Originally posted by Nilsen10
Skuzzy, are you saying that the faster 9600XT actually needs less power than the slower 9600PRO?
Yes. Quite a bit less. The 9600XT uses a low-k dielectric core, which (in a nutshell) cuts power requirements substantially. I can't think of a good analogy to explain how this works and I don't know how to explain it without falling deep into techno land.
The 9600XT is based on the RV360 core and is the first GPU to make use of low-k dielectric technology in a video card. Suffice it to say, ATI has some sharp people, as NVidia has been beating thier head against this wall for over a year and still cannot get it to work.
The low-k design is also why the core can be clocked so high. Coming out of the chute with a 500Mhz core clock, with plenty of room to overclock is pretty serious. Considering the only other GPU that could be clocked that high was the NVidia 5800Ultra, and it needed an insane cooling system to help it run.
