PCI Express ATi Card shown at IDF

[GlowStick]

http://www.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTA2MzgxMzQ2NFBNaElkbDNmWVNfMV8xX 2wuanBn

Page linked from HardOCP.

ATi also has a PR that says they have a working PCI Express Video card, no mention of what it is, only this picture.

http://www.ati.com/companyinfo/press/2003/4684.html

Any speculations on what it is?

I speculate its a value card, it looks too small to be enthusist.

[schuey74]

"Value Card" is the first thing I thought when I saw that heatsink! I would guess that it's an Rv360. That may end up being one of the oldest cards to be available for PCI Express when PCI Express actually debuts. I know that this card will obviously be AGP when it launches but I think it's to early for ATI to have a working low-end card from next year so I assume it's their PCI Express version of the Rv360.

Kinda boring really, I'm much more interested in the performance of a video card then where I am plugging it in.;)

[GlowStick]

Well they claim this card is nativly PCI express, if it is the rv360, the the ones that come out first will have to have a pci express to agp bridge on them, wtich would raise costs!

I wonder if this could be the next value card above that? most likely not though.

[schuey74]

Aren't both the NV40 & R420 supposed to be PCI Express native? Being that PCI Express mobos probably won't be around until the second half of next year, this makes little sense except for one thing......I supposed that these cards, in some castrated way, will be mid-range cards when NV45 & the R420 successor are released Q3 next year and so both ATI & Nvidia had to implement PCI Express so far ahead of time.

I wonder how much a PCI Express to AGP bridge would cost? If it's a couple of bucks then that would be considered expensive and it would never make it to a mainstream card like the Rv360. But a couple of bucks doesn't mean as much on a $400/$500 enthusiast card. If ATI already has working R420 samples (very possible), then it could be a 6/8 pipeline budget card......time will tell.

[GlowStick]

Yeah, but a cuple bucks at manufacuturing level costs a ton more at retail, example,

the r350 is sapsota cost like 20$ or osmething per chip? then it gets 399$ retail : O

[Paul]

AFAIK, the profit per chip is pathetically small for nV and ATi - nothing like what the CPU guys are getting.

[schuey74]

If you go by just hardware cost then we are all getting scammed. ATI and Nvidia have huge development costs, driver teams, sales divisions......and so on. I really believe that ATI & Nvidia sell cards so expensive because they can (ie, people buy them). Both of these companies could still turn decent profits if they sold their highend cards for $300. By keeping the price at the $400/$500 range not only do they make more money on the highend segment but they "create" new markets like the high mid-range $250 cards. You just can't fit both 5200s, both 5600s, and three 5900s in that $300 cap and still churn out those big $$$$ numbers.

By the way, I'm quite sad about the R420 not making it this year. First, I really want it! And second, it probably means that we won't see the R500 before 2005, a nice preview of the features to be in XBox2.

[Spiritwalker]

Probably the rv380 which is rumored to be the PCIexpress version of the rv360