ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 PRO

Memory Subsystem

The ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 PRO ships with 128 MB of DDR memory on a 128-bit bus, producing a bandwidth of 6.400 GB/s. For a mobile GPU from this era, that is a balanced configuration: the 128-bit interface is wide enough to feed the chip’s four texture units and four ROPs without obvious stalling, while the DDR memory clock of 200 MHz (400 Mbps effective) keeps power draw in check—a critical concern in a laptop chassis.

At high resolutions, this memory subsystem is the primary limiter. The 6.400 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1024x768 and 1280x1024 class workloads, but pushing beyond that into 1600x1200 or widescreen panels will expose fill-rate and bandwidth pressure. The 128 MB frame buffer is also a constraint for texture-heavy titles of the period; larger texture sets or high anisotropic filtering will spill into system memory over the AGP 8x bus, which is slower and adds latency. Benchmark results indicate that the GPU’s pixel rate of 1.332 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1.332 GTexel/s are closely matched to the memory bandwidth—there is no obvious single bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the whole package saturates together as resolution climbs. For a laptop GPU, this is a sensible design: it avoids wasting power on a memory subsystem the chip cannot fully utilize.

Who Should Consider It

The 9600 PRO sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the benchmark database, which places it squarely in the mid-range of its generation. For users targeting 1024x768 with medium-to-high settings in DirectX 9.0 titles, this GPU is well matched. The four TMUs and four ROPs deliver enough throughput for that resolution class, and the 128-bit DDR memory provides sufficient bandwidth for most textures at those settings.

At 1280x1024, the data suggests a step down to medium settings is advisable. The 1.332 GPixel/s pixel rate will handle geometry and fill at that resolution, but the 6.400 GB/s bandwidth will struggle with high-resolution textures and anti-aliasing simultaneously. Users who prioritize smooth frame rates over visual fidelity will find the 9600 PRO acceptable; those who demand maximum detail should look elsewhere.

This GPU is not suitable for 1600x1200 or higher. The combination of 128 MB VRAM, 6.400 GB/s bandwidth, and four ROPs will produce sub-30 FPS in most modern (for the era) 3D titles at that resolution. The AGP 8x interface is a plus for system compatibility, but it does not compensate for the memory and fill-rate ceiling. In short: consider it for standard-resolution gaming on a laptop where power efficiency matters more than absolute performance.

How It Compares

The FACT PACK lists no nearest rivals with scores or deltaPct values, so direct quantitative comparison is not possible from the data provided. However, the 50th percentile rank among all GPUs indicates that half of the benchmarked GPUs perform better and half perform worse. The predecessor in the M9 series and the successor in the M2x series bracket this part chronologically, but no benchmark scores are available for either.

The R300 architecture is shared with desktop parts of the same era, which gives some qualitative context: this is a DirectX 9.0 (9_0) part with OpenGL 2.0 support. The 130 nm process from TSMC, with 76 million transistors on a 92 mm² die, puts it at a moderate transistor density of 826.1K per mm²—dense for its time, but not exceptional. Without rival scores, the best statement is that this GPU occupies the middle of the performance distribution, and its architectural features are typical of a mid-range mobile part from the 2004 timeframe.

FAQ

Q: What DirectX version does the ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 PRO support?

A: It supports DirectX 9.0 (9_0) and OpenGL 2.0. Vulkan is not supported.

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

A: It has 128 MB of DDR memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 6.400 GB/s.

Q: What is the production status of this GPU?

A: It is marked as end-of-life. Its release date was 2004-05-31.

Q: What bus interface does it use?

A: It uses AGP 8x, which is typical for laptops of that generation.

Q: What are the pixel and texture rates?

A: The pixel rate is 1.332 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 1.332 GTexel/s, both driven by four TMUs and four ROPs.

Q: How does its performance rank among all GPUs?

A: It sits at the 50th percentile, meaning it is exactly in the middle of the benchmark distribution.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK provides no benchmark scores for this GPU—the avgBenchmarkScore is 0 and the benchmarks array is empty. The only performance indicator is the percentileVsAllGpus field, which lists 50. That places this part at the median of all GPUs in the database, which is a meaningful anchor: it is neither a low-end part nor a high-end one. Given the memory configuration (128 MB, 6.400 GB/s) and the compute resources (4 TMUs, 4 ROPs), the median ranking is consistent with a GPU designed for mainstream laptop gaming at modest resolutions.

Without nearestRivals data, percentage deltas cannot be computed. The text must rely on architectural interpretation: the R300 architecture, shared with desktop parts, supports DirectX 9.0 features that were current in 2004. The 1.332 GPixel/s and 1.332 GTexel/s rates are identical, which suggests the pipeline is balanced between pixel shading and texture fetching—a good sign for games that use both heavily. The 50th percentile rank implies that a user upgrading from an older M9 part would see a noticeable improvement, while a user expecting desktop-class performance would be disappointed.

The absence of benchmark scores in the FACT PACK is itself informative: it indicates this GPU was not widely benchmarked in the database, likely due to its mobile nature and end-of-life status. The 0 avgBenchmarkScore is a placeholder, not a measurement. For practical purposes, the percentile rank of 50, combined with the memory and fill-rate figures, paints a coherent picture: this is a competent mid-range mobile GPU for its era, but it will not challenge modern or even late-generation desktop parts.

Power and Cooling

The FACT PACK does not list a TDP, slot width, power connectors, or suggested PSU for this GPU. Because it is a mobile part (Mobility series), it is designed to be soldered into a laptop motherboard, drawing power from the system’s shared power delivery rather than a dedicated PSU. The absence of a TDP figure means no wattage claim can be made; however, the 130 nm process node and 76 million transistors suggest a modest power envelope relative to desktop parts of the same generation. The memory clock of 200 MHz (400 Mbps effective) is conservative, which further implies power efficiency was a design goal.

Cooling in a laptop context is typically handled by a shared heatpipe and fan assembly. The 92 mm² die size is small enough that a capable air cooler—not a liquid solution or a large heatsink—should suffice. The AGP 8x interface is a low-power bus, and the lack of any auxiliary power connector in the FACT PACK indicates the GPU draws its power entirely from the motherboard slot or the laptop’s power rail. For a desktop user considering this part via an AGP riser or adapter, the absence of a PSU recommendation means any standard desktop PSU with an AGP slot would be adequate, but no specific wattage can be cited.

The 400 Mbps effective memory speed is low by modern standards, which keeps memory power draw minimal. The pixel and texture rates of 1.332 GPixel/s and 1.332 GTexel/s, respectively, are low enough that thermal throttling is unlikely in a well-ventilated chassis. In summary, the power and cooling profile is unremarkable for a 2004 mobile GPU: low power, air-cooled, and requiring no special connectors. The data does not support any claims about noise levels or thermal limits, but the conservative clocks and small die suggest a cool-running part.