ATI unleashes the new performance king for gamers: introducing the Radeon X1950 XTX

(Auszug aus der Pressemitteilung)

MARKHAM, CANADA – August 23, 2006 – Gamers have a lot to be excited about as today ATI (TSX:ATY, NASDAQ:ATYT) announced its new flagship graphics card family, the Radeon® X1950 series. The new Radeon® X1950 XTX and Radeon® X1950 CrossFire™ Edition work together or individually to deliver the ultimate gaming performance available today. Even in „extreme high definition“ resolutions, the Radeon X1950 family beats competing single or dual-slot solutions using only half the processors1. The Radeon X1950 series also boasts outstanding image quality features resulting in the best looking games possible. On September 14th, both the Radeon X1950 XTX and Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition will ship from retailers, system integrators, with an estimated street price of US$449 or €399 (VAT included) for each card. The Radeon X1950 family will also be available shortly from leading OEM vendors, including Dell.

Along with high frame rates, the Radeon X1950 family delivers uncompromised image quality. Only ATI’s graphics processors provide the ability to combine FP16 High Dynamic Range effects with anti-aliasing to render the most realistic game environments possible. Sharp texture filtering capabilities also ensure that every detail in every scene is rendered. This combination of high performance and image quality results in the most immersive experience available today.

The Radeon X1950 employs the latest memory technology of GDDR4 to deliver blazing performance. With an effective data rate of 2 GHz, the new cards are easily capable of rendering fast frame rates at high resolutions, or maximizing image quality settings for gamers running at more mainstream resolutions. Accompanying the addition of GDDR4, the Radeon X1950 also introduces a new fansink that results in cooler, quieter operation.

„The Radeon X1950 gives gamers exactly what they want – super high frame rates and the best looking games possible, with image quality features that can’t be found anywhere else“ said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, PC Business, ATI Technologies Inc. „With the new Radeon X1950, ATI is introducing new technology in GDDR4, setting the performance benchmark even higher with the ultimate gaming solution available today.“

The Radeon X1950 provides comprehensive compatibility for the latest technologies:

• For games: Get what you pay for – single-slot cards that make use of two GPUs rely on driver profiles to ensure gamers get the best performance from the card. Like any dual-GPU solution, scaling can vary wildly between games, resulting in gamers making use of only a fraction of the hardware paid for. A single Radeon X1950 XTX delivers 100 percent performance, 100 percent of the time in single-card mode without the need to rely on driver profiles, so gamers can push the card to its limits in every game, delivering the best value for their money. The Radeon X1950 series are also supported by ATI’s Catalyst® suite of software for CrossFire gaming, ensuring gamers have easy ongoing access to software updates for performance, stability and added features.
• For multimedia: Making use of ATI’s Avivo™ technology, the Radeon X1950 family delivers ATI’s highest performing video decode of the latest high-definition video formats. The Radeon X1950 family is also capable of displaying one billion colors, or 10-bit throughout the graphics pipeline2. Lastly, the Radeon X1950 is also HDCP-compliant, including a built-in EEPROM and HDCP key3.
• For Windows Vista™: The Radeon X1950 family is ready to deliver the premium Windows Vista experience4 with exceptional driver stability and performance.

ATI also announced today that it is bringing high performing graphics cards at very attractive price points to all segments by way of the new Radeon® X1900 XT 256MB, Radeon® X1650 PRO, and Radeon® X1300 XT. For more information on this announcement, please see the relevant press release. For more information on the Radeon X1950 family, or any of ATI’s other products please visit www.ati.com.