ATI Radeon X1900 G5 Mac Edition

The ATI Radeon X1900 G5 Mac Edition is an end-of-life graphics card from AMD, built on the R580 chip and Ultra-Threaded SE architecture. Released on November 5, 2006, it was designed for Mac systems with a PCIe 1.0 x16 interface. The card packs 384 million transistors on a 352 mm² die using a 90 nm process from TSMC, achieving a transistor density of 1.1M / mm². Its memory subsystem consists of 256 MB of GDDR3 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 38.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The database records no benchmark scores for this card, but its percentile rank among all GPUs is 50, placing it exactly at the median. The launch MSRP was 349 USD.

Who Should Consider It

This card targets users with legacy Mac systems that need a PCIe 1.0 x16 graphics solution. With only 256 MB of VRAM and a modest 38.40 GB/s bandwidth, it is best suited for older games and applications that fit within that memory footprint. The pixel rate of 6.900 GPixel/s and texture rate of 6.900 GTexel/s indicate it can handle resolutions typical of its era, but it will struggle with modern high-resolution textures or heavy anti-aliasing. The card's 12 TMUs and 12 ROPs are modest, but they match the pixel and texture rates, providing a balanced throughput for its time. For users running macOS versions that support this card, it offers dual DVI outputs and S-Video, enabling multi-display setups. Given its end-of-life status, it is not a recommendation for new builds, but rather for those preserving or upgrading vintage Mac hardware. The single-slot form factor and 75 W TDP make it easy to install in older Mac systems, and the 250 W suggested PSU is well within typical power budgets of that era.

Memory Subsystem

The card comes with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory, connected via a 256-bit bus. The memory clock is 600 MHz, resulting in an effective data rate of 1200 Mbps and a bandwidth of 38.40 GB/s. This bandwidth is sufficient for the pixel and texture rates of 6.900 GPixel/s and 6.900 GTexel/s, but the capacity is a limiting factor. At higher resolutions, texture sets and frame buffers can exceed 256 MB, forcing the GPU to rely on slower system memory or reduce detail. The 256-bit bus width helps mitigate the modest clock speed, but the overall memory subsystem is a constraint for modern workloads. For the era, this was a common configuration, but it means that users should keep settings modest to avoid exceeding VRAM. The absence of a larger memory option means that games with large texture packs or high dynamic range rendering will quickly hit the ceiling. The effective data rate of 1200 Mbps is modest, but the 256-bit bus partially compensates by providing a wider path for data transfer.

How It Compares

The database does not list any nearest rivals for this card, so direct comparative scores are unavailable. However, the card's percentile rank of 50 indicates it sits exactly at the median of all GPUs in the database. This suggests that, in the absence of benchmark scores, it performs at a level typical of the midpoint of the GPU population. Its predecessor is the Radeon R400 PCIe and its successor is the Radeon R600, but no performance data for those is provided. Without rival scores, the percentile and the card's own specifications are the only available references to infer its standing. The lack of benchmark data makes it impossible to quantify its performance relative to any specific competitor. The empty nearestRivals list further emphasizes the absence of comparative data. The 50th percentile rank is a neutral indicator, neither high nor low, which aligns with the card's mid-range positioning at launch.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory size and type?

A: The card has 256 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Does it support DirectX 10?

A: No, it supports DirectX 9.0c (9_3) and OpenGL 2.1 (full) with partial OpenGL 3.0.

Q: What is the power requirement?

A: The TDP is 75 W, and the suggested PSU is 250 W. It requires a single 6-pin power connector.

Q: Is ray tracing supported?

A: No, there are no ray tracing cores or tensor cores in this architecture.

Q: What is the production status?

A: It is end-of-life.

Q: What is the launch MSRP?

A: The launch MSRP was 349 USD.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

This card does not include any ray tracing or tensor cores. Its feature set is limited to DirectX 9.0c (9_3) and OpenGL 2.1 (full) with partial OpenGL 3.0 support. There is no Vulkan support. The architecture, Ultra-Threaded SE, is designed for the R500 generation, which predates modern compute APIs. For users interested in hardware-accelerated ray tracing or machine learning features, this card is not suitable. The display outputs are 2x DVI and 1x S-Video, which are typical for the era but lack modern connectivity like DisplayPort. The card does support a single-slot form factor, which is beneficial for space-constrained systems. The absence of RT and tensor cores means no hardware acceleration for those workloads, and the lack of Vulkan further limits its compatibility with modern games and applications that rely on that API. The partial OpenGL 3.0 support is a limitation for software that requires full 3.0 features.

Power and Cooling

With a TDP of 75 W, this card is relatively low-power. The suggested PSU is 250 W, and it requires a single 6-pin power connector. The card is single-slot, which simplifies installation in older Mac systems. The cooling solution is not specified, but given the low TDP, a passive or small active cooler would suffice. The bus interface is PCIe 1.0 x16, which is backward compatible with later PCIe slots but may limit bandwidth on newer systems. The 90 nm process and 384 million transistors indicate a moderate power draw, and the 75 W figure is consistent with that. The transistor density of 1.1M / mm² is typical for the 90 nm node, and the die size of 352 mm² is relatively large for that era. The power connectors are limited to a single 6-pin, which is sufficient for the 75 W TDP, and the 250 W suggested PSU leaves headroom for other components.

Benchmark Performance

The database reports an average benchmark score of 0, and no individual benchmark results are listed. This indicates that no performance data has been captured for this card. However, the percentile rank of 50 places it at the median of all GPUs in the database, suggesting that its performance, if measured, would be in the middle of the pack. Without specific scores, it is impossible to compute deltas against rivals. The lack of benchmarks may be due to its niche Mac-only market or its end-of-life status. The card's specifications—12 TMUs, 12 ROPs, 6.900 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 6.900 GTexel/s texture rate—offer a rough estimate of its throughput, but these do not translate directly to frame rates. For a more accurate assessment, one would need to run legacy benchmarks, but no such data is available here. The average benchmark score of 0 is likely a placeholder indicating missing data, not a real performance metric. The 50th percentile rank is the only comparative figure available, and it suggests that the card is neither a standout nor a laggard in the database's GPU population.