ATI'S RADEON 9700 PRO HAS been a resounding success, capturing the leads in both graphics technology and performance for ATI upon its introduction last fall, and holding the crown to today—at least in terms of products shipping in volume. NVIDIA's GeForce FX 5800 Ultra may have captured at least part of the technology and performance titles for itself, but the cards are so rare, we haven't even been able to secure one for review.

Anyhow, the new Radeon 9800 Pro is all about solidly winning the graphics lead for ATI, and these cards are set to hit store shelves this month—quite possibly before any of the high-end GeForce FX cards arrive. With fast 256-bit DDR memory, improved pixel shaders, and more efficient use of memory bandwidth, the Radeon 9800 Pro looks to be the new king of the hill. Read on as we examine the 9800 Pro in detail, exploring the performance and technology behind ATI's latest and greatest.