Conclusion

On paper, ATI’s RADEON 9100 PRO IGP is poised to provide a solid alternative to Intel’s 865G chipset. We already know that ATI has Intel outclassed in graphics performance and graphics feature set, with hardware shader support providing DX8.1 graphics (although keep in mind that ATI has removed the hardware vertex shader from its RADEON 9000, so this functionality is provided by the CPU) and SURROUNDVIEW. In fact, ATI was so confident in their graphics subsystem that no changes were made in the PRO model. Intel isn’t standing still though, both Grantsdale and Alderwood are right around the corner, and it’s rumored that Intel will be debuting a new integrated graphics core with built-in shader support.

The real question mark lies in the performance of the new memory controller. ATI claims a 10% overall performance advantage over 865G in SiSoft Sandra and an 11% lead in PCMark 04. Both of these figures suggest that ATI has resolved the performance questions that existed with RADEON 9100 IGP. In addition, the new features provided by the IXP 300 South Bridge put ATI on somewhat equal footing with Intel’s latest chipsets. The only big ticket item that’s missing is native Gigabit Ethernet. Of course, based on the markets ATI is targeting, this may not be too big of an oversight.

The addition of ATI’s new IXP 300 South Bridge can’t be overstated enough. Motherboard manufacturers now have native support for Serial ATA and RAID, both of which are now considered standard features in any competent chipset. This means that external controllers don’t have to be used to provide this functionality, which keeps costs down for motherboard manufacturers and frees up more room on the motherboard itself for additional features. This will be especially important on micro-ATX designs and small form factor systems, where free space is at a minimum.

ATI’s RADEON 9100 PRO IGP is in full production now, with the first wave of motherboards due to hit retail shelves around the middle of this month. Already ASUS, FIC, Gigabyte, Jetway, MSI, Sapphire, Shuttle, and SOYO have signed on to produce products based on the 9100 PRO IGP (although none of the aforementioned companies currently have plans for a full-sized ATX board), so ATI has picked up a number of board partners since the RADEON 9100 IGP was first launched last year. We can’t give you specific products names, as they haven’t been officially announced, but it looks like MSI, Jetway, and Shuttle will have small form factor systems available that are based on the RADEON 9100 PRO IGP. Meanwhile, three companies have plans to produce RADEON 9000 PRO IGP boards, PowerColor, Sapphire, and Shuttle.

As always, we’ll be eager to see how the final product holds up under our usual battery of tests. We’ll be conducting testing on a RADEON 9100 PRO IGP reference board to see how the paper specs compare to our tests. After all, there can be a huge difference between theoretical numbers on paper and the realities of the real world. As it stands now though, it certainly looks like the RADEON 9100 PRO IGP could be the ideal platform for a wide variety of end users, especially those of you looking to build a home theater PC.