ASUS EAX1950PRO 256MB RV570

Examination:

The Radeon X1950PRO was officially added to the X1950 family in the middle of October and is based upon the RV570 core. The reference specifications for the X1950PRO call for a 575MHz core clock and 1380MHz memory speed. ASUSTek has instead set the EAX1950PRO to operate at slightly higher frequencies; the core runs at 581MHz while the memory has been bumped up to 1404MHz. Unlike the Radeon X1950XTX with its GDDR4 memory, the X1950PRO uses 256MB of 256-bit GDDR3 memory. The RV570 packs in approximately 330 transistors and uses TSMC's 80nm manufacturing process. The RV570 has 36 pixel processors, 12 TMUs, and 12 raster operators. The X1950PRO also boasts the features found within other X1000 series components such as Shader Model 3.0, High Dynamic Range, and ATI Avivo (Advanced Video in Video Out).

Traditionally with midrange graphics cards we would see a shorter PCB than what would be found on the high-end models, but with the X1950PRO this is not exactly the case. The X1950PRO measures in at approximately 23cm and is roughly the same length as an ATI Radeon X1800XT. The heatsink, which actively cools the GPU and GDDR3 memory, covers a majority of the PCB. Instead of using the reference heatsink design ASUS has opted for a dual-slot heatsink with a single heatpipe.

Rather than placing the 6-pin PCI Express power connector in the corner of the PCB, the X1950PRO reference design calls for the 6-pin PCI-E connector to be positioned in the middle of the PCB. We would much rather see the power connector revert to the older location. The reason for this negative impact is that in some desktop ATX cases where the hard drives are positioned near the PCI Express x16 slots, the minimal area between the hard drive connectors and the graphics card could cause installation issues.

While AMD does not support CrossFire MultiGPU Technology with the fglrx display drivers, it is worth noting that the RV570 does boast a new compositing engine. From the point when CrossFire was introduced to the October 2006 introduction of the X1950PRO, CrossFire required a special master card that had carried a separate compositing engine and in some models it had communicated via the PCI Express bus. With the compositing engine being built into the RV570 you do not need a separate master card. Rather than using a DVI link, this revised CrossFire design uses two cables that connect to the PCB -- similar to the design of NVIDIA's Scalable Link Interface with the SLI bridge. The new internal CrossFire connectors are also in the same place as the NVIDIA SLI connector. At the end of the card are two dual-link DVI connectors that support up to 2560 x 1601 XHD displays. All Built-By ATI X1950PRO cards are HDCP capable, while the AIB partners have the option to choose whether to enable High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection support. ASUS has chosen to enable HDCP support on both of their EAX1950PRO models. The rear of the PCB is basic with not a lot to mention. The video memory is single sided on the X1950PRO and ASUS has chosen to go with Samsung's K4J55323QG modules.