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New Drivers: ATi FireGL X1 & Z1 with High Performance - Finally
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1. A New Approach

In our last article, the ATi FireGL X1 didn't turn out great results. We saw a large discrepancey between the theoretical performance and the actual performance scores. Now, ATi has introduced a new generation of drivers that is supposed to do away with this problem. So we put the FireGL X1 through the test again, in order to determine how this OpenGL graphics card would fare. In addition, we also put its smaller sibling, the FireGL Z1, into the test field, as well.

Fire GL Z1 128 MB

The FireGL Z1 differentiates itself from the X1 only through the trimmed-down graphics engine. Instead of the eight pixel pipelines of the Radeon/ FGL 9700 chip, the 9500 only uses four. A positive aspect is that the clock frequency of the chip and memory are the same for both models - 325 MHz and 310 MHz, respectively. The Z1 becomes very interesting when you consider ATi's asking price for this model, which is $200 less than the X1 with 128 MB.

There are two DVI-I jacks on the slot cover to enable dual-monitor operation. You can choose between analog displays and digital models. ATi does not make room for a connector for 3D glasses.

2. Fire GL X1 256 MB

ATi designed the 256 MB variant of the X1 primarily for OEM customers. It is based on the FireGL 9700 chip - a descendant of the Radeon 9700. An additional power connector (a type typically found on hard drives or CD ROM drives) is not found on this particular graphics card. Instead, the power is supplied through the AGP Pro slot. Therefore, those who are interested in the card should be careful to check and see whether or not their motherboard actually has an AGP Pro slot!

A special feature of this model is that it takes up two slots in the PC system. Essentially, this is due to the large cooler on the card. As a point of comparison, this is not to be found on either of the 128 MB versions. There's not much to be expected from the benchmarks. We determined that there were practically no differences between the results of the X1 128 MB and those of the X1 256 MB. The reason for this lies with the test programs, themselves. At the moment, most of the applications are not yet ripe for 256 MB. Only certain special applications can make use of the extra performance. If you still want to go with the FireGL X1 256 MB, be prepared to fork over $200 more than you'd pay for the 128 MB model.

3. Generation Change: A New V10.28 Driver

The driver's interface has not changed since our last test with version 10.21. What's more important, though, is the driver core, which has improved significantly with this new version 10.28. This is shown by the following benchmarks.

General note: if you're accustomed to the marketing numbers in reference to the memory, then you will be sure to notice "620 MHz" for the DDR memory. The purpose of this is to make you aware of the double data rate. Technically, 310 MHz is the correct number.

Because of the i850 platform of the test, the Transfer Mode shows AGP 4X. On a Granite Bay motherboard, AGP 8X would be indicated. However, this does not usually lead to higher performance in practice.

4. The Latest Graphics Cards For Workstations

The following table gives you an overview of the latest OpenGL graphics cards for workstations.

Manufacturer & Product Chip (Codename) Transistors Street Price Chip Clock Memory Clock * Memory Memory Bus Interface (max.)
3Dlabs Wildcat VP970 VP900 76 mill. €1350 n/a n/a 128 MB DDR 256 Bit AGP 4X
ATi FireGL 8700 FGL8700 (R200W) 60 mill. €199 250 MHz 270 MHz 64 MB DDR 128 Bit AGP 4X
ATi FireGL 8800 FGL8800 (R200W) 60 mill. €499 250 MHz 290 MHz 128 MB DDR 128 Bit AGP 4X
ATi FireGL X1 128 MB FGL9700 (R300W) 100 mill. €799 325 MHz 310 MHz 128 MB DDR 256 Bit AGP 8X
ATi FireGL X1 256 MB FGL9700 (R300W) 100 mill. €999 325 MHz 310 MHz 256 MB DDR 256 Bit AGP 8X
ATi FireGL Z1 FGL9500 (R300W) 100 mill. €599 325 MHz 310 MHz 128 MB DDR 256 Bit AGP 8X
NVIDIA Quadro4 750XGL Quadro4 (NV25) 63 mill. €499 275 MHz 275 MHz 128 MB DDR 128 Bit AGP 4X
NVIDIA Quadro4 900XGL Quadro4 (NV25) 63 mill. €659 300 MHz 325 MHz 128 MB DDR 128 Bit AGP 4X
NVIDIA Quadro4 980XGL Quadro4 AGP 8X (NV28) 63 mill. €699 300 MHz 325 MHz 128 MB DDR 128 Bit AGP 8X
NVIDIA QuadroFX 1000 QuadroFX (NV30) 125 mill. €1049 300 MHz 300 MHz 128 MB DDR2 128 Bit AGP 8X
NVIDIA QuadroFX 2000 QuadroFX (NV30) 125 mill. €1650 400 MHz 400 MHz 128 MB DDR2 128 Bit AGP 8X
* The correct physical clock. Note: the memory runs with double data rate (DDR). Typically, marketing departments state the doubled physical clock when DDR is used.

