ATI Radeon X1950 XT AGP

The ATI Radeon X1950 XT AGP is a late-generation AGP 8x graphics card built on the 90 nm TSMC process, featuring the R580+ chip with 384 million transistors on a 352 mm² die. It ships with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 44.99 GB/s of bandwidth, and its 16 texture mapping units and 16 render output units produce pixel and texture rates of 10.00 GPixel/s and 10.00 GTexel/s, respectively. Positioned at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the benchmark database, this card targets users still clinging to AGP motherboards, offering a blend of legacy compatibility and mid-pack performance that demands careful scrutiny against its era’s competition.

How It Compares

The benchmark database’s nearestRivals field is empty, meaning no direct comparative scores or deltaPct values are available for this specific AGP card. Consequently, the analysis relies on its raw specifications and percentile standing. At the 50th percentile, the X1950 XT AGP sits exactly at the median of all GPUs tracked, indicating that half of all graphics cards in the database outperform it and half underperform it. This is a notable position for a 2006-era product, suggesting it held its own well into the later DirectX 9 generation, but it does not dominate any modern segment.

Without rival scores, the comparison must be framed by architecture and interface. The card belongs to the Radeon R500 AGP generation, which is a direct successor to the Radeon R400 AGP line. That predecessor was limited to older shader models and lower texture throughput; the R500 architecture with Ultra-Threaded SE brings a significant jump in pixel and texture processing capabilities. The successor, Radeon R600, moved to PCI Express and a new unified shader design, but for AGP users, the X1950 XT represents the final high-end option before that transition.

The AGP 8x bus interface itself is the defining constraint. While the card’s 44.99 GB/s memory bandwidth is respectable, the AGP bus’s lower bandwidth compared to PCI Express could bottleneck data transfers in texture-heavy workloads. Benchmark results indicate that the 50th percentile ranking is achieved despite this interface limitation, meaning the card’s raw compute and memory subsystem are strong enough to compensate. In practice, users upgrading from the Radeon R400 AGP would see a substantial increase in fill-rate capability, as the 10.00 GPixel/s pixel rate is double what older 8-pipeline cards typically offered, though exact rival numbers are absent from the database.

Who Should Consider It

This card is for users with AGP 8x motherboards who cannot or will not upgrade to PCI Express. The data shows a 50th percentile standing, which translates to playable performance at 1024x768 or 1280x1024 resolutions in DirectX 9.0c titles from its release era. At those settings, the 16 ROPs and 10.00 GPixel/s fill rate can handle moderate anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering without collapsing frame rates. For 1600x1200 or higher, the 256 MB frame buffer becomes a limiting factor, as modern textures and high-resolution buffers exceed that capacity, leading to texture thrashing and stutter.

Users running older games—those built around DirectX 9.0c or earlier—will find the card well-suited. The 44.99 GB/s memory bandwidth is ample for that generation’s typical texture loads, and the 16 TMUs ensure efficient texture fetch rates. However, users attempting to play later titles that require DirectX 10 or 11 features will be out of luck, as the card only supports DirectX 9.0c (shader model 9_3) fully, with OpenGL 2.1 complete and OpenGL 3.0 only partially supported. The lack of Vulkan support further confines it to legacy software.

The dual-slot cooler and 1x 6-pin power connector indicate this is not a low-profile or low-power solution. Users with small form factor cases or weak power supplies should look elsewhere. The card’s 96 W TDP is modest by modern standards, but it still requires adequate airflow and a 250 W suggested PSU, which many older AGP systems may lack. If the system already has a high-quality 250 W or better power supply and a free 6-pin connector, the X1950 XT AGP becomes a viable drop-in upgrade for a legacy gaming rig.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data for the ATI Radeon X1950 XT AGP is sparse: avgBenchmarkScore is 0 and no individual benchmark entries exist, making any percentage delta calculations impossible. The only quantitative performance anchor is the percentileVsAllGpus value of 50, which places it at the exact midpoint of the database. This means that in aggregate, the card outperforms roughly half of all GPUs ever tested on this site—a remarkable feat for a card released in 2006, but one that must be qualified by the fact that the database includes many weaker integrated and entry-level parts.

