Comdex
Report: ATi
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The heart
of the GameCube
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It will look like
this |
The real treat at ATi's booth however was the
prototype of Nintendo's upcoming game console, the GameCube, which is expected to be
released around the middle of 2001 as a competitor to Microsoft's X-Box. The graphics core
will be based on a completely new chip, designed from the ground up to fit the console's
needs. Of note: the chip will carry 3MB of embedded on-die cache for the framebuffer, for
a die-size roughly equivalent to that of an AMD Athlon Processor. Since some of the
technologies planned for the GameCube will also make an appearance in the next version of
the RADEON, we await that next generation part's specs with great interest. The GameCube's
specs so far are definitely impressive:
- 51Mio Transistors
- 3.2GB Memory Bandwith
3MB empedded texture cache
Static RAM (SRAM) 64 Bit
204MHz Memoryclock
IBM CPU based on Power PC – 400MHz
Interview
mit Martin Traute, ATI Technologies Europe GmbH |
RS: RADEON VE is ATi's
entry-level card. What does VE stand for?
Martin Traute: VE stands for Value
Edition. It is targeted mainly at NVIDIA's GeForce 2 MX. The VE will hold a price
advantage, though.
RS: What kinds of variations will we see
in respect to memory, TV-in/out etc? Is ATi planning a feature similar to TwinView?
Martin Traute: Thanks to the second RAMDAC
we can be very flexible where the VE is concerned. TV-Out will be a standard feature on
the basic board. There will also be versions with 2xVGA and/or DFI with and without
TV-Out. A specialized software will be included that will offer unparalleled ease-of-use
and copmfort in a multi-monitor environment.
RS: RADEON has brought ATi back on a level
with NVIDIA. Is ATi planning to follow a strategy similar to NVIDIA's, with a product
cycle of 6 to 8 months?
Martin Traute: We are right on schedule
with our next-generation parts. Beginning of next year we will there will be an upgrade of
the RADEON, and its successor will be introduced in the second Quarter (2001). We don't
feel comfortable binding ourselves to a certain number of months, though. NVIDIA doesn't
follow the cycle exactly either.
RS: What has happened to the RADEON MAXX?
Weren't there originally plans for this card?
Martin Traute: Despite rumors to the
contrary, the RADEON MAXX has not been cancelled. However, there will not be such a
version using the current RADEON core. Instead, we plan on offering it with its successor
(RADEON2). The reasons are technical, as we are having trouble with the bridge for the two
cores. So far it only runs stable at AGP 2x. We want a card of this format and caliber to
be available with full AGP 4x support, however. It's looking very promising, though and we
are very confident.
RS: Is ATi planning a mobile version of
the RADEON?
Martin Traute: A mobile version is indeed
currently under development and will be released within the first half of next year.
Unfortunately I can't tell you more at this time. But let me say that the most important
differences will have to do with power saving features.
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Website: http://www.ati.com
Copyright: Lars "Borsti"Weinand - RIVA Station,
18.11.2000
Translation by Benjamin Kraft |
Comdex
Report: ATi
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