ATI RD580 Dual x16 Crossfire: Reviews And Info

[onethreehill]

Because X1800XT Crossfire and The RD580 chipset have not yet officially launched, ATI has asked that we not publish hard benchmarks of our results, since they will likely change in final release versions. We can, however, talk in general terms about performance. Those of you who believe ATi is far behind nVidia are in for a surprise.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=2609

Asus A8R32-MVP: First ATI RD580 Review

The A8R32-MVP Deluxe provides the best dual x16 video performance that you can currently buy. A pair of X1900XT video cards in Crossfire mode is the current best in video, and the Asus A8R32-MVP drives this video package effortlessly when coupled with an appropriate high wattage power supply. The feature set is competitive with any Socket 939 available and also includes on-board high-definition audio that is not available on current NVIDIA Dual x16 SLI boards. The design is also elegantly simple with an RD580 chipset designed from the ground up for high-speed overclocking and for Dual x16 video.

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2697

ASUS A8R32 MVP Deluxe w/ EAX1900CROSSFIRE
http://www.vr-zone.com.sg/?i=3256

[Ubermann]

While the exact performance results achieved comparing X1800XT Crossfire with 7800GTX SLI can not yet be published, we can tell you we benchmarked with F.E.A.R., Quake 4, Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory, Doom 3, Far Cry, and 3DMark05 at 1600x1200 resolution with 4X AA and 8X AF enabled. ATI X1800XT Crossfire won every benchmark over nVidia 7800GTX SLI in these tests.

We also ran standard scores (1024x768) for Aquamark 3, 3Dmark03, and 3Dmark05. Once again Crossfire X1800XT outperformed nVidia 7800GTX SLI in every benchmark.

We then ran all the same tests in single video mode, comparing a single X1800XT on the ATI RD480 to a single 7800GTX on the ATI A8N32-SLI. Benchmarks were run under the same conditions as Crossfire/SLI - 1600x1200/4xAA/8xAF in games and "standard" scores in 3Dmarks and Aquamark 3. Once again the ATI X1800XT on the RD580 was the winner in every benchmark. It is clear the new 5.11 drivers do make a difference in Open GL games like Quake 4 and Doom 3. Even more exciting, the RD580/X1800XT Crossfire will be a potent graphics combination.

Looking good..

[Kenetixx]

what about when they run COmparede cards ie: 7800GTX 512 against the x1800xt???
It all means atm as neither manufacture ahs settled on one thing

[Heretic]

Here's to hoping that ATI delivers in January..

They didn't run the x1800xt crossfire vs 7800gtx 512 sli, but in the article, they said that the 7800gtx 512 would more than likely win out there. According to ATI, the x1800xt will compete with the 7800gtx and the x1800xtPE will compete with the 7800gtx 512.

[flopper]

If the r580 is released with 24 pipes, how much does that change performance with todays card?

[Ubermann]

By winning over the regular 7800gtx it shows that the performance in crossfire is good. All i care about for the moment.

[freecableguy]

ATI: "blah blah, blabbity blah, furthermore...blah blah ablahahhsdgsdhas hsh, BLAH"

nVidia: "Here is another strong card available NOW"

Who do you think I listen to?

[Bar81]

Why should anyone care who you listen to? Do what you want.

[LowRun]

ATI mobos partners must be mad at them, who is gonna buy the current offering now that ATI let this cat out of the bag.

[perkam]

Anandtech has gotten a test board from ATI featuring ATI's upcoming line of crossfire motherboards with dual 16x pci-e lanes and a host of new features. As with most of these new crossfire boards, yet another revolutionary feature for AMD Overclocking fans:

Overclockers are used to having to drop HTT to 3X or 600HTT for their highest overclocks because the limit on current AMD HTT is 1000. RD580 requires no drop in HTT for even the highest overclocks. We were able to achieve overclocks in excess of 300 with HTT set at 5X. Utilities which showed HTT frequency indicated we were actually running at greater than 1600 HTT at these settings. It is clear ATI has found a way around the current AMD limitation of 1000HTT, which will be a breath of fresh air to those trying to squeeze the most performance from their Athlon 64 processor.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=2609

Thx to News Staff Member OneThreeHill for pointing this out Do keep in mind that this is still two chipset revisions away, as the RX482 just came out, and the RX485 will come thereafter before this.

Perkam

[saaya]

at is down :/

[Cybercat]

yeah what's up with Anandtech's server issues lately?

[kromosto]

it was too clear to see crossfire is powerfull than sli so it is not a suprise to see cf > sli while single nvidia card may give more performance then single ati

[Cybercat]

I think one of the advantages of ATI's Crossfire is that it's not as nearly reliant on the CPU as SLI is. The compositing engine handles most of everything. AFR uses little CPU, yes, but split screen load balancing is quite challenging, especially the faster the graphics cards involved.