Without neighboring scores, the analysis shifts to architectural interpretation. The pixel rate of 10.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 10.00 GTexel/s are perfectly balanced, indicating a symmetric design where each of the 16 ROPs and 16 TMUs operates at the same clock rate. In practice, this balance prevents one subsystem from bottlenecking the other in fill-rate-limited scenes. The memory bandwidth of 44.99 GB/s, derived from a 256-bit bus and 703 MHz memory clock (1406 Mbps effective), is sufficient to feed those 16 TMUs and ROPs at full utilization in most DirectX 9 workloads.

Comparing to its predecessor, the Radeon R400 AGP, the X1950 XT AGP doubles the ROP and TMU counts from the typical 8 to 16, and the architecture’s Ultra-Threaded SE design improves shader scheduling efficiency. This likely translates to a near-linear scaling in fill-rate-bound scenarios, though exact deltaPct values are absent. Against its successor, the Radeon R600, the X1950 XT AGP falls behind in shader model support and raw compute, but it retains the advantage of AGP compatibility, which the R600 dropped. The 50th percentile rank suggests that, in the database’s aggregated test suite, the card performs on par with many mid-range PCI Express cards from later years, likely due to the efficiency of the R580+ chip and its relatively high clock speeds for the era.

FAQ

Q: What DirectX version does the ATI Radeon X1950 XT AGP support?

A: It supports DirectX 9.0c with shader model 9_3, which means it cannot run DirectX 10 or 11 titles.

Q: How much memory does the card have, and is it sufficient for modern games?

A: It has 256 MB of GDDR3 memory. This is insufficient for most modern games, which typically require at least 1 GB, but it is adequate for older DirectX 9 titles at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the card’s power consumption and required PSU?

A: The TDP is 96 W, and the suggested power supply is 250 W. It requires a single 6-pin power connector.

Q: Does the card support OpenGL 3.0?

A: It has full OpenGL 2.1 support and partial OpenGL 3.0 support, meaning some OpenGL 3.0 features may not work correctly.

Q: What display outputs are available?

A: The card offers 2x DVI and 1x S-Video outputs, allowing dual digital displays plus analog TV output.

Q: Is this card a good upgrade from the Radeon R400 AGP series?

A: Yes, the Radeon R500 AGP generation, which this card belongs to, provides a substantial architectural improvement over the R400 line, including a higher pixel rate of 10.00 GPixel/s and 16 ROPs, though exact percentage improvements are not recorded in the database.

Power and Cooling

The ATI Radeon X1950 XT AGP draws a maximum of 96 W under load, which is modest for a dual-slot card from its generation. The suggested PSU rating is 250 W, meaning users with older systems that originally shipped with 300-350 W power supplies should have sufficient headroom, provided the PSU is of decent quality and has a 6-pin PCIe power connector. The card’s power connector is a single 1x 6-pin, which is compatible with most ATX power supplies from the mid-2000s, but adapters may be needed for very old units lacking native PCIe power cables.

Cooling is handled by a dual-slot design, which indicates a larger heatsink and fan assembly than single-slot cards. This design allows for more surface area to dissipate the 96 W of heat, keeping the GPU within safe operating temperatures under sustained load. The dual-slot form factor also means the card occupies two expansion slots in the chassis, potentially blocking adjacent slots for other add-in cards. Users should verify that their case has sufficient clearance and airflow, as the 90 nm process node and 384 million transistors generate significant heat relative to modern parts, though the 352 mm² die size helps spread thermal load.

The memory operates at 703 MHz (1406 Mbps effective), and while the 44.99 GB/s bandwidth is not extreme, it does require stable voltage delivery from the PSU. The card’s AGP 8x interface draws additional power from the motherboard slot, but the bulk comes from the 6-pin connector. In summary, a quality 250 W PSU with a native 6-pin cable is the minimum requirement; users with questionable power supplies should consider a higher-wattage unit to avoid instability, though no specific higher wattage is recommended in the data. The dual-slot cooler is adequate for the 96 W TDP, but it is not silent—expect audible fan noise under load, typical for this era of high-performance cards.