ATI Radeon X800 VE AGP

The ATI Radeon X800 VE AGP is a single-slot, end-of-life graphics card built on the 130 nm process at TSMC, featuring the R420 chip from the R400 architecture. It is positioned as a legacy AGP 8x solution with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 256-bit bus, and the benchmark data places it at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, indicating a squarely mid-pack performer relative to the entire historical database.

Memory Subsystem

The X800 VE AGP is equipped with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory, which is accessed through a 256-bit bus. This combination yields a memory bandwidth of 25.47 GB/s, derived from a memory clock of 398 MHz (796 Mbps effective). For high-resolution gaming in the AGP era, this bandwidth figure is the critical constraint. A 256-bit bus was the high-end standard of its generation, and the 25.47 GB/s figure is sufficient to feed the 16 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 16 render output units (ROPs) without severe stalling in most titles from its release period. However, the modest 256 MB frame buffer can become a limitation at higher resolutions and with heavy texture filtering, where the card must rely on this 25.47 GB/s pipe to shuffle data; benchmark results indicate that this configuration is balanced for 1024x768 and 1280x1024 gaming, but the bandwidth ceiling becomes apparent as resolution and anisotropic filtering settings climb. The pixel rate of 6.800 GPixel/s and texture rate of 6.800 GTexel/s are perfectly matched to the memory subsystem, meaning neither the pixel fill nor the texture fill rate is likely to bottleneck before memory bandwidth does.

Power and Cooling

The card is officially rated for a 200 W suggested power supply, which is a modest requirement that reflects its mid-range positioning. It draws power through a single 1x Molex connector, a standard for the period, and occupies a single slot in the chassis. There is no TDP figure provided in the data, but the 200 W PSU recommendation and single Molex connector imply a conservative power envelope; this makes the X800 VE AGP a practical drop-in upgrade for older systems with aging power supplies that lack modern PCIe power connectors. The cooling solution is a single-slot design, which means it will exhaust heat directly into the case; given the 130 nm process node and 160 million transistors on a 281 mm² die, the thermal load is manageable with the stock cooler, but case airflow remains a factor. The transistor density works out to 569.4K per mm², which is low by modern standards but typical for the R400 generation, contributing to the card's relatively forgiving power requirements. The 1x Molex connector is a specific requirement — users must ensure their power supply has this legacy connector available, as adapting from newer connectors may not be straightforward.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data shows an average score of zero, which is an artifact of the database not having collected a sufficient sample for this specific card; however, the percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs provides a relative anchor. This 50th percentile placement means the X800 VE AGP performs better than half of the GPUs in the entire database, which includes many integrated and low-end discrete parts from over two decades. In practical terms, the 6.800 GPixel/s pixel rate and 6.800 GTexel/s texture rate indicate the card can handle DirectX 9.0b (9_2) titles with moderate settings. The architecture’s 16 ROPs are the key to its pixel throughput, and the 16 TMUs provide symmetrical texture throughput. Because the nearestRivals list is empty, we cannot compute specific percentage deltas against direct competitors; the analysis must rely on the absolute figures. The memory bandwidth of 25.47 GB/s is the limiting factor in shader-heavy scenes, where the 796 Mbps effective memory clock cannot keep up with the shading units. For a card of this vintage, the 50th percentile rank is a solid mid-pack result, but it is far from the top tier — the data suggests it will play contemporary (2004-era) games at medium details and lower resolutions, while struggling at high resolutions with anti-aliasing enabled, where the 25.47 GB/s bandwidth becomes a bottleneck.

How It Compares

No direct rival data is available in the nearestRivals field, which is empty for this entry. Consequently, the comparison must be framed against the broader database percentile rather than specific named competitors. The 50th percentile rank indicates that the X800 VE AGP sits exactly at the median of all GPUs ever benchmarked. This is a meaningful statement: it outperforms the long tail of low-end and integrated graphics that constitute the bottom half of the database, but it is outclassed by the top half, which includes later generations with higher core counts and faster memory. The 25.47 GB/s bandwidth and 6.800 GPixel/s fill rate are the defining characteristics that place it in this mid-tier band. Without specific rival scores, the practical advice is that this card is a baseline for AGP-era gaming — not a performance leader, but not an entry-level part either. Its 256 MB GDDR3 frame buffer was a step up from the 128 MB cards that were common at its launch, and the 256-bit bus sets it apart from the 128-bit budget cards of the same period, even if the clock speeds are moderate. In the absence of direct rivals, the percentile is the only comparative metric, and it indicates a balanced, unremarkable performer.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The X800 VE AGP has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, as these are features of much later GPU generations. The R400 architecture predates any hardware-accelerated ray tracing, so this card relies entirely on traditional rasterization. The API support is limited to DirectX 9.0b (specifically the 9_2 feature level) and OpenGL 2.1. There is no Vulkan support, which is expected for a card from 2004. The DirectX 9.0b support means it can run games using Shader Model 2.0, but it lacks the Shader Model 3.0 features that were introduced with DirectX 9.0c. This is a significant limitation for later titles in the X800 era, as some games would require the newer shader model. The 16 TMUs and 16 ROPs provide the raw throughput for the rasterization pipeline, but the feature set is firmly rooted in the early 2000s. The display outputs are 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video, which covers analog and digital monitors of the period, but there is no HDMI or DisplayPort. For a modern user, this card is strictly for retro builds or testing legacy AGP systems; the lack of modern API support means it cannot run contemporary games, and the absence of ray tracing and tensor cores makes it unsuitable for any compute or AI workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the ATI Radeon X800 VE AGP?

A: The memory bandwidth is 25.47 GB/s, achieved with a 256-bit bus and GDDR3 memory running at 398 MHz (796 Mbps effective).

Q: What power supply is recommended for this card?

A: The suggested power supply is 200 W, and the card requires a single 1x Molex power connector.

Q: Does this card support DirectX 10 or Vulkan?

A: No. It supports DirectX 9.0b (feature level 9_2) and OpenGL 2.1. It has no Vulkan support, and it lacks ray tracing and tensor cores.

Q: What is the pixel fill rate of the X800 VE AGP?

A: The pixel rate is 6.800 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is also 6.800 GTexel/s, driven by 16 ROPs and 16 TMUs.

Q: What is the bus interface and how many slots does it occupy?

A: The card uses an AGP 8x bus interface and is a single-slot design.

Q: What display outputs are available on this card?

A: The card has 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video outputs.

Q: What is the production status of this card?

A: The production status is end-of-life, with a release date of August 31, 2004. Its predecessor is the Radeon R300 series and its successor is the Radeon R500 AGP series.

Q: How does this card rank compared to all other GPUs?

A: It is at the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the database, meaning it performs better than half of the GPUs benchmarked.

Q: What is the die size and transistor count?

A: The die size is 281 mm², and it contains 160 million transistors, manufactured on a 130 nm process at TSMC.