Radeon 9000 series

ATI Radeon 9000 series
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
Release dateAugust 1, 2002; 22 years ago (August 1, 2002)
CodenameKhan
ArchitectureRadeon R200
Radeon R300
Transistors36M 150nm (RV250)
Cards
Entry-level9550
Mid-range9500, 9600
High-end9700
Enthusiast9800
API support
DirectXDirect3D 9.0
Shader Model 2.0
OpenGLOpenGL 2.0
History
PredecessorRadeon 8000 series
VariantRadeon X300-X600 series
Radeon X700 series
SuccessorRadeon X800 series
Support status
Unsupported

The R300 GPU, introduced in August 2002 and developed by ATI Technologies, is its third generation of GPU used in Radeon graphics cards. This GPU features 3D acceleration based upon Direct3D 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0, a major improvement in features and performance compared to the preceding R200 design. R300 was the first fully Direct3D 9-capable consumer graphics chip. The processors also include 2D GUI acceleration, video acceleration, and multiple display outputs.

The first graphics cards using the R300 to be released were the Radeon 9700. It was the first time that ATI marketed its GPU as a Visual Processing Unit (VPU). R300 and its derivatives would form the basis for ATI's consumer and professional product lines for over 3 years.