AMD Unleashes The ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 Series

[W1zzard]

AMD today announced the arrival of the ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series, the mid-range and entry-level graphics processors in the ATI Radeon HD 2000 series. These next-generation graphics processing units (GPU) bring premium support for Windows Vista with feature-rich DirectX 10 graphics, and built-in multimedia functions for an immersive HD video experience on the PC.


Ranging from USD $89-$149 (SEP) for the ATI Radeon HD 2600 series and USD $50-$85 (SEP) for the ATI Radeon HD 2400 series, the new graphics solutions deliver compelling performance and image quality at an unbelievable price point. The ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon 2400 series have enjoyed broad customer adoption and are designed into a significant number of major OEM mainstream and value DirectX 10 PCs to be shipped in 2H07.

"The ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series drive high definition innovation to the mainstream with an incredible price and performance proposition," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president, AMD Graphics Products Group. "With the launch of these new products, AMD is broadening the reach of The Ultimate Visual Experience by putting next-generation, DirectX 10 discrete graphics technology within reach for more users than ever before."

The ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series deliver remarkable gaming performance and maximize the HD visual effects within Windows Vista and DirectX 10. The powerful second-generation unified shader architecture introduces the era of immersive HD gaming, delivering an ideal balance of high performance, advanced visual effects and breathtaking realism for both the casual and avid gamer. Gamers wanting more horsepower will discover that both series feature native ATI CrossFire technology, allowing for a wider variety of multi-GPU configurations.

The ATI Radeon HD 2600 series and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series provide powerful graphics performance for quick multitasking between applications with the Windows AeroTM 3D user interface. ATI Catalyst graphics management software is certified for Windows Vista and is designed for quick and easy setup of graphics, video, and multiple displays.

Both series feature the Unified Video Decoder (UVD) for advanced hardware HD video processing and HDMI with built-in HD audio controller for stunning big-screen entertainment. Home theater aficionados will be captivated by ATI Avivo HD technology that delivers sharp images and vibrant color fidelity for Blu-ray and HD DVD content.3

With support for Blu-rayTM discs and HD DVDs, CyberLink's PowerDVD Ultra, now offers support for UVD technology from AMD, ensuring enhanced video quality with low CPU utilization.

"Through a joint effort, CyberLink and AMD are bringing high-quality video playback for the latest ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series graphics cards," said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink Corp. "It is quite an achievement for both AMD and CyberLink to satisfy the growing demand for high-definition video performance within the mainstream PC market."

Using an energy-efficient 65 nm process technology to reduce power consumption, certain ATI Radeon HD 2600 series and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series models are designed to be passively cooled for a quieter home theatre experience. Availability for both products is expected in early July.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[jocksteeluk]

these cards are pretty much a sidestep rather than an upgrade but i would give credit for the reasonable price point Amd has taken with the cards.

 

[xylomn]

While these would be useless for gaming I like how they take a lot of the load off the cpu when decoding hd-dvd or bluray disks... that'll be great for keeping the cpu cooler for people who passively cool components to keep the noise down.

 

[WarEagleAU]

Im glad they are coming in at such a low price point. My only concern with the hd2600 is the lack of 256bit memory ring bus. However, with the dual hd 2600xt on the horizon, maybe its not such a bad thing.

 

[hat]

That 2400 beats SLI 8800ultras by 500% in every bench test.

 

[mdm-adph]

That 2400 beats SLI 8800ultras by 500% in every bench test.

That's not exactly accurate -- the 8800ultras used in those bench tests were broken, and the system was defaulting to software rendering.

 

[rhythmeister]

Great pricing...now when can I have a dual 2600XT single slot card for my Lanbox lite to play with 2Gb of Mushkin pc4000 and an Opty 170?!

 

[ktr]

and these cards come in agp.

 

[insider]

The real deal with the X2600XT:

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3023&p=6

Seems a lot like the 8600GT/S, if you own a X1900/X1950 GT/Pro/XT or an nVidia 7900/7950 GS/GT, then it's either a downgrade, or a sidestep at best.

The 8600GT/S is better for gaming than the X2600XT, the X2400/X2600XT cards however are currently the best choice for high definition HTPC machines.

The UVD on the X2400/X2600 are superior than the video H/W Acceleration found in the 8500/8600 cards, neither the high end GF8800 or the X2900 feature those fully working video H/W acceleration engines in it's core.

 

[JrRacinFan]

I wonder how well the 2600XT would be in comparison to my 7600GS.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[insider]

The link I provided above also includes the 7600GT for reference, from those game benches I'd say it's not worth bothering.

 

[Casheti]

My God.. offerings from both ATI and nVIDIA in the mid/low range DX10 market are appalling performance in DX9. With this said, even cheaper cards are better. I have no idea what these companies are doing, bringing out cards that perform worse than GPU's currently on the market for the same and/or less money. There is not really any point to it, apart from maybe the HTPC features. I hope they make up for this loss of performance in DX10 games such as Crysis and Alan Wake, although I've yet to look at any benchmarks for the Company of Heroes DX10 patch.

With that said, I don't think any of these cards are worth buying, especially when there are no fully DX10 games to use them on, just go and buy yourself a nice DX9 card for less money. Or better yet, save your green until they bring out a card that is worth buying.