Entered CNET Catalog: 05/31/2003
SKU: 0727419410724
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Manufacturer description
Highly evolved and extremely programmable, RADEON 9200 Series opens a stunning new world of immersive gameplay for PC enthusiasts. Powered by high-performance features including a Quad-pipe architecture, the future-friendly RADEON 9200 Series of visual processors delivers a dazzling visual experience optimized to support the most compelling next-generation 3D gaming environments of today and tomorrow.Product summary
The good: Capable performance for a budget card.
The bad: Slower than Nvidias budget offering.
The bottom line: The ATI Radeon 9200 redefines the level of 3D performance for budget graphics cards, but it still trails the competition.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/15/2003
Budget-minded graphics cards aren't trotted out with a lot of fanfare, and the ATI Radeon 9200 is a typical bare-bones example. The card comes with a driver CD, an installation manual, and little else. The card features VGA, composite, and S-Video outputs. Although it supports simultaneous dual displays, the second is destined to be a TV and not a second CRT. Other budget cards, such as the PNY Verto GeForce FX 5200 AGP, support simultaneous CRTs.
The Radeon 9200 uses 128MB of 200MHz DDR SDRAM and is powered by a 250MHz Radeon 9200 GPU. Although its specs and price are modest in stature, the Radeon 9200 is still a full-height card. Because the memory is positioned along the back end of the card, it can't utilize a half-height design, which will keep it from populating some small-form-factor desktops. It is possible that Radeon 9200-based solutions from other manufacturers might come in a half-height format, perhaps populated by only 64MB of memory.
Radeon 9200 GPU-based cards are starting to become available from other vendors, including Power Color. In the coming weeks, a slightly speedier version, the Radeon 9200 Pro, is due out from ATI and other manufacturers, such as In the not-so-distant past, the level of performance you could expect from a value graphics card was minimal at best. The current generation of value cards, on the other hand, delivers 3D graphics performance worth noting. Obviously, these cards donÂ't provide the kind of performance a game enthusiast would demand, yet they donÂ't cost anywhere near as much as high-end cards do, either.
The Radeon 9200 represents ATIÂ's current-generation entry-level graphics card. Cards based on NvidiaÂ's GeForce FX 5200 GPU, such as the PNY Verto GeForce FX 5200 AGP. Unlike the GeForce FX 5200, the Radeon 9200 does not have full DX9 hardware support. This doesnÂ't mean that the Radeon 9200 wonÂ't play DX9 games when they eventually come out; rather, the 9200 wonÂ't support some of the DX9-specific features that the new games use.
The Radeon 9200 does not support 4X antialiasing (AA) at resolutions higher than 1,280x1,024, which is a limitation weÂ'd chalk up to the card being in the value category if not for the fact that the GeForce FX 5200 does support this feature at high resolutions. ItÂ's not as dire as it might seem: on our tests, at resolutions above 1,024x768 with advanced features enabled, the Radeon 9200Â's performance dropped to frame rates too low for acceptable playback, but we experienced the same issue with the GeForce FX 5200. If you want to use the Radeon 9200Â's image-quality-enhancing AA and anisotropic filtering (AF) features, we recommend using a resolution of 800x600 to abate the performance hit that the advanced features sets enact at higher resolutions.
On CNET LabsÂ' 3DMark03 and Unreal Tournament 2003 tests, the GeForce FX 5200 showed a significant performance edge over the Radeon 9200 at a resolution of 1,024x768. The advantage increased even more when advanced feature sets were enabled--on the Unreal tests with 4X AA and 4X AF enabled, the GeForce FX 5200 was roughly twice as fast as the Radeon 9200. Performance varies with the application, however, as we saw a much tighter race with our Splinter Cell tests: the Radeon 9200 put out a slightly better showing when we used the testÂ's medium-quality settings.
Futuremark's 3DMark03 (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Unreal Tournament 2003 test: Flyby-Antalus (in fps) (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell test (in fps) (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Find out more about how we test graphics cards.
