AnandTech have turned out a good review of ATI's new Radeon X1950 Pro, the replacement model for the Radeon X1900 GT. The most interesting point of the X1950 Pro is the new RV570 core at it's heart. For those of you who are developing ATI model nonclemature confusion:

• Since the Radeon 7000-series, ATI have used the Rxxx codename for performance processors and RVxxx for mainstream processors. For example, the R420 was known as the X800-series; the RV410 known as the X700-series.
• Since X800-series and on, the Pro suffice has usually meant that the core is the same as the XT/XTX version in the same series, but with locked and/or broken pipelines. For example, both the Radeon X1850 XT and X1850 Pro were equipped with the R480, but the XT had 16 pipelines and the Pro had 12.

The Radeon X1950 Pro changes all this, by introducing what is probably the fastest model of a new mainstream series of products, presumably most of which will go by the X1700-series. Specification wise, it is exactly the same as the launch version of the Radeon X1800 GT (I'll get back to what I mean by launch version), but it includes a new and very interesting development: internally bridged CrossFire. All existing CrossFire solutions are achieved with an external dongle that allows the cards to communicate. With the RV570, the component responsible for composing the image, the Composite Engine, resides within the RV570 Core. This means that two Radeon X1850 Pro cards can now communicated directly via a bridge very similar to NVIDIA's SLI ribon cable.

The other significant point, which really got AnandTech's knickers in a twist, is that from now on, the Radeon X1800 GT will have slightly different specifications. I'm guessing this is the key to the whole odd thing about debuting RV570 as an X19xx-series part: The X1900 GT, which is a powered by the very same R580 core you'd find in a Radeon X1900 XTX, but with fewer pipelines, will drop from a core clock frequency of 575 MHz to 512 MHz. Meanwhile, the memory interface rises from 1200 MHz effective, to 1350 MHz effective to cover for this loss. With a little conjecture, I have guessed that this means either ATI's R580 yield has improved to the point that far fewer cores are failing the 625 MHz speed bin for the X1900 XT, or they've cut production of the R580 and all that's left is R580 cores that didn't make the 575 MHz speed bin in the first place. Either way, they obviously made some sort of logistical error.

AnandTech seems to have gotten rather angry about it. I think they've forgotten that people buy graphics cards on a price point to play video games. The new specifications of the X1900 GT will make it slightly slower than before, but will it affect game performance in any noticeable way? I doubt it. I've graphed the difference with the RGACC, so you can see what they're so scandalised about:



Click to enlarge and note the drop in fillrate, but the increase in bandwidth. Will it matter? I really doubt you’d care. Other than that, it's a good review.

AnandTech reviews.

X-bit Labs have written an good review of the Radeon X1950 Pro, comparing it directly against a GeForce 7900 GS, and indirectly against Radeons X1900 GT, X1800 GTO and GeForces 7900 GT and 7600 GT, which makes it a pretty good all-round mainstream performance review.

For the most part the Radeon X1950 Pro comes out on top, but this is a little obscured by the fact that X-bit Labs elected to also include a 30% overclock comparative. Other than that, the review is pretty comprehensive.

X-bit Labs reviews.