Customer Reviews

ATI Technologies Radeon 7000 Graphics Card 32MB

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I build my own computers, which has proved to be a mixed blessing....

Since I install nothing but Microsoft Operating Systems (OS) on my computers, I have learned to rely on the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), to ensure that all the hardware I purchase is supported in some way, shape, or form, by Microsoft. ...

I have build three computers since that experience, and I have used the ATI Radeon 7000 AGP 4x for all of them, because its on the HCL. For my needs the Radeon 7000 AGP offers the best bang for my buck! ....

What is AGP?

All of the motherboards I have purchased over the last two years have had AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slots. If you have an available AGP slot in your computer (it is usually the small black or brown slot in close proximity to the processor), you'll want to select an AGP video card over a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) video card, because AGP offer much faster throughput. But what is AGP?

The AGP standard was originally designed by Intel for Pentium II based motherboards. AGP can deliver a peak bandwidth 4 times greater than then PCI using advanced bus-mastering techniques. AGP is designed to enables the graphics cards to execute texture maps directly from system memory instead of forcing it to pre-load the texture data into the graphics card's local memory first. As a result AGP presents a much smoother frame rate and the ability to display 3D graphics and video that is much more realistic and much at a much higher quality than heretofore found on a PC. Such performance used to be limited to high-end graphics workstations.
Though AGP is geared towards the Pentium class processor and its Dual Independent Bus (DIB) architecture, you do not need a Pentium processor to take advantage AGP, since the use of AGP doesn't depend on the CPU type.
The ATI Radeon 7000 offers full AGP 4X (Version 2.0, 1.5 volt) implementation for a 1GB/sec data transfer rate, sideband addressing, pipelining and AGP texturing support. AGP 2X (3.3 volt) operation is also supported for systems / motherboards which do not offer 4X compatibility. PCI versions of Radeon 7000 are offered in both 32M and 64M DDR memory configurations.

The Radeon 7000 is available with 32MB or 64MB of onboard Random Access Memory (RAM). The older models sported SDRAM while the newer models come with high performance DDR. Unless you plan to use the card for serious game playing the 32MB version of the Radeon 7000 should be sufficient to meet your computing needs.

Installation

Installation of the Radeon 7000 is pretty straightforward; the included instructions from ATI are logical, well written, and easy to follow. Both Windows 2000 and Windows XP detected the card and installed the software drivers (written by Microsoft) for it. ATI includes a CD-ROM with better drivers and utilities designed to get the most from the card. I would skip the installation of most of the software because it offers little in the way of functionality and clutters the desktop.

First Impressions:

I love this card! Even without the installation of the ATI specific drivers, the cards performance was exceptional. The picture was clear and crisp; the colors were vibrant and true to life; the text was sharp and in-focus; and the monitor flickered not a bit. After I installed the included drivers, I noted little difference in performance, but I was able to control the functionality of the Radeon 7000 down to the smallest detail. Though through use I will probably never need to manipulate them the cards many functions and controls, it's nice to know they are there.

I am not a gamer, nor a graphics designer, so I come nowhere near to putting this card through its true paces, or realizing the full potential of the AGP technology. Video and DVD playback are both outstanding at the standard size, but predictably becomes choppier as the images become larger. It is hard to know what to attribute this to: the card or the mediums used to record them. It's not a bothersome problem, but I'll be happy when the technology finally matures.

Conclusions:

I like this card for three reasons: 1. It is on the Microsoft HCL; 2 it's affordable and; 3. it offers outstanding performance for my money. ATI is one of the oldest and most trusted names in computer hardware, and the Radeon 7000 continues their tradition off offering superior products at a reasonable price. If you are looking for a Windows 2000, or Windows XP video card look no further then the ATI Radeon 7000.

After buying a new Pentium 4 system, I was tight for cash. Luckily enough I managed to come upon the Radeon 7000. It has one of the best image qualities I've seen and its performance isn't too bad either.

This is a very good graphics card at an affordable price. I've used it with RCT 1, The Sims, and Zoo Tycoon. No problems occured with either game. It also performed well while playing video files and the installation was a breeze. If you don't need an enormous amount of memory, go ahead and get this one. It's great!

if you have rare widescreen monitors(such as plasma or LCD rear-projector with VGA input). this card is a perfect match. This card supports three wide screen resolution. text won't look stretched nor blur. I use it on my 50inch Sony w9000 and the screen never looked better. highly recommand this video card.
BTW: pick up manufacturer's rebate from compusa website while at it, before it's too late.

no complaints. i play a lot of counter-strike. ok at 1024x768. at 800x600 the frame rate/response/refresh/update(whatever you want to call it)gets out of the way of the game. the 3D environment on the screen goes as fast as i can move the mouse. i also just got a viewsonic A90f+, another great value at [$$$].

Yes it is true because 7000 has DDR memory 7200 does not!
Plus Rodeon 7200 don't make no more.
The 7000 is better deal, very good budged card.
I have this card running with Windowx XPPro for 6 moths now, no complains I have played 18 games. Did not find anything wrong, much better from Geforce 2 MX series. Better quality comes with Direct X8.1 unlike Geforce2MX old directX7 and no DDR memory.
get this card u'll be happy for long time, also get the newest drivers from ATI website some new games requier new Drivers!
Best money can buy !!

This graphic card was incompatible with my system.Based on what I could do with this card, my game playing experience would have been awesome! It is fairly easy to install and the instructions are pretty straight forward. Returning this video was a very pleasant experience. Amazon was very helpful in giving me instructions about returns and exchanges. I was contacted almost immediately. Amazon is also very good about notifying their customers with confirmations. I highly recommend this series if your looking to buy a good graphics card. It is worth the buy! Amazon is a good place for this purchase.

I bought this 2 years ago for a home built PC.
32MByte memory version. Easy to install. Software works well. My kids found it gave huge improvements to the performance of games like Diablo II.
My computer has a Phoenix 6.00 PG bios, AMD Athlon 2000+ CPU, VIA Technologies, Inc. KT333CF-8235 Motherboard. Windows XP.
AGP Version 2.00 Bus (supports 1X, 2X and 4X)
I never got the board to run at more than 1X on the AGP bus, though it should support up to 4X. Neverthelees the performance improvement over the old PCI card was impressive.
I recently downloaded the latest version of ATI catalyst control center, which stopped the AGP bus working altogether, so now I will upgrade to a more modern card. I think the moral is if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I did not realize that I needed a PCI Port card and the web site did not indicate this requirement nor that this card was AGI. My son pointed it out to me after I ordered the card. When I contacted Tiger Direct, they did not know that it needed an AGI slot. They told me to call the Distributor - Diamond, who after a 35 minute wait on hold, said it was not his product (it was). When the card arrived and I confirmed that it was not PCI, I was able to return it and get a full refund. It was a hassle taking the box to be returned. I would have preferred to know about this before I ordered it.