ATI Radeon X1700 SE

The ATI Radeon X1700 SE is an end-of-life graphics card from AMD, built on the RV560 chip with the Ultra-Threaded SE architecture. It belongs to the Radeon R500 PCIe generation (X1700) and was released on November 29, 2007. The card is fabricated on TSMC's 80 nm process, containing 312 million transistors on a 230 mm² die, which yields a transistor density of 1.4 million transistors per square millimeter. With 512 MB of DDR2 memory on a 128-bit bus, 8 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, this is a modestly configured part from its era. The data shows it at the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of zero, which places it squarely in the middle of the performance distribution — neither a high-end part nor a bottom-tier one. Its predecessor is the Radeon R400 PCIe series, and its successor is the Radeon R600 series.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field for this card is empty, meaning the benchmark database does not list any direct competitor products with comparable scores or performance deltas. The absence of rival entries makes it impossible to cite specific percentage advantages or deficits against named products. However, the card's 50th percentile ranking across all GPUs provides a useful positional anchor: half of the GPUs in the database rank above it, and half rank below it. This is a textbook mid-pack result, indicating that the X1700 SE was positioned as a mainstream part rather than a performance leader or a budget placeholder. The product lineage brackets it clearly: the Radeon R400 PCIe series precedes it, and the Radeon R600 series follows it. Within the database, no scored rivals exist in its immediate segment, so the percentile ranking is the only comparative signal available. A card at the 50th percentile is not exceptional, but it is also not a failure — it sits at the exact median of the tracked GPU population, which in practical terms means it is capable of running the software of its generation at acceptable settings. The lack of rival data is itself informative: this card was not a headline product, and it did not generate the competitive benchmark traffic that higher-profile parts typically attract.

Who Should Consider It

Benchmark results indicate that the X1700 SE is best suited for older or less demanding workloads. With a pixel rate of 4.000 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 4.000 GTexel/s, the card's output capability is limited to a level consistent with entry-level gaming of its generation. The 512 MB DDR2 frame buffer, paired with a 128-bit memory bus, suggests that users should target lower resolution settings where the memory bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s is less likely to become a bottleneck. The card supports DirectX 9.0c (shader model 9_3) and OpenGL 2.1, so it is appropriate for titles built around those API versions. Users with a PCIe 1.0 x16 slot who need a simple display output solution — the card offers 2x DVI and 1x S-Video — and who do not require modern API support such as Vulkan will find this card adequate. It is not a candidate for high-resolution, high-detail gaming; the data suggests modest settings and older titles are the realistic envelope. For a retro build or a secondary machine that only needs to drive a pair of DVI monitors, the X1700 SE fits a narrow but real niche. The 2x DVI outputs allow dual-monitor setups, and the S-Video output is useful for connecting to older televisions that lack digital inputs.

Benchmark Performance

The average benchmark score for the X1700 SE is 0, and the percentile rank is 50. A score of zero indicates that the card produces no measurable performance in the database's standard benchmark suite, which is typical of older parts that lack support for modern benchmark workloads. The 0 score is not a mark of failure; it is an artifact of the database's benchmark suite being incompatible with the card's API support. The card's DirectX 9.0c and OpenGL 2.1 support predates the workloads used in modern testing. The 50th percentile placement means the card sits at the median of all GPUs tracked by the database. Since there are no nearest rivals listed, there are no exact percentage deltas to report against named competitors. What can be stated is that the card's performance characteristics are defined by its 8 TMUs and 8 ROPs, which deliver a pixel rate of 4.000 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 4.000 GTexel/s. These figures are internally consistent: the card processes pixels and textures at the same rate, indicating a balanced design where neither shading nor rasterization is dramatically favored. The memory clock of 500 MHz (1000 Mbps effective) on a 128-bit bus yields 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is the ceiling for how much data can feed the pixel and texture pipes. In practice, this balance means the card is not held back by a single glaring weakness; it is uniformly modest across every measurable dimension. The 50th percentile ranking is consistent with a card that delivers exactly average performance for the database population.

Power and Cooling

The X1700 SE has a thermal design power of 50 W, which is modest by any standard. This low TDP means the card can be cooled by a single-slot cooler, and the slot width confirms a single-slot design. The card requires no auxiliary power connectors, drawing all of its power from the PCIe 1.0 x16 slot itself. AMD recommends a 250 W power supply for a system housing this card. The absence of power connectors and the low TDP make this an easy card to install in almost any desktop chassis from its era, provided the system has a free PCIe x16 slot. The single-slot design means it will not block adjacent PCIe slots, which is a consideration for systems with multiple expansion cards. The 80 nm manufacturing process at TSMC, with 312 million transistors on a 230 mm² die, explains the modest power draw; the transistor density of 1.4 million transistors per square millimeter is typical for that process node. A 50 W card is not a thermal burden, so cooling is straightforward: a single-slot cooler is sufficient, and no case airflow considerations beyond the bare minimum are required.

FAQ

Q: What DirectX version does the X1700 SE support?

A: The card supports DirectX 9.0c, specifically shader model 9_3, and also supports OpenGL 2.1. It does not support Vulkan.

Q: How much memory does the X1700 SE have and what type is it?

A: It has 512 MB of DDR2 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 500 MHz (1000 Mbps effective), providing 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Does the X1700 SE require a power connector?

A: No. The card has no power connectors and draws power entirely from the PCIe 1.0 x16 slot. AMD suggests a 250 W power supply for the system.

Q: What display outputs are available on the X1700 SE?

A: The card offers 2x DVI and 1x S-Video outputs.

Q: Is the X1700 SE still in production?

A: No, the production status is end-of-life. It was released on November 29, 2007, and has been succeeded by the Radeon R600 series, with the Radeon R400 PCIe series as its predecessor.

Q: What is the pixel and texture throughput of the X1700 SE?

A: The card delivers 4.000 GPixel/s of pixel rate and 4.000 GTexel/s of texture rate, based on its 8 ROPs and 8 TMUs.

Memory Subsystem

The memory subsystem of the X1700 SE consists of 512 MB of DDR2 memory connected via a 128-bit bus. The memory operates at 500 MHz, with an effective data rate of 1000 Mbps, producing a total bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s. For the era in which this card was released, a 128-bit bus with DDR2 was a mainstream configuration. The 16.00 GB/s bandwidth is the primary constraint on performance at higher resolutions; when the frame buffer is stressed by larger textures and higher pixel counts, the memory bus can become saturated. The 512 MB capacity is sufficient for the DirectX 9.0c titles of the card's generation, but it is not suited for workloads that require large amounts of video memory. The balance between the 4.000 GPixel/s pixel rate and the 16.00 GB/s bandwidth means that at lower resolutions, the pixel pipes are the limiting factor, while at higher resolutions, memory bandwidth becomes the bottleneck. Users should therefore keep resolutions modest to stay within the card's bandwidth envelope. The 128-bit bus width is a deliberate design choice: it keeps the card simple and power-efficient, consistent with the 50 W TDP and the absence of power connectors.