[perkam]

ATI was roundly criticized for the inability of X850XT Crossfire to run at resolutions above 1600x1200, even though most end-users are not actually able to run at higher resolutions with today's most common 19" and 20" flat-panel displays. We confirmed that the new compositor chips used in X1800XT Crossfire do indeed run fine in Crossfire mode at 2048x1536. ATI tells us there is no limitation in the X1800XT compositor that would prevent even higher resolutions from working as they should.

I dunno if this is going to be released this year, but it would be wise for them to do so.

Perkam

[SnipingWaste]

ATI's chipset Engineering team seem determined to take ATI chipsets to new levels to grab the attention of AMD hobbyists. They seem right on target, since the AMD market has been, and continues to be, driven by the computer enthusiast. Our preview of RD580 on the ATI Manta Reference board showed us some exciting developments are on the way from ATI. Dual x16 video capabilities in a single chip 44 PCIe lane package certainly performed extremely well compared to the just released Dual x16 from nVidia.

The possibility of HTT ratio-free overclocking will also interest the real overclockers out there. Running over 300FSB with a 5X HTT multiplier with current Athlon64 chips seemed an impossibility until we saw it working for ourselves in RD580. We are also glad to see ATI continue their commitment to quality audio on the AMD platform with continued support for High Definition audio codecs. Audio is one area where ATI is clearly outperforming their AMD chipset competition.

The comparison of the RD580 Dual x16 motherboard with X1800XT Crossfire to Asus A8N32-SLI with 7800GTX Crossfire seems a logical comparison to this reviewer. Comparing these results, ATI wins every benchmark. That means if RD580 and Crossfire were shipping today the graphics war would be on and plenty hot. The reality, however, is that X1800XT Crossfire and X1800XT PE are coming soon, and ATI RD580 will likely land in early to mid January. We also expect the ATI R580 GPU to land about the same time, and ATI is hard at work on Socket M2 offerings to be launched with that AMD socket.

This RD580 looks like a killer chipset with 300HTT with 5XHTT and the news about the X1800 XTPE.

[Tim]

I don't get it....he posted the same thread...hours before you did

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...ad.php?t=80179

[DilTech]

So....why did they test CF 1800xt's vs. SLI 256mb gtx's instead of 512's?

Also, I bet ATi's mobo partners are gettin mad, this is going to kill the sales of this gen's mobo's, and their next set as well!

As for AT's slowness currently, I bet NGO are hammering the site(by making a website that keeps reloading images non-stop) as they still claim AT stole their story about the 7800GS.

[Kadaj]

they're releasing samples of the next generation chipset before the first acutaly starts to kick off? Sorry, I'd rather have something now then constantly waiting for their "next best thing". I also think it's pretty funny to compare an un-released chipset design to one that is approaching one year of age. I suppose it's fair to compare a X1800XT to a 6800 vanilla too. I suppose my point is ; of course it's better, it's expected to be better because its (probaly) going to have a 1.5year technological advantage over Nforce 4, if it were not, then someone should be fired.

I dunno if this is going to be released this year, but it would be wise for them to do so.

if they do, I probaly wouldn't buy another ATi product for a while, or at least until they get themselves out of the cycle of releasing a generation of products, dumping support for it when they find out their competetor has out-matched them and move on to the next generation.

[DilTech]

So they compare the 7800gtx 256 to the x1800xt CF when the 7800gtx 512mb is NV's high end? Gee, that's a brilliant move there, now isn't it?

As for X1800XT CF, don't expect it til next year...

[Tim]

So....why did they test CF 1800xt's vs. SLI 256mb gtx's instead of 512's?

Also, I bet ATi's mobo partners are gettin mad, this is going to kill the sales of this gen's mobo's, and their next set as well!

As for AT's slowness currently, I bet NGO are hammering the site(by making a website that keeps reloading images non-stop) as they still claim AT stole their story about the 7800GS.

Yea...could be...DDOS...AGAIN!

[Bar81]

Considering they're comparing the parts that are supposed to compete against each other then it makes perfect sense. ATI's assertion is that the PE part is the true competitor to the Ultra, which is how it has been since last gen.

[perkam]

I don't get it....he posted the same thread...hours before you did

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...ad.php?t=80179

Thx, Threads Merged

Perkam

[Ubermann]

As long as they bring faster stuff im happy =)

[softpain]

Well Kadaj it's all about money and identification with a brand not about fairness....
Of course you'll get better hardware if you wait ...;-)