ATI Radeon 7200 64 MB

The ATI Radeon 7200 64 MB is a legacy graphics card built on the R100 chip with the Rage 6 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 180 nm process. It integrates 30 million transistors on a 111 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 270.3K per square millimeter. Released on March 31, 2000, this end-of-life part holds the 50th percentile in the benchmark database, placing it exactly at the median of all GPUs. Its memory subsystem consists of 64 MB of DDR memory on a 128-bit bus, clocked at 166 MHz with an effective rate of 332 Mbps, producing a bandwidth of 5.312 GB/s. The rendering pipeline is configured with 6 texture mapping units and 2 raster output units, giving a pixel rate of 332.0 MPixel/s and a texture rate of 996.0 MTexel/s. The card connects via an AGP 4x interface and offers 1x VGA and 1x S-Video outputs.

Benchmark Performance

The database records no individual workload scores for the Radeon 7200, and the aggregate average score is listed as zero, reflecting the absence of collected benchmarks for this end-of-life product. However, the percentile field provides a meaningful positional metric: the card sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms exactly half of the entries in the database and falls behind the other half. This is a notable standing for a card from the year 2000, as the database includes many newer parts. The theoretical peak rates are 332.0 MPixel/s for pixel fill and 996.0 MTexel/s for texture fill. The ratio between these rates is precisely 3:1, which aligns with the hardware configuration of 6 TMUs and 2 ROPs. This indicates a workload distribution that is heavily weighted toward texture operations, a characteristic of the fixed-function DirectX 7.0 era. The memory bandwidth of 5.312 GB/s, derived from the 128-bit bus and 166 MHz memory clock, serves as the primary constraint for fill-rate-bound tasks. In texture-heavy scenes, the texture rate of 996.0 MTexel/s may outpace the bandwidth available, creating a potential bottleneck. Conversely, pixel-bound workloads will be limited by the 2 ROPs, which cap the pixel rate at 332.0 MPixel/s. The 50th percentile placement suggests that, despite these limitations, the card delivers a balanced enough performance to sit at the median of the entire database. The lack of specific rival scores means that the percentile is the only comparative tool, but it is a robust one.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The FACT PACK explicitly lists rtCores and tensorCores as null, confirming that the Radeon 7200 has no dedicated ray tracing or tensor acceleration hardware. This card predates the introduction of such features and relies entirely on the fixed-function pipeline defined by DirectX 7.0. The supported APIs are DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.3, with Vulkan support absent (null). This limits the card to legacy software titles that were compiled against these older interfaces. The Rage 6 architecture provides hardware transform and lighting (T&L), which was a significant feature at the time of its release, offloading geometry processing from the CPU. However, there is no programmable shading capability; all rendering is fixed-function, meaning developers could not write custom shader programs. The feature set is therefore minimal by contemporary standards, but it was comprehensive for its release window in March 2000. The absence of tensor cores means no machine learning acceleration, and the absence of RT cores means no hardware-accelerated ray tracing. For modern applications, the card cannot support the DirectX 12 or Vulkan APIs, making it incompatible with current games and graphics software. The 1x VGA and 1x S-Video outputs also reflect the display technology of the era, with no support for digital interfaces like DVI or HDMI.

Who Should Consider It

Given its specifications, the Radeon 7200 is suitable only for retro computing enthusiasts or for use in legacy systems running early DirectX 7.0 games. The 64 MB DDR memory and 128-bit bus, coupled with a bandwidth of 5.312 GB/s, are sufficient for low-resolution gaming. The pixel rate of 332.0 MPixel/s and texture rate of 996.0 MTexel/s indicate that the card is best utilized at low resolutions and reduced color depths, where the fill-rate demands are manageable. The 2 ROPs are a significant limitation for higher resolutions or higher color depths, so users should expect to run games at reduced settings to maintain playable frame rates. The card's single-slot design and lack of power connectors simplify installation in AGP 4x motherboards. Its TDP of 23 W is modest, and the suggested PSU of 200 W means it will not stress older power supplies. The card is end-of-life, and its API support is capped at DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.3, so it cannot run any modern games. It is also unsuitable for any compute or productivity workloads due to the lack of tensor cores and the fixed-function pipeline. For those seeking to experience early 3D gaming or to build a period-correct retro system, this card offers a genuine piece of computing history, but it has no practical use beyond that.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals array in the FACT PACK is empty, meaning the database contains no directly comparable GPU scores for this card. Consequently, there are no percentage deltas to report against specific rival models. The only comparative metric available is the 50th percentile standing, which places the card at the exact median of all GPUs in the database. This is a positional comparison rather than a specific delta, but it indicates that the Radeon 7200 outperforms half of the database entries, which include many newer parts. Internally, the balance between the 6 TMUs and 2 ROPs is notable. A 3:1 ratio of texture to pixel rate is atypical, as most cards from that era had a more even distribution. This suggests that texture-heavy scenes, such as those with detailed surfaces, will perform relatively better than pixel-heavy scenes, such as those with complex lighting or transparency effects. The memory bandwidth of 5.312 GB/s is a limiting factor when compared to the texture rate of 996.0 MTexel/s. To fully utilize the texture rate, the card would require a higher bandwidth, indicating a potential bottleneck in texture-rich environments. Without rival scores, the analysis must rely on the theoretical rates and the percentile. The 50th percentile is a robust indicator of its position in the overall database, even if specific competitor deltas are unavailable. The card's predecessor is the Rage 6, and its successor is the Radeon R200, but the FACT PACK provides no performance data for these parts.

Power and Cooling

The Radeon 7200 has a TDP of 23 W, which is exceptionally low. This allows the card to be powered entirely by the AGP 4x slot, as it has no power connectors (listed as "None"). The suggested PSU rating is 200 W, meaning any system with a 200 W or greater power supply can support this card without concern. The single-slot form factor ensures that it occupies only one expansion slot, leaving room for other cards in multi-slot systems. The 180 nm process node and 30 million transistor count contribute to the low thermal output. The die size of 111 mm² is moderate, but the transistor density of 270.3K per square millimeter reflects the manufacturing capabilities of the early 2000s. The memory clock of 166 MHz with an effective 332 Mbps rate does not generate significant heat, further reducing cooling requirements. The card's low TDP means that a simple passive cooler or a low-speed fan would suffice, though the FACT PACK does not specify the cooler type. The absence of power connectors simplifies installation, as there are no additional cables to manage. For users building a retro system, the 200 W PSU recommendation is easily met by most standard power supplies from that era. The card's power profile is so modest that it can be considered a low-power component, making it ideal for systems with limited power budgets.