ATI Mobility Radeon 9000

The ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 is a mobile GPU from AMD, built on the Rage 7 architecture with the M9 chip and released on 2002-08-31. It is now end-of-life. The data shows a 50th percentile performance ranking among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 0, indicating no recorded benchmarks. This analysis examines its power characteristics, target users, raw throughput, memory subsystem, and feature set based solely on the provided FACT PACK.

Power and Cooling

The FACT PACK does not list a TDP value, a suggested PSU, or any power connector requirements. The only power-related specification is the bus interface: AGP 4x, which supplies power through the slot. The absence of a PSU recommendation and connector details implies that the card draws all its power from the motherboard, a common arrangement for early 2000s mobile GPUs. No thermal design power figure is provided, so the cooling solution cannot be quantified. The 150 nm process node and 36 million transistor count suggest a modest power envelope, but without a TDP number, any further assessment is qualitative. The die size of 81 mm² is compact, which aligns with a mobile-oriented design. The transistor density of 444.4K per mm² is a derived metric that indicates the packing efficiency of the M9 chip, but it does not directly inform power consumption. Overall, the data provides no explicit power or cooling requirements, leaving those aspects to be inferred from the era and form factor.

Who Should Consider It

The 32 MB DDR memory and 64-bit bus, yielding 3.200 GB/s of bandwidth, position this GPU for low-resolution gaming and basic 3D acceleration. The DirectX 8.1 support limits it to games from that generation, making it suitable for users running legacy titles or lightweight applications. The 50th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database indicates that it sits at the median of the performance distribution, which for a 2002 mobile part means it was an average performer at launch. The pixel rate of 960.0 MPixel/s and texture rate of 960.0 MTexel/s are balanced, suggesting it can handle simple scenes without bottlenecks. Users who require high-resolution textures or modern API features will find this GPU inadequate, but for classic software and early 3D games, it remains a functional option. The 4 texture mapping units and 4 render output units provide a baseline rasterization pipeline, and the AGP 4x interface is typical for the period.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK lists no benchmark scores, and the average benchmark score is 0, meaning no performance measurements are recorded. However, the raw throughput figures offer insight into its capabilities. The pixel rate of 960.0 MPixel/s and texture rate of 960.0 MTexel/s are identical, indicating a 1:1 ratio where each pixel can be textured once per clock cycle. This balance is characteristic of early DirectX 8 hardware, where fill-rate was a primary bottleneck. The memory bandwidth of 3.200 GB/s, derived from a 64-bit bus and 200 MHz memory clock (400 Mbps effective), is a limiting factor for high-resolution workloads. The 150 nm process node and 36 million transistors are modest for the era, but the 81 mm² die size reflects a compact design. The transistor density of 444.4K per mm² suggests efficient use of silicon area. Without benchmark data, the 50th percentile ranking is the only relative performance indicator, placing the GPU in the middle of the database's distribution.

How It Compares

The FACT PACK provides no nearest rivals, so a direct competitive analysis is not possible. However, the GPU's position in the product line is defined by its predecessor, the M7, and its successor, the M1x. This places it as a mid-generation refresh within the Mobility Radeon family. The 64-bit memory bus and 32 MB capacity are on the lower end for 2002, while the 960.0 MTexel/s texture rate is a reasonable figure for a mobile part. The lack of rival data means we cannot quantify its performance relative to other products, but the 50th percentile ranking gives a general sense of its standing. The AGP 4x interface is a standard for the time, and the DirectX 8.1 support aligns with contemporary software. The 150 nm process node and 36 million transistors are typical for a GPU of this generation, and the 81 mm² die size indicates a modest physical footprint.

Memory Subsystem

The memory subsystem consists of 32 MB of DDR memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 3.200 GB/s. The memory clock is 200 MHz, with an effective data rate of 400 Mbps. This configuration is a bottleneck for high-resolution textures, as the narrow bus and limited capacity restrict the amount of data that can be accessed quickly. For a 2002 mobile GPU, this is a modest allocation, suitable for low-resolution gaming and basic 3D applications. The 64-bit bus width means that each memory access transfers 64 bits of data, and the DDR type doubles the data rate relative to the clock. The resulting 3.200 GB/s is sufficient for the pixel and texture rates of 960.0 MPixel/s and 960.0 MTexel/s, but it does not leave headroom for large texture sets or anti-aliasing. The 32 MB capacity is also limited, forcing the GPU to swap textures frequently in complex scenes. This memory design is typical for entry-level mobile parts of the era.

FAQ

Q: What is the process node of the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000?

A: The process node is 150 nm, fabricated by TSMC.

Q: How much memory does it have and what type?

A: It has 32 MB of DDR memory on a 64-bit bus.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth?

A: The memory bandwidth is 3.200 GB/s.

Q: What DirectX version does it support?

A: It supports DirectX 8.1.

Q: What is the production status?

A: It is end-of-life.

Q: What is the release date?

A: The release date is 2002-08-31.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The GPU does not include ray tracing or tensor cores, as these technologies were not present in this era. Its feature set is limited to DirectX 8.1 and OpenGL 1.4, with no Vulkan support. The 4 texture mapping units and 4 render output units provide a basic rasterization pipeline. The pixel rate of 960.0 MPixel/s and texture rate of 960.0 MTexel/s are consistent with this configuration, indicating that the GPU can process 960 million pixels and 960 million texels per second. The lack of ray tracing and tensor cores means it is unsuitable for modern rendering techniques. The DirectX 8.1 support enables vertex and pixel shaders from that generation, but no higher-level features are available. The AGP 4x bus interface is the only connectivity specification provided. This GPU is firmly rooted in the early 2000s, with a feature set that predates unified shaders and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.