ATI and NVIDIA keep fighting for the title of fastest video card on the market, with each manufacturer's latest release attempting to one-up the other. With the introduction of the Radeon X1950 XTX, ATI is the current titleholder, at least until the next fastest card comes out.

A member of ATI's X1900 family, the X1950 XTX is based on a central graphics processing unit (GPU) running at 650MHz. ATI couples this GPU with 512MB of GDDR4 memory running at a speedy 1,000MHz, which essentially results in 2GHz thanks to the double data-rate memory.

This core power means you'll be able to have all the bells and whistles turned on in any of today's games, and probably all of tomorrow's games as well. It will leave you well prepared to handle the upcoming 64-bit games that will only run on Windows Vista.

You can also double-up this power by pairing the X1950 XTX with ATI's Radeon X1950 Crossfire video card, provided your system has the room and the PCI Express x16 slots to handle it. The Crossfire card is essentially the same as the XTX, but it's designed to handle multiple GPU setups. This would be a hefty investment in terms of cost, but it's an interesting option to consider for high-end graphics editors or extreme hard-core gamers.

The X1950 XTX features a newly designed cooling fan that reduces some of the noise, but it still has a blower that pumps hot air out the back of your PC. Keep in mind that you'll need extra room next to your PCI Express x16 slot for the exhaust outflow.

You'll find twin DVI outputs on the back of the X1950 XTX, so you can connect two digital LCD monitors to the card. If you've got two displays around, doubling your screen space is a nifty way to game or multitask. The X1950 XTX also supports HDCP through these ports, so you'll be prepared for upcoming Blu-ray and HD DVD drives once they become available.

While an MSRP of $449 may seem rather steep if you haven't been watching the market lately, it's actually quite reasonable for a new top-of-the-line video card. If you've been waiting to upgrade your video card until something worthwhile came along, the ATI Radeon X1950 XTX is definitely worth considering if you have cutting-edge PC and want to beef up your gaming performance.


Pros:  Powerful GPU and memory core, new cooling system
Cons:  Doubling cards are expensive

Warranty
1 year