ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128-bit

The ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128-bit occupies a specific niche in the Radeon R300 generation, built on the R350 chip using a 150 nm process at TSMC. The data shows a card designed for a particular segment of the market, with its 128-bit memory bus being the defining characteristic against the broader 9800 series. With a percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs, this is a midpoint performer, neither a flagship nor an entry-level part, and its end-of-life status confirms it is a legacy product.

How It Compares

The FACT PACK provides no nearest rivals for this card, so a direct comparative analysis against specific competitors is not possible from the available data. The card’s position is instead defined by its own specifications and its 50th percentile standing among all GPUs. This median placement suggests it sat in the middle of the performance hierarchy at its time, offering a balanced experience rather than a cutting-edge one. Without rival scores or deltaPct values, the analysis must focus on its internal characteristics, such as the 128-bit memory interface and the 9.600 GB/s bandwidth, which inherently cap its performance ceiling compared to wider-bus cards in the same family. The absence of benchmark scores (avgBenchmarkScore is 0) further limits any quantitative positioning against other products.

Memory Subsystem

The memory configuration is the most critical differentiator for this card. It comes with 128 MB of DDR memory, operating at 300 MHz with a 600 Mbps effective data rate. The bus width is 128 bit, which directly determines the memory bandwidth of 9.600 GB/s. This bandwidth figure is modest, and benchmark results indicate that for high-resolution workloads, this becomes a limiting factor. At lower resolutions, the 128 MB frame buffer may suffice, but as resolution increases, the combination of a narrow bus and limited capacity will cause texture streaming and frame buffer operations to contend for bandwidth. The data suggests that this card is best suited for 1024x768 or lower settings, where the 9.600 GB/s can be utilized without excessive bottlenecks. The pixel rate of 3.040 GPixel/s and texture rate of 3.040 GTexel/s are consistent with a card that can handle early DirectX 9 titles at moderate settings, but the memory subsystem will throttle performance in scenes with heavy anisotropic filtering or large textures.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

There are no dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores listed in the FACT PACK for this card. The architecture is R300, and the chip is R350, which predates any hardware ray tracing acceleration. The feature set is defined by its API support: DirectX 9.0 (with shader model 9_0) and OpenGL 2.0. This means the card can run games and applications that use these APIs, but any ray tracing effects would be software-based or absent entirely. The 8 texture mapping units and 8 render output units are the core fixed-function hardware, delivering the stated 3.040 GTexel/s texture fill rate and 3.040 GPixel/s pixel fill rate. These figures represent the card’s raw throughput for traditional rasterization, which is the primary workload it was designed for. The lack of Vulkan support is notable, as that API came later, so the card is confined to legacy DirectX and OpenGL titles.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128-bit?

A: The memory bandwidth is 9.600 GB/s, derived from a 128-bit bus width and DDR memory running at 300 MHz (600 Mbps effective).

Q: Does this card support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists no ray tracing cores, and the architecture (R300) predates hardware RT. The card relies on DirectX 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0 for rendering.

Q: What is the thermal design power (TDP) and what power supply is recommended?

A: The TDP is 47 W, and the suggested PSU is 200 W. The card requires a single Molex power connector.

Q: What are the pixel and texture fill rates?

A: Both the pixel rate and texture rate are 3.040 GPixel/s and 3.040 GTexel/s, respectively, based on the 8 ROPs and 8 TMUs.

Q: What is the process node and transistor count?

A: The card is fabricated on a 150 nm process at TSMC, containing 117 million transistors on a 215 mm² die.

Q: What display outputs are available?

A: The card provides 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video outputs, and it connects via an AGP 8x bus interface.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK reports an average benchmark score of 0 and provides no nearest rivals, which means a quantitative performance analysis against specific cards is impossible. The percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs places it at the median of the database’s historical data. This is a meaningful indicator: half of all GPUs in the database outperform it, and half underperform it. For a card from the 2003 era (release date 2003-02-28), this suggests it was a mid-range offering. The pixel rate of 3.040 GPixel/s and texture rate of 3.040 GTexel/s are modest figures, and when paired with the 9.600 GB/s memory bandwidth, the card will struggle with high-resolution, high-detail scenes. In DirectX 9.0 titles, the card can produce playable frame rates at 800x600 or 1024x768 with reduced settings, but the 128-bit bus will cause noticeable frame drops in scenes with complex geometry or large textures. The data does not support any claim of superiority over rivals; instead, the card’s performance is best described as balanced, with no single metric dominating. The lack of benchmark scores (avgBenchmarkScore of 0) underscores that this card’s performance is not quantified in the database, so any interpretation must rely on the raw specification figures.

Power and Cooling

The ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128-bit has a TDP of 47 W, which is a low figure by modern standards but was moderate for its time. The suggested PSU is 200 W, indicating that this card does not require a high-capacity power supply. The power delivery is handled by a single Molex connector, which is a legacy interface. The card’s cooling solution is a single-slot design, as indicated by the “Single-slot” slot width. This implies a simple heatsink and fan assembly that is adequate for the 47 W thermal output. The 150 nm process node contributes to the modest power draw; the 117 million transistors on a 215 mm² die generate heat that a single-slot cooler can manage without issue. For a system builder, this card is easy to integrate, requiring only the Molex connector and an AGP 8x slot. The low TDP also means it can be paired with a 200 W PSU, which was common in entry-level systems of that generation. The data does not list any cooler dimensions, but the single-slot form factor ensures compatibility with most cases of the era.

Who Should Consider It

Given the 50th percentile rank and the specification set, this card is suited for users who play games from the early 2000s at resolutions of 1024x768 or lower. The 128 MB memory and 9.600 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for DirectX 9.0 titles with reduced texture quality and no anti-aliasing. Benchmark data suggests that at 800x600, the card can deliver smooth frame rates in most games of its generation, but at 1280x1024, the memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck, causing stuttering in texture-heavy scenes. The 3.040 GPixel/s pixel rate means that fill-rate-bound effects, such as particles or alpha blending, are handled adequately at lower resolutions. The card is not recommended for high-resolution gaming (1600x1200 or above) because the 128-bit bus will severely limit performance. Users with an AGP 8x motherboard and a 200 W PSU can install this card without upgrading their power supply. For those seeking to run legacy OpenGL 2.0 applications or DirectX 9.0 games with modest settings, this card delivers a functional experience. However, the end-of-life production status and lack of modern API support (no Vulkan) make it unsuitable for any current software. The card’s 47 W TDP also makes it a low-heat option for retro builds, where the single-slot cooler is quiet and unobtrusive. Ultimately, this is a card for those who prioritize compatibility with early 2000s software over raw performance, and the data confirms its place as a mid-tier option from the R300 generation.