Once a company has established a certain reputation, changing it can often times be quite difficult. Graphics chip maker ATi has historically struggled in the high-end consumer market and has mostly been known for their OEM sales in budget PC's and laptops. Because of this, gamers looking for blazing 3D performance in the latest and greatest applications have often shunned them.
Looking to rectify this situation, ATi announced their Rage Fury MAXX, a 64MB card designed solely with the gamer in mind. Building on the technology of the Rage 128 Pro processor, ATi has developed a unique method of rendering using multiple processors called AFR (Alternate Frame Rendering). What makes AFR so efficient is the balancing of the graphics load between the two processors, since each chip has an independent setup engine and frame buffer.
First impressions are important, and if any card has ever made an impression based on looks, it's the Rage Fury MAXX. Twin processors, 8MB memory chips, and massive board size definitely give this card the ability to encourage a double take. Since the gamer is ATi's projected customer, no TV-out support was considered necessary. This means the Rage Theatre chip present on the Rage Fury Pro and All-In-Wonder 128 Pro cards is absent on the otherwise power-packed MAXX.
Now, the million-dollar question: Will the price of two processors, 64MB of 7ns memory, and a lot of board real estate outweigh the performance or will we see a new 3D sovereign? Read on friends.