800 GTX. At this point NVIDIA has, dare I say it, a monopoly over the high-end of computer gaming video card market. If you want the best gaming performance, it is still the GeForce 8800 GTX. The GTX has no competition.
The Bottom Line
“A day late and a dollar short.” Cliché but accurate. The Radeon HD 2900 XT is late to the party and unfortunately is bringing with it performance that cannot compete. The GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB is $50 cheaper, performs better, and draws a lot less power than the 2900 XT.
This is as good as it is going to get for a while from ATI. The GeForce 8800 GTX will still dominate at the high end of the video card market. Of course we do not know about DX10 games yet, and there is no way to make any predictions how that comparison will turn out. As it stands right now the Radeon HD 2900 XT, in our opinion, is a flop. ATI needs to get its act together quickly. It needs to push out the mainstream cards soon and it needs to deliver a high end card that can actually compete at the high end of the market.
Entire Article
ATI definitely did not pull off another Radeon 9700 Pro. The Radeon 9700 Pro was a phenomenal card for the time. It introduced a 256-bit bus for the first time and excelled in DirectX 9 shader performance. The Radeon 9700 Pro positively shocked gamers and had a very long life span. Everyone wanted a generational jump such as that with the R600. The ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT however is more akin to NVIDIA’s GeForce FX 5800. It does not seem like this will have a very long life span in comparison. NVIDIA quickly answered the GeForce FX 5800 by introducing the GeForce FX 5900 (NV35). ATI really needs to do something similar in this situation, or they may lose some loyal fans in the enthusiast community and you can bet they are going to continue to lose sales to NVIDIA’s 8000 series products.
Here is what it boils down to. If the Radeon HD 2900 XT performed exactly on par with the GeForce 8800 GTS in every game, it would still be a loser because it draws nearly 100 more watts of power, meaning it is very inefficient. The facts are though that it doesn’t even match the 8800 GTS currently. In every game it slides in underperforming compared to the GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB, and it does it while drawing a lot more power, as much power or more as an 8800 GTX. Not only that, but a GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB based video card can now be had for up to $70 cheaper than the Radeon HD 2900 XT. I don’t know about you, but a video card that is cheaper, runs a lot faster and draws less energy just seems like the better value to me.
This doesn’t even bring into the equation the GeForce 8800 GTX which outclasses the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT on every front. Yes, it costs about $130 more, but that $130 buys you a lot more performance in games. It is sad that ATI does not have a GPU to compete with the GeForce 8800 GTX. At this point NVIDIA has, dare I say it, a monopoly over the high-end of computer gaming video card market. If you want the best gaming performance, it is still the GeForce 8800 GTX. The GTX has no competition.
The Bottom Line
“A day late and a dollar short.” Cliché but accurate. The Radeon HD 2900 XT is late to the party and unfortunately is bringing with it performance that cannot compete. The GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB is $50 cheaper, performs better, and draws a lot less power than the 2900 XT.
This is as good as it is going to get for a while from ATI. The GeForce 8800 GTX will still dominate at the high end of the video card market. Of course we do not know about DX10 games yet, and there is no way to make any predictions how that comparison will turn out. As it stands right now the Radeon HD 2900 XT, in our opinion, is a flop. ATI needs to get its act together quickly. It needs to push out the mainstream cards soon and it needs to deliver a high end card that can actually compete at the high end of the market.
Entire Article
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