ATI backs the Radeon 9200 with a three-year limited warranty. If you need to return the card to ATI for repair or replacement, you can fill out the difficult to locate Warranty Service Request on ATI's Web site. Alternatively, you can call ATI's toll number for the first 30 days following online registration; after the first 30 days, telephone support is available via a 900-number for $1.25 per minute. ATI's Web site includes driver downloads, e-mail support, user guides, installation tips, technical issues, and FAQs.
out of 26 user reviews
Long-lasting and Dependable
Pros: Good for the price; can play a lot of older but popular games; can play World of Warcraft (very well)
Cons: Aged, bad support, framerate suffers (especially on first person shooters and real-time strategy games such as Black&White 2)
All games above were played on the 9200, sometimes with focus on quality, in which case framerate suffered worst on Fable: TLC, Empire at War, Black & White 2, and Warhammer40k.
A main concern might be to have the necessary RAM in your pc to play the games you want to. After my pc was updated with an extra 500 MB (giving me a full GIG), the Radeon 9200 lasted through my favorite games up until now.
I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a nice gaming experience for an affordable price.
out of 26 user reviews
Uhh... OK I guess
Pros: Plays popular games such as Counterstrike Source and Enemy territory
Cons: Poor frame rate, Can't play high games such as FEAR. Little support for the card.
out of 26 user reviews
Gr8 older card that beats the FX5600 in basic applications
Pros: Smooth scrooling of viewed pages, no fan so its quiet
Cons: Tough to compete with higher powered cards
Smooth, crisp graphics make this a super budget card for those that use their computer for the work environment or home internet browsing. If you are still using an older computer, this would be a gr8 card to own and with everything from computers to graphics cards going to supersonic speeds and prices, well lets just say that there are huge numbers of computer owners who don't spend their lifes trying to kill non-human aggressors or out maneuver the hordes in online gaming rooms.
Depending on what you use your computer for and you are not looking to replace that 2-3 ghz CPU, your graphics requirements are not in heavy duty graphic design and autocad but use it for simple tasks like researching the internet, online banking or just everyday tasks with an older (2001-2005) Pentium P4 or AMD processor working with Windows based applications, then this will be a huge boost to your eyes and to your wallet.
This card can be found on computer store shelves used and at online auctions for under $50. I paid $30 for mine.
So if you are looking for a work horse that can deliver with express mail graphics without the express mail price, then hitch your wagon to the 9200
out of 26 user reviews
Not for Warcraft
Pros: Cheap and great for solitaire
Cons: Heats up too much
ATI Radeon 9200 card hasjust fried.
out of 26 user reviews
Crash, Crash, Crash
Pros: None - Don't waste your money!
Cons: Graphics Acceleration Abysmal, Terrible Tech Support, Packaged Software Isn't Compatible w/ Card
Don't waste your money or mental frustration on this one. I will not be purchasing any ATI products in the future.
out of 26 user reviews
Yeah it isnt top of the line, but it is still good!
Pros: Has played every game I have ever tried!
Cons: Dont expect to put the visuals to the max on newer games.
out of 26 user reviews
A Gem Of A Card
Pros: Its a surprising card that can play Half-Life 2 , Doom 3 and Farcry on medium settings
Cons: No Fan No DX9 Support
out of 26 user reviews
Good bang for the Buck
Pros: speed beats my friends BFG Nvidia geforce5500 oc on 3dmark 2001.good options in the display menu.also good 3rd party programs
Cons: not a digital vibrance option.no fan,
out of 26 user reviews
Drivers and some games graphics choppy
Pros: Inexpensive and fine for games less intense than Half-life 2 or Doom 3.
Cons: Lots of trouble running high end FPS games. Screen has so many glitches it looks like an 8mm film of the Kenedy assassination.
out of 26 user reviews
Best Low end card
Pros: i got it in 2002 and i still use it a back up, but it plays many hi-end games like far-cry, halo, doom 3 (on low) but 4 any low end gamers spend the $50
Cons: i got the 6800 Ultra now i do not know how i used that card with that lag but the card is low end 2
out of 26 user reviews
The "weakest link" in my system.
Pros: I chose this card for its stated compatibility and price.
Cons: The ATI Radeon 9200 locks up my system randomly, no matter what drivers I try to use. It not only locks up on the latest and greatest games, but also on internet-based games that my daughter plays.
out of 26 user reviews
Good value, good card.
Pros: Replaced an nVidia Ti4200 that quietly died of natural causes (I don't overclock, and have good cooling). Went with ATI because of the warranty. Tried DOOM 3, and the game set itself at medium res quality. Game ran fine, and even at medium the graphics
Cons: Don't know if the lack of a cooling fan will be a problem once I crank up Max Payne, Flight Sim 7.0, or Wolf 3-D.
out of 26 user reviews
You get a lot for less than $100
Pros: Great tech support. I did some installations issues because I had upgraded to XP Pro for XP Home. I contacted customer support and they had me going in no time. Very friendly and helpful.
