ATI Radeon 64MB DDR

Quake III Arena - Athlon 750

We can already see what the Radeon thinks of 16-bit color. As a result of our graphs being sorted by 16-bit color performance, the Radeon 64MB DDR actually lies below the GeForce 256 SDR on the above graph. One one examines the color depth that ATI is attempting to push, 32-bit color, it is clear that the Radeon excels here. Not only does the card loose less than 2 FPS when going from 16-bit to 32-bit, the card's 32-bit performance is actually the fastest card we have tested, with a FPS rating of 111.3. If the graphs were sorted by 32-bit performance, the Radeon would no longer be sandwiched between the GeForce SDR and the Viper II but would take its spot on top of the graph.

Once again, at 800x600 we find that the Radeon's poor 16-bit performance level keeps it near the bottom of the graph. We can see why ATI is not pushing this card as a 16-bit gaming option, however the card's poor image quality when in 16-bit color should be enough to keep Radeon owners playing at 32-bit color, where its performance really shines. When at 800x600x32, the card performed only .7 FPS than our fastest card at this resolution, the GeForce 2 GTS 64MB. The Radeon's 32-bit color performance places it slightly behind the GeForce 2 GTS but well ahead of the GeForce 256 DDR, making the Radeon a true competitor for the high-end graphics spot, when in 32-bit color that is.

Being represented in the above graph by 16-bit performance once again, the Radeon appears to be a slow card. It is not until one notices the very small performance decrease between 16-bit and 32-bit color does one see why the Radeon can perform so well at 32-bit color. Be it a function of the drivers or the chip's architecture, the Radeon is just not meant to run in 16-bit color.

When at 32-bit color we find that like at 800x600x32, the Radeon falls only very slightly behind the GeForce 2 GTS in terms of speed. Lagging this card by only 1.6 FPS, the Radeon can serve its place as a high-end video card rather well. While the card manages to beat the Voodoo 5 5500 by only a small amount in 16-bit color, the Radeon actually performed 19.6% faster than the 5500 in 32-bit color, a full 12.9 FPS faster.