ATI Technologies recently unveiled three new Radeon video cards coming to the PC. At the top of the performace peak is the Radeon 9800 Pro, followed by the Radeon 9600. For the mainstream market there is the cost-effective Radeon 9200. Following ATI's press release, Gateway, Fujitsu Siemens, and NEC unveiled their respective desktop systems that would be powered by these next-generation video cards. Here's an overview of the 3 cards:

RADEON 9800
Targeting the ultra-high-end/enthusiast segment, the RADEON 9800 products deliver unequaled performance, features, image quality and stability, which are the key criteria for hardcore gamers everywhere. A 256-bit memory interface and eight powerful pixel pipelines provide the brute force and finesse to deliver real-time, Hollywood-caliber graphics – even for the most demanding next-generation games – and sets it apart from anything on the market. Programmable shader engines, full speed, full floating-point precision and support for the latest Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 and OpenGL® feature sets ensure games look great even at breakneck speeds. RADEON 9800 products illustrate an important point – you don’t have to sacrifice performance for image quality.

RADEON 9600
Delivering the best product in the enthusiast segment is also crucial to winning mind share in the performance and mainstream segments, which represent large portions of the graphics hardware market. The RADEON 9600 series brings cinematic realism and unprecedented power to the performance segment, where customers are looking for the most advanced features and performance, at a more affordable price. Driven by its full floating point architecture featuring quad pixel pipes and dual vertex engines, the RADEON 9600 series of visual processors deliver amazing performance, full support for the latest Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 and OpenGL® feature sets and advanced anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering technologies. The first of ATI’s products to be developed using an advanced 130 nanometer production process, the RADEON 9600 products offer an excellent entertainment value.

RADEON 9200
Powered by an advanced quad-pipe rendering architecture, the RADEON 9200 series delivers a dazzling visual experience with the highest performance in its class. With a full suite of performance and image quality-enhancing technologies including full support for the AGP 8X and Microsoft® DirectX® 8.1 standards, and streaming video de-blocking capabilities, features unique in this segment, RADEON 9200-based products deliver sharp, clear graphics and video imagery. RADEON 9200 products offer an unbeatable value, with prices right for the most price-conscious consumer.

ATI Radeon Press Release

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