ATI Radeon X700

The ATI Radeon X700, built on the R400 architecture with the RV410 chip, sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Manufactured by AMD at TSMC on a 110 nm process, this end-of-life card integrates 120 million transistors on a 156 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 769.2K per square millimeter. Released on August 31, 2004, the X700 represents the Radeon R400 PCIe generation and sits between the Radeon R300 and Radeon R500 PCIe product families. With no recorded benchmark scores, its performance profile derives entirely from its fixed-function specifications.

Benchmark Performance

The Radeon X700's benchmark data is notable for its absence: the database records an average benchmark score of 0, meaning no standardized tests were captured for this card. Its 50th percentile ranking across all GPUs nonetheless provides a positional anchor — exactly half of the tracked GPUs perform better, and half perform worse. This median placement is remarkable for a card with no recorded scores, suggesting its position is derived from architectural specifications rather than measured results.

The card's theoretical throughput figures tell a coherent story. A pixel rate of 3.200 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 3.200 GTexel/s are produced by 8 ROPs and 8 TMUs respectively. The equality of these two rates indicates a design where pixel fill and texture fill are perfectly balanced — neither operation creates a bottleneck relative to the other. In practical terms, the X700 can sustain 3.2 billion pixels per second of fill while simultaneously applying 3.2 billion texture samples per second. This balance is significant because many GPUs of this era exhibited asymmetrical fill rates, favoring one operation over the other.

For a 2004-era card, these figures place the X700 in a specific performance envelope. The 128-bit memory interface and 8.000 GB/s of bandwidth are consistent with the throughput numbers, suggesting the card was designed as a balanced performer within the R400 generation. The 50th percentile standing reinforces this interpretation — the X700 is neither a flagship nor an entry-level part, but a median performer.

The absence of benchmark scores means comparisons to specific competitors cannot be drawn from the data. However, the percentile position and the fixed-function specifications provide a clear picture of where this card sat in the performance hierarchy of its time. The 50th percentile is a meaningful data point precisely because it is derived from the full population of GPUs in the database, not from a single benchmark suite. This means the X700's real-world performance would be determined by how well its balanced fill rates and memory bandwidth handle the specific workloads of the applications it runs. For games and applications designed around DirectX 9.0b, the card's 8 TMUs and 8 ROPs provide a predictable baseline.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Radeon X700 has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The card's feature set is defined entirely by its DirectX 9.0b (9_2) and OpenGL 2.0 API support. DirectX 9.0b with the 9_2 feature level defines the card's rendering capabilities. OpenGL 2.0 support provides a second API pathway for applications that favored OpenGL over Direct3D. Vulkan is not supported.

The absence of ray tracing and tensor cores means the X700 relies entirely on its fixed-function pixel and texture pipelines. The 8 TMUs and 8 ROPs handle all rendering work, and the DirectX 9.0b feature level bounds the shader model capabilities. This is a purely rasterization-focused architecture, with no acceleration for compute-heavy workloads. The lack of tensor cores also means no hardware acceleration for machine learning or AI-based rendering techniques — the X700's feature set is firmly anchored to the graphics standards of its release period.

Display connectivity on the X700 includes 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video outputs. This trio covers digital, analog, and television output paths. The DVI output supports digital displays, the VGA output supports analog monitors, and the S-Video output provides television connectivity.

Power and Cooling

The Radeon X700 draws a TDP of 44 W, a modest power envelope that allows for a single-slot cooling solution. The card requires no power connectors — all power is drawn from the PCIe 1.0 x16 slot itself. The suggested PSU is 200 W, a figure that was accommodating for systems of the 2004 era.

The single-slot design means the X700 occupies only one expansion slot in a chassis, leaving adjacent slots free for other expansion cards. The absence of power connectors simplifies installation — no additional cables are needed beyond the slot connection. This combination of low power draw, single-slot cooling, and connector-free power delivery makes the X700 an easy card to integrate into a wide range of systems.

The 44 W TDP also has thermal implications. A single-slot cooler is sufficient to dissipate this level of heat. The 200 W suggested PSU figure is a system-level recommendation, accounting for the combined draw of the CPU, motherboard, drives, and other components alongside the card's 44 W TDP. For system builders of the era, the X700's power requirements were accommodating.

How It Compares

The database lists no nearest rivals for the Radeon X700, so its competitive position must be assessed through its architectural lineage and percentile ranking. The card sits in the Radeon R400 PCIe generation, with the Radeon R300 as its predecessor and the Radeon R500 PCIe as its successor. This generational placement is significant: the X700 is part of the transition from the R300 architecture to the R500 architecture, and its position in the R400 generation reflects the iterative evolution of AMD's GPU designs.

At the 50th percentile of all GPUs, the X700 is a median performer. It outperforms half of the GPUs in the database and is outperformed by the other half. This positioning is consistent with a card that balances performance and power — the 44 W TDP and single-slot design suggest a product intended for broad system compatibility.

The transistor count of 120 million on a 156 mm² die, fabricated on TSMC's 110 nm process, gives a transistor density of 769.2K per square millimeter. These figures place the X700 in the technological context of the R400 generation. The 110 nm process node and 120 million transistor count represent a specific point in semiconductor manufacturing history, and the die size of 156 mm² reflects the integration level achievable at that time.

Without nearest rival data, the X700's performance relative to specific competing products cannot be quantified. The 50th percentile standing is the only comparative metric available, and it indicates that the card held its own across the full spectrum of GPUs tracked in the database.

Memory Subsystem

The Radeon X700 is equipped with 128 MB of DDR memory on a 128-bit bus. The memory clock runs at 250 MHz, which translates to 500 Mbps effective data rate. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 8.000 GB/s.

For high resolutions, 128 MB of VRAM is a significant constraint. In 2004, 128 MB was a common capacity for cards in this performance class. The 128-bit bus width paired with DDR memory at 500 Mbps effective delivers the 8.000 GB/s bandwidth figure.

The 8.000 GB/s bandwidth is well-matched to the card's 3.200 GPixel/s pixel rate, providing sufficient headroom for the card's fill rates. This balance suggests the memory subsystem was designed to complement the GPU's computational capabilities rather than bottleneck them. The relationship between bandwidth and fill rate is a critical factor in real-world performance — a card with high fill rates but insufficient bandwidth will stall on memory access, while a card with excess bandwidth but low fill rates will leave memory bandwidth unused.

At 128 MB, the memory capacity limits the card's ability to handle high-resolution textures and large frame buffers. Users running at lower resolutions with modest texture sizes would find the capacity adequate, but the card would struggle with the demands of higher resolutions and more detailed scenes. The 8.000 GB/s bandwidth is likewise a constraint for memory-intensive workloads, though it was competitive for the card's era and market position.