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Introducing the HiS Radeon X1650 PRO with ICEQ technology

Yep, it was merely weeks ago that ATI rotated their product line modestly. We've seen the X1950 series which is immensely popular with the XTX and now we have the 1950 PRO. Yet along with that XTX release we also noticed something else - the X1650 Pro series of products, a new mid-range product that possibly will replace the X1600 Pro and XT.

ATI just had to bring something new in that mid-range segment by either shifting performance or price as NVIDIA had a clear lead with their 7600 series. ATI had introduced a number of "patch products" such as the X1800 GTO to remain competitive in the mid-range graphics cards segment. Along these lines it was obvious that the X1600 was not powerful enough to have a superior answer to NVIDIA, and that's where the X1650 Pro now comes in. It's release was really silent and snuck into the product line with stealth. It's a relatively cheap product that can still offer some good performance for your bucks.

The Radeon X1650 Pro utilizes the ATI RV535 graphics core, a new revision of the RV530 which was the basis of the X1600 series. What's new then you are asking ? Uhm, well nothing except a newer 80nm fabrication process. That 80nm process ensures cheaper production of the silicon and more importantly less heat and likely lower graphics core voltages. That means you can clock the core faster, which was done quite insignificantly for this model but the increase is there.

Next to the price, feature wise there's very little difference between the X1600 XT and the 1650 Pro. On the next page we'll chat a little about these features, the differences and the technology.

We'll be taking the Radeon X1650 Pro from HiS for a test-drive, and that means great cooling and a good bundle for the money. I love bang for my bucks... although that line should not be misinterpreted !

Next page please.