Test Setup

All of the specifications that follow refer solely to the performance test that was considered in the overall evaluation.

Platform
Processor Intel Pentium 3.06 GHz (HT disabled)
Front Side Bus 133 MHz Quad Pumped
Motherboard Asus P4T533C
Chipset Intel 850E/ Tehama (Dual Channel)
RAM 1024 MB PC1066 RDRAM 40ns Samsung
Hard Drive IBM Ultrastar 36LZX 36.7 GByte
SCSI Controller Adaptec SCSI Card 29160N
Drivers & Settings
3Dlabs Wildcat VP Cards v0181
ATi FireGL 8x00 series v3051
ATi FireGL X1/Z1 v1028
PNY NVIDIA Quadro4 series v41.04, Maxtreme v4.00.25 (3ds max)
PNY NVIDIA QuadroFX 2000 v42.82, Maxtreme v4.00.28 (3ds max)
Resolution 1280x1024x32, Vsync=off for all OpenGL-Tests
OS Windows 2000 Professional SP3
Benchmarks
Viewperf (synthetic) SPECopc Viewperf 7.0
Solidworks (application) SPECapc Solidworks 2001Plus benchmark
3D Studio Max (application) SPECapc 3DSMAX 4.2 benchmark
5. Viewperf 7.0 (Synthetic)

The Viewperf benchmarks are purely synthetic. In the evaluation, the synthetic results are weighted less than the application benchmarks.

6. 3D Studio Max 4.2 (Application)

All of the following benchmarks are based on real world applications that are often used in the workstation segment. In order to run these tests, a full, licensed version of each program is needed - that's the only way to carry out the benchmark moedell or script.

7. Solidworks 2001 Plus (Application)

The SPEC benchmarks for Solidworks 2001 Plus use a complex model of a machine and a vehicle, among other things. In the case of the machine, the maximum number of vertices is 2.25 million.

Conclusion: NVIDIA Leaves No Room For A Breather

NVIDIA FX2000 - Editor's Choice for Best OpenGL Performance

The tests show that ATi has made significant strides with its drivers. This is particularly evident in Viewperf, where the FireGL X1 takes second place behind NVIDIA's QuadroFX 2000 in five out of six benchmarks. It's a different picture with the application benchmarks. Here, ATi has not succeeded in being consistent with the synthetic benchmarks. In any case, performance has been improved in this area compared to the previous tests. If ATi is able to keep the same pace at improving the drivers, then we estimate that the distance between it and NVIDIA could be reduced to a minimum within the next three to four weeks.

However, ATi has to step on it. NVIDIA has already launched its newest generation of OpenGL graphics cards on the market, namely, the QuadroFX 2000 (NV30GL). ATi has not yet completely switched over to the new generation, so you will only be able to find the R350 chip (alias) in the consumer segment. You'll have to wait a bit for the OpenGL variant, although it's been long overdue since NVIDIA raised the standards. Of course, the main revenues are to be made with mainstream cards. However, ATi also has to be able to react quickly in the OpenGL workstation area. In any case, the hardware (the 3D chip) is ready. Now it all depends on how quickly the driver programmers respond to the market situation. But that shouldn't be difficult: the differences between the R300 and the R350 chip are relatively few, so it shouldn't be necessary to develop completely new drivers. Instead, only minimal changes are called for. This means that we won't have to wait long at all for ATi.