ATI ha annunciato, mediante il comunicato che abbiamo allegato di seguito, la nuova linea di schede grafiche Radeon X1950 composta dalle versioni XTX e CrossFire Edition (al solito, la Radeon X1950 XTX e la Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition possono essere utilizzate simultaneamente onde realizzare un sottosistema grafico multi-gpu in accordo all'architettura proprietaria, ndr).

La Radeon X1950 XTX si colloca al top della gamma dei controller grafici che il costruttore canadese rende disponibile per i gamer più accaniti. Il comunicato ne esalta le doti sia dal punto di vista prestazionale (in accordo alle dichiarazioni del produttore la card è più veloce delle soluzioni concorrenti dual-slot e dual-gpu ovvero della GeForce 7950 GX2 pur utilizzando una sola unità di calcolo o due in CrossFire contro rispettivamente le due e le quattro gpu dei prodotti nVIDIA, ndr) che da quello della qualità dell'immagine, dove la nuova Radeon può vantare ottime performance con antialiasing e High Dynamic Range (HDR) in azione e in grado di assicurare un realismo della scena mai raggiunto prima.

[Immagine ad alta risoluzione]

Altro aspetto sottolineato nel comunicato è quello legato alle memorie video, implementate mediante dei chip - in architettura GDDR4 - capaci di operare con una frequenza di clock effettiva di 2GHz e di garantire frame rate elevati anche in presenza dei complessi calcoli richiesti dalle risoluzioni di gioco e/o dai settaggi grafici elevati.

[Immagine ad alta risoluzione]

La linea Radeon X1950, che è compatibile con Shader Model 3.0 ed è naturalmente Windows Vista ready, sarà accompagnata da un nuovo sistema di raffreddamento, più silenzioso di quello utilizzato per la precedente generazione.

Le Radeon X1950 arriveranno sul mercato il 14 Settembre: costeranno ciascuna poco meno di $500.

ATI ha anche annunciato la realizzazione di altre schede video che si collocano a partire dalla fascia medio-alta del mercato consumer orientato al gaming fino a quella bassa. Esse sono: Radeon X1900 XT 256MB, Radeon X1650 PRO e Radeon X1300 XT.

MARKHAM, CANADA, Aug 23, 2006 (CCNMatthews via COMTEX News Network) -- Gamers have a lot to be excited about as today ATI (TSX:ATY)(NASDAQ:ATYT) announced its new flagship graphics card family, the Radeon X1950 series. The new Radeon X1950 XTX and Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition work together or individually to deliver the ultimate gaming performance available today. Even in "extreme high definition" resolutions, the Radeon X1950 family beats competing single or dual-slot solutions using only half the processors'1'. The Radeon X1950 series also boasts outstanding image quality features resulting in the best looking games possible. On September 14th, both the Radeon X1950 XTX and Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition will ship from retailers, system integrators, with an estimated street price of US$449 or EUR399 (VAT included) for each card. The Radeon X1950 family will also be available shortly from leading OEM vendors, including Dell.

Along with high frame rates, the Radeon X1950 family delivers uncompromised image quality. Only ATI's graphics processors provide the ability to combine FP16 High Dynamic Range effects with anti-aliasing to render the most realistic game environments possible. Sharp texture filtering capabilities also ensure that every detail in every scene is rendered. This combination of high performance and image quality results in the most immersive experience available today.

The Radeon X1950 employs the latest memory technology of GDDR4 to deliver blazing performance. With an effective data rate of 2 GHz, the new cards are easily capable of rendering fast frame rates at high resolutions, or maximizing image quality settings for gamers running at more mainstream resolutions. Accompanying the addition of GDDR4, the Radeon X1950 also introduces a new fansink that results in cooler, quieter operation.

"The Radeon X1950 gives gamers exactly what they want - super high frame rates and the best looking games possible, with image quality features that can't be found anywhere else" said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, PC Business, ATI Technologies Inc. "With the new Radeon X1950, ATI is introducing new technology in GDDR4, setting the performance benchmark even higher with the ultimate gaming solution available today."

The Radeon X1950 provides comprehensive compatibility for the latest technologies:

For games: Get what you pay for - single-slot cards that make use of two GPUs rely on driver profiles to ensure gamers get the best performance from the card. Like any dual-GPU solution, scaling can vary wildly between games, resulting in gamers making use of only a fraction of the hardware paid for. A single Radeon X1950 XTX delivers 100 percent performance, 100 percent of the time in single-card mode without the need to rely on driver profiles, so gamers can push the card to its limits in every game, delivering the best value for their money. The Radeon X1950 series are also supported by ATI's Catalyst(R) suite of software for CrossFire gaming, ensuring gamers have easy ongoing access to software updates for performance, stability and added features.

For multimedia: Making use of ATI's Avivo(TM) technology, the Radeon X1950 family delivers ATI's highest performing video decode of the latest high-definition video formats. The Radeon X1950 family is also capable of displaying one billion colors, or 10-bit throughout the graphics pipeline'2'. Lastly, the Radeon X1950 is also HDCP-compliant, including a built-in EEPROM and HDCP key'3'.

For Windows Vista: The Radeon X1950 family is ready to deliver the premium Windows Vista experience'4' with exceptional driver stability and performance.

ATI also announced today that it is bringing high performing graphics cards at very attractive price points to all segments by way of the new Radeon X1900 XT 256MB, Radeon X1650 PRO, and Radeon X1300...