Cons: None
out of 26 user reviews
Glichy card
Pros: Seems to be ok for 2d work and having issues with 3d gaming with maxed settings. BF1942 Vietnam is laggy online. Have to keep settings on medium to low.
Cons: money
out of 26 user reviews
Very Good :)
Pros: This card is pretty good, I bought a FIC radeon 9200 with 128mb, it scored around 6000 on 3dmark01 and my old geforce 4mx 440 scored a measly 2500. I would buy a new fan, or get a water cooler. The Features are great, especially trueform. It also has VPU
Cons: NO DX 9 support, this may be a problem with new games, its not the fastest card about either, Its Good value but I would get a 9800xt if you have the money, if you got even more money get an x800 PE from ATI.
out of 26 user reviews
No match for nVIDIA
Pros: Easy to switch from monitor to TV. Great for DVD playback. Great for photo and video editing applications.
Cons: Crashes your PC with some racing games. Since is a new card not too many games support this card. Setting games at high quality sure made the games look very realistic but very slow. Must leave direct3D settings to default, making it high Quality slowes t
out of 26 user reviews
A great card for performance without going into debt.
Pros: 128MB of DDR RAM and all of ATI's graphics technologies mean that unless you're gaming at 1600x1200 it will never lag or get jumpy. The RCA and S-Video out is great for connecting to any TV. Does really well with real-time video editing - on a good system
Cons: Probably not a great card for gaming, at least not when compared to the 9800 cards available now.
out of 26 user reviews
If you're looking for a budget card, you can't go wrong with the Radeon 9200
Pros: Excellent value. Pretty fast performance for a budget card. I have a Duron 850Mhz, 256MB RAM with a Radeon 9200, and I was playing Unreal Tournament 2003 at 1280x1024 smoothly. The game slows down now and then, but that's only because of my processor.
Cons: Not as fast as some other cards, but you pay for what you get.
out of 26 user reviews
Good Budget card if it worked!!
Pros: When it works it performs well for a budget card.
Cons: No Fan! Unstable!! DO NOT USE with an MSI NEO 2 mobo. Very frequent driver problems.
out of 26 user reviews
This gpu is the best i had
Pros: Ive never expierenced any slow framerates any time i played Homeworld 2 or breed
Cons: I truthfully havent found any
out of 26 user reviews
Strong!
Pros: - excellent quality - low price - OpenGL and DX support
Cons: - Have to make sure your non-Intel AGP chipset is up to date which can be a pain
out of 26 user reviews
Good upgrade for those without dedicated video cards
Pros: I found this to be a very good upgrade for people looking to improve 3D performance if they have on-board shared video.
Cons: No bundled software incldued from ATI to show off their card.
out of 26 user reviews
Excellent card for the money
Pros: No speed problems with any of my 3D games, even at high res. Great speed for the money.
Cons: Had to download an AGP driver for WinXP, but that was no big deal.
out of 26 user reviews
I wanted to play some recent games and went with the 9200 to upgrade my Dell 4100 series.
Pros: The ATI 9200 card performs well for people on a budget. The graphic settings can usually be set high with no problems on older games in the range of 450+ for a Pentium 3.
Cons: A bit sluggish on newer software that is near the limits of my PC but I played BlackHawk Down with no problems.
out of 26 user reviews
Best card....for the money.
Pros: I just purchased this card from Best Buy for 99.99. I have done lots of research on the net about it. My friend has a BFG Geforce FX 5200. This card beats it in every avenue. We run all sorts of games on our LAN and the 9200 stomps it everytime. Benc
Cons: Well the bads are that its No DX9 support. There is no on-board fan which is kinda bad news, but no overheating problems to report. OH and no bundled software, CURSE THEM!
out of 26 user reviews
Best card I would spend less than $150 on
Pros: Its secondary moniter feature is nice but the bottom line is it out performs the last card i bought that was 256 mb in frames per second. My money is with ATI from now on.
Cons: would have liked a fan for the card but with 6 fans it should be all right. Its a little confusing with alot of directions for different types of installation. Would be nice if it didnt offer so many ways to goof for the non experienced user.
