Sapphire HD2400XT and HD2600XT Graphics Cards

Introduction:

    Back in July of this year, Sapphire released its answer to NVIDIA: the HD 2600 Graphics Cards. Also released at that time were the HD 2400 line - an even more cost effective version. Sapphire has given us an unique opportunity to review and compare cards from both of these lines: the HD2600XT and the HD2400XT. According to Sapphire's press release in May, 2007:

"Both of the HD 2600 and HD 2400 series’ also incorporate the latest ATI Avivo™ HD Video & Display Technology. An exciting new feature is the built in hardware UVD – a dedicated Unified Video Decoder that accelerates the decoding of Blu-ray™ and HD DVD content with dramatically reduced load on the system CPU, making even the low-end cards in the series ideal for media centre applications.

Two Dual Link DVI outputs are provided on all models. HDMI users are supported with another new feature that Multi-Channel 5.1 Audio is integrated onboard with the graphics output to provide true audio and video output via an HDMI adapter for direct connection to an HDMI ready TV.

Developed to natively support the latest applications using Microsoft Direct X® 10 and Shader Model 4.0, for a whole new generation of performance, this series brings new meaning to the Windows Vista™ Premium Experience."

Sapphire also has a lot to say about each individual card. As to the HD 2400 XT:

"Witness firsthand DirectX® 10 gaming and HD features without the prohibitive price tag. The Sapphire ATI Radeon™ HD 2400 XT provides next generation hardware that promises immersive high definition gaming for Windows Vista™ and DirectX® 10 with easy CrossFire™ multi-GPU upgradeability to run the hot titles of today and tomorrow.

Delivering a fully loaded HD feature-set including support for ATI Avivo™ HD, HDMI connect ability, HD Audio and Blu-ray / HD DVD decoding via Universal Video Decoding technology, the Sapphire 2400 XT exceeds the demands of the performance hungry Media PC. The Sapphire Radeon™ HD 2400 XT with its robust hardware offerings such as: the much anticipated ATI Radeon™ HD 2400 XT GPU, support for up to 256MB of onboard memory, 64-bit memory interface, silent passive cooling, and PCI Express native support will provide the pixel pounding muscle to drive the feature rich Windows Vista™ 3D environment and increase productivity.

When paired with Sapphire industry leading innovation in hardware, there is little doubt that the Sapphire 2400 XT will lead the industry in best features and value."

Regarding the HD 2600 XT, Sapphire asks:

"Are you ready for the next evolutionary step in HD gaming? Experience DirectX® 10 gaming and HD media PC features with the Sapphire ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 XT.

No longer are you chained to the confining dimensions of traditional PC screens, step outside the ordinary and into a world of big screen HD content playback with HDMI support provided with the Sapphire 2600 XT. Experience next generation hardware that promises immersive high definition gaming for Windows Vista™ and DirectX® 10, while allowing for easy CrossFire™ multi-GPU upgradeability, to run the hottest titles of today and tomorrow. Delivering a fully loaded HD feature-set including support for ATI Avivo™ HD, HDMI connect ability, HD Audio and Blu-ray / HD DVD decoding via Universal Video Decoding technology, the Sapphire 2600 XT far surpasses the demands of the performance hungry Media PC.

The Sapphire Radeon™ HD 2600 XT with its impressive hardware offerings such as: the much anticipated ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 XT GPU, support for up to 512MB of onboard memory, 128-bit memory interface, and PCI Express native support will empower even the casual user to experience big screen HD gaming on a budget and provide the rendering muscle to drive the feature rich Windows Vista™ 3D environment."

    Right off the bat, it's obvious which is the "better" card. So, the question I'm looking to answer here is, do these cards live up to the hype? Do they have what it takes to run a Media PC smoothly? Are they truly able to drive the 3D environment of Windows Vista™ with the required strength and performance? There's a lot to live up to here; let's see if they can do it.

Specifications:

		Chipset	HD 2600 XT	HD 2400 XT
Performance	Graphics Acceleration	process (Die size)	0,065 µ	0,065 µ
		transistor count	390 Mio.	180 Mio.
		memory options	256 MB	256 MB
		Core frequency	800	700
		Memory frequency (eff.)	2200	1400
		Shader Processor Units	24	8
		steam processors	120	40
		Memory Bus (bit)	128	64
		memory type	GDDR4	GDDR3
		data bus	PCI Express x16	PCI Express x16
		RAMDAC	2x400MHz	2x400MHz
Image quality	3D quality
		standard cooling	active	passive
		standard slot solution	single	single
		external power need	no	no
		DirectX	DX10 SM4.0	DX10 SM4.0
		Memory Optimization	Hyper Z HD	Hyper Z HD
		Full Screen Anti-Aliasing	Smoothvision HD + Adaptive AA	Smoothvision HD + Adaptive AA
		HDR (10:10:10:2)	16-bit integer or floating point	16-bit integer or floating point
	Video quality	Video acceleration	MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, WMV9, VC-1, and H.264	MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, WMV9, VC-1, and H.264
		FullStream  (Video-deblocking)	Real, divX, WM9,
Display support		HDTV compatibility (YPbPr)	yes	yes
		HDMI compliance / HDCP ready	HDMI 1.2 / yes	HDMI 1.2 / yes
		HDMI modes (over DVI)	480p, 720p, 1080i	480p, 720p, 1080i
		native display support	10-bit	10-bit
		3D Graphics Resolution	2560x1600	2560x1600
		TV Out resolution	1024x768 1080i	1024x768 1080i
		Display Out Put	Dual DVI, VIVO	DVI, VGA, TVO
		Dual Display support	Hydravision 3	Hydravision 3

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