ATI Mobility Radeon X800 XT

The ATI Mobility Radeon X800 XT is a mobile graphics processor from AMD, built on the R400 architecture with the M28 chip. Fabricated by TSMC on a 130 nm process, it integrates 160 million transistors on a 289 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 553.6K per mm². The card features 16 texture mapping units and 16 ROPs, with a memory subsystem of 256 MB GDDR3 on a 256-bit bus, clocked at 550 MHz (1100 Mbps effective), providing a bandwidth of 35.20 GB/s. It connects via PCIe 1.0 x16 and supports DirectX 9.0b (9_2) and OpenGL 2.1. Released on May 31, 2005, it is now end-of-life, positioned between the M1x and M5x generations.

Who Should Consider It

The 50th percentile standing among all GPUs in the database places this card exactly at the median. That means it outperforms half of the GPUs cataloged and trails the other half, making it a middle-of-the-road performer for its era. For users with modest expectations, this is a viable option for legacy gaming—specifically titles that rely on DirectX 9.0b (9_2) or OpenGL 2.1. The 256 MB GDDR3 frame buffer and 35.20 GB/s memory bandwidth are adequate for the texture sizes and framebuffer demands of early-to-mid-2000s games. The pixel rate of 7.680 GPixel/s and texture rate of 7.680 GTexel/s indicate a balanced fill-rate capability, which suggests the card can maintain playable frame rates in older titles at moderate resolutions, though no specific resolution or settings are documented.

Given the absence of modern features like ray tracing cores and tensor cores, this GPU is not suitable for contemporary AAA games or compute-heavy workloads. Its end-of-life status further reinforces that it belongs in a retro or secondary system rather than a primary gaming rig. Users who prioritize compatibility with current APIs—Vulkan, DirectX 12, or even DirectX 11—will find no support here, as the card only offers DirectX 9.0b (9_2) and OpenGL 2.1. The 50th percentile rank, while not exceptional, does indicate that the card is not a bottom-tier option; it sits comfortably in the middle of the historical GPU landscape.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The specification lists no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, confirming that hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features are entirely absent. This is consistent with the R400 architecture, which predates the introduction of such dedicated units. The API support is limited to DirectX 9.0b (feature level 9_2) and OpenGL 2.1; Vulkan is not listed. Consequently, the card cannot run any modern game that requires a DirectX 11 or higher feature set, nor can it leverage any form of hardware ray tracing. The absence of Vulkan support also rules out many recent cross-platform titles that rely on that API for low-level access.

The feature set is further constrained by the lack of shading unit data—the specification does not enumerate shader cores. This suggests that the card likely uses a fixed-function or separable shader pipeline, but the exact configuration is not documented. The 16 TMUs and 16 ROPs are the only compute-oriented units explicitly listed, and they drive the pixel and texture rates. For users who need modern rendering features such as variable rate shading, mesh shaders, or ray-traced reflections, this GPU offers none. It is strictly a product of its time, designed for the DirectX 9 era of gaming.

Benchmark Performance

The database reports no synthetic benchmark scores for this GPU; the average benchmark score is listed as 0, implying that no recorded results exist. However, the percentile rank against all GPUs is 50, which provides a comparative anchor. This median placement indicates that, when measured against the entire historical GPU database, the Mobility Radeon X800 XT delivers performance that is neither top-tier nor entry-level. Without specific scores, the theoretical fill rates become the primary quantitative indicators: a pixel rate of 7.680 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 7.680 GTexel/s. These figures are modest by contemporary standards but were competitive for a mobile GPU in 2005.

The memory bandwidth of 35.20 GB/s, derived from a 256-bit GDDR3 interface at 550 MHz (1100 Mbps effective), is a crucial bottleneck in many workloads. This bandwidth is sufficient to feed the 16 TMUs and 16 ROPs at their rated rates, as the pixel and texture throughput are both 7.680, suggesting a balanced design. However, the lack of benchmark data means that real-world performance cannot be verified. The 50th percentile rank is the only empirical measure, and it must be interpreted cautiously: it reflects the GPU's position relative to all GPUs, not a specific score. Users should treat the fill rates and bandwidth as theoretical ceilings, not guaranteed frame rates.

How It Compares

The database lists no nearest rivals for this GPU, so direct head-to-head comparisons are impossible. In the broader context, the 50th percentile ranking places it at the exact midpoint of all GPUs in the database—a position that suggests it is neither a performance leader nor a laggard. Its predecessor, the M1x, and successor, the M5x, are identified as part of the product line, but no performance data is provided for either. This lack of comparative data means the card's position within its own family cannot be assessed. The R400 architecture and 130 nm process node are the only architectural clues to its era, and they indicate a mid-2000s design.

Without rival scores, the percentile rank is the sole comparative metric. It tells us that the Mobility Radeon X800 XT sits in the middle of the historical performance curve, but it does not reveal how it stacks up against specific contemporaries. The absence of nearest rivals is notable—it suggests that the database does not have enough entries with similar performance to form a cluster. This could be due to the card's niche mobile status or the limited number of recorded benchmarks. For users seeking a comparison, the 50th percentile is a general indicator, but no precise deltas can be cited.

Power and Cooling

The specification does not include a TDP, power connector, or suggested PSU for this card. As a Mobility product, it is designed for integration into laptops, where the cooling solution and power delivery are managed by the host system. The bus interface is PCIe 1.0 x16, which provides power to the card, but the exact power draw is unknown because no TDP is listed. The absence of auxiliary power connectors in the data implies that the card relies solely on the PCIe slot for power, but this is an inference, not a stated fact. Similarly, the lack of a suggested PSU recommendation means that no guidance on system power requirements is available.

Given the end-of-life status and the mobile form factor, thermal management is likely handled by the laptop's internal cooling system, which may include heat pipes or fans. The 130 nm process node and 160 million transistors suggest a moderate power footprint for its time, but without a TDP figure, this remains speculative. Users who encounter this card in a laptop should rely on the manufacturer's thermal design. For those considering it as a desktop part—though it is a mobile GPU—the PCIe slot's power delivery would be the only source, and the card's performance would be constrained by that limit. The data does not permit any quantitative power or cooling analysis.