Jason Dunn
05-05-2004, 11:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1505130,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532' target='_blank'>http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1505130,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532</a><br /><br /></div>"The desktop 3D graphics race has been hotly contested for the last several product cycles, but during that time ATI has held the high ground in the mobile 3D space. Today, ATI takes the wraps off its next mobile GPU, dubbed the Mobility Radeon 9700. When we first heard that ATI was doing a GPU using the 9700 designation, we were momentarily giddy at the prospect of an eight-pipe GPU coming into high-end laptops. A full-fledged eight-pipe design would seriously raise the performance bar for mobile 3D. Euphoria soon turned to disappointment, however, when learned from ATI that the Mobility Radeon 9700 would be a four-pipe architecture like its predecessor the Mobility Radeon 9600. <br /><br />Despite our initial letdown, the Mobility Radeon 9700 is still worth a look, as it's the first mobile GPU to take advantage of TSMC's low-k dielectric process technology. The new process enables an 11% core clock increase in this new GPU. But is this up-tick anything to get all that excited about? Read on to find out."<br /><br />For laptop owners, the dream has always been to be able to do anything you can do on a desktop, without compromise, and have the portability be the defining factor. The 9700 looks to be a good step in that direction, with a clock speed of 446 mhz, it's a serious contender. Check out the article for the full details and benchmarks.