AMD Introduces ATI Radeon HD 2000 Series

AMD has finally launched its HD 2000 series of graphic processors. The new ATI Radeon HD 2000 family comprises of the HD 2400, HD 2600 and HD 2900 GPUs. At the time of launch only the HD 2900 is available in its XT variant i.e. the HD 2900 XT. The HD 2900 XTX that did the rounds of some review websites will not be up for sale as of now

The HD 2900 XT consists of 320 unified stream processors with an approximate 47.5 Gigapixels/sec pixel processing rate. The 700 million transistor GPU comes with a 512MB of GDDR3 memory which is clocked at 1.65 GHz. It communicates with the GPU bit via a 512-bit memory interface. The GPU core is clocked at 740 MHz. The HD 2900 XT employs the 80nm fabrication process and consumes a whopping 215 watts of power.

Even though the images show the HD 2900 XT with dual dual-link DVI ports, the card does support HDMI output. An adapter is included that allows users to experience high-definition video and 5.1 surround sound audio via HDMI output. Also bundled along are the keys for Valve's upcoming Half Life 2: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2. The keys allow owners to download the games, when released, over STEAM.

AMD has also launched HD 2600 in PRO and XT variants. The ATI Radeon HD 2600 series consists of 120 stream processors. The GPU is clocked between 600 to 800 MHz. There are eight texture units and four render backends.

The HD 2600 has a GPU transistor count of 390 million. Though one thing to keep in mind is that it employs a 65nm process and hence consumes comparatively less power at 45 watts.

AMD has also announced AMD the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2000 video solutions for laptops. The entry-level Mobility Radeon HD 2300 is available at the time of release. The HD 2300 is built on the 90 nm process and essentially intended to power Windows Vista and playback high-definition content.

In July we will see the DX10 65 nm GPUs—the Mobility Radeon HD 2400 and HD 2400 XT. They are intended for the mid-range laptops. Also around the same time we will get to see the high-end Mobility Radeon HD 2600 and HD 2600 XT. These are aimed the enthusiast level gamer and performance market.