Introducing the Radeon X1650 XT: A New Mainstream GPU from ATI

Test Settings

We are continuing to use the same Intel Core2 Extreme X6800 that has given us success with testing in the past for this article. The drivers we are using are the same as with the X1950 Pro article, but we've added a few more resolutions for some of the games: 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1600x1200.

Performance Test Configuration
CPU:	Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93GHz/4MB)
Motherboard:	Intel D975XBX (LGA-775) ASUS P5NSLI
Chipset:	Intel 975X NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI
Chipset Drivers:	Intel 7.2.2.1007 (Intel) NVIDIA nForce 8.22
Hard Disk:	Seagate 7200.7 160GB SATA
Memory:	Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 (1GB x 2)
Video Card:	Various
Video Drivers:	ATI Catalyst 6.9 ATI Catalyst Beta (X1650 XT only) NVIDIA ForceWare 91.47
Desktop Resolution:	1920 x 1440 - 32-bit @ 60Hz
OS:	Windows XP Professional SP2

The cards we want to pay special attention to here are of course the X1650 XT and particularly how it compares with the NVIDIA 7600 GT. Given current prices, we should expect to see these cards being fairly well-matched, with one card or the other doing better at certain games and with certain resolutions.

We also added a number of other cards into the performance mix for comparison to get a general idea of where the X1650 XT stands. On ATI's side, we included the X1600 XT, X1800 GTO, X1950 Pro, and X1900 XT 256MB. From NVIDIA, we included the 6600 GT, 7600 GT and the 7900 GS. These cards offer a broad picture of performance for the current generation of midrange and mainstream graphics cards. Some cards, like the 6600 GT and the X1800 GTO, are a bit older than the others, but we included them as a reference for those looking at potential upgrades.