The Radeon X1900 XT 512MB is a very impressive performer, and it took to our benchmark suite like a duck to water. We knew the base architecture of the Radeon X1900 line would allow significant gains with newer SM3.0 games and applications, but ATI surprised us with an excellent showing with older benchmarks as well. In terms of overall performance, it easily outpaced the GeForce 7900 GT 256MB in the majority of benchmark tests, only falling back with a few noted NVIDIA stalwarts like the Quake games. The overclocking, while not exceptional, did allow our reference Radeon X1900 XT 512MB card to surpass the clock speeds of the Radeon X1900 XTX, and provide very noticeable framerate increases.
The approximate retail price of a Radeon X1900 XT 512MB card currently sits at the $350-$375 level, depending on vendor, while similar GeForce 7900 GT 256MB and GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB models are priced at $250-$275 and $400-$450, respectively. This drops the Radeon X1900 XT 512MB right in between these two models, while the GeForce 7950 GT 512MB sneaks in at the $300 range and the Radeon X1950 XTX 512MB is currently at $425 or higher. This makes a value call on the Radeon X1900 XT 512MB a tough one, as the GeForce 7950 GT 512MB is its closest alternative, and the NVIDIA card is a bit more affordable.
* Please note that online prices reflect Retail models when possible, only OEM where noted. Prices are taken at the time of review, and are not intended to reflect long-term trends.
ATI's Radeon X1900 family has chosen to go its own way with an upgraded architecture that favors pixel shading over pure horsepower, and for the most part, this pays off. This strategy didn't work quite so well in the case of the mainstream Radeon X1600/X1650, but with the more powerful Radeon X1900 XT 512MB, the benchmark performance is much improved. Retail prices are comparable to the NVIDIA competition, and the only real issue we have is the dual-slot requirement, but buyers know that going in. Overall, this is a nice forward-thinking design, and the Radeon X1900 XT 512MB will certainly provide enough juice for current and upcoming games.
