To create its latest all-conquering GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), the Radeon 9800XT, ATI simply took the speed demon that is the Radeon 9800Pro and tweaked it to make it even faster. In doing so the company extended the 9800 model line - hence the 'XT' of the new chip, which stands for 'extended.'

These tweaks have allowed the 0.15-micron R360 core of the 9800XT to run higher core and memory speeds than its processor, the R350 of the 9800Pro. The core speed has risen from 380MHz to 412MHz, while the memory clock now runs at 730MHz DDR rather than 680MHz.

Also up is the memory size, from the 128MB of the 9800Pro to 256MB which, together with the 256-bit memory bus, gives the new GPU a massive bandwidth of 23.4GB/s. Apart from these tweaks the rest of the feature set remains the same as the 9800Pro, but what is new is the cooling solution.

The fan unit measures 80mm across, while the rest of the heatsink is copper covered by an acrylic lid, the latter being used by card vendors to display their own graphics logo. The rear of the card has a copper cooling plate added to it.

Although Creative is a household name in audio hardware, it has always kept a finger on the pulse of what's happening in the graphics card market. The latest range of cards sees the company adding a small number (at the present time) of ATI's cards to its line-up of nVidia-powered cards. Top of this small ATI range is the Radeon 9800XT (the other two are Radeon 9600 and 9200SE cards).

Packaged in quite a plain box, Crucial's 9800XT looks just like an ATI reference board, even down to the sticker on the cooler; no over-the-top fancy logos on this card. The hardware bundle is pretty standard too; you get a power supply splitter, DVI-I to VGA adapter, S-Video cable, composite cable and a mini-DIN to RCA adapter to take care of the video-out function.

To go with the launch of the 9800XT, ATI had hoped to bundle a copy of Half Life 2 with the card. Unfortunately for ATI the game wasn't ready for the launch (it still isn't ready), so as with most 9800XT cards, Creative has added a voucher for the game to be redeemed if and when it appears. A driver CD and quick start guide round off the box contents.

An added bonus for choosing Creative's 9800XT over other vendors' cards is that it comes with a two year warranty and free Creative Technical Support.

Verdict
Should you rush out and buy Creative's (or for that matter anybody else's) 9800XT? It's a tricky question. If you are already using a 9800Pro then you probably won't notice that much difference in game playing. But if your tired old card is ready for replacement, then choosing a 9800XT gets you the best graphics card out there at the present time, and Creative's does have the warranty and technical support advantage over the others.

Company: Creative

Contact: 01189 344322

Tags: radeon graphics processing unit nvidia ati technologies video card digital visual interface ati advanced micro devices