I have gotten quite a few e-mails over the past few weeks that shared the common misconception of the DDR memory used in the Creative Labs Annihilator 2 MX, so I thought it would be best to address the issue here.
In the upcoming Creative Labs MX card, DDR memory is used but the memory pipeline is only 64-bits wide (as opposed to 128 bits on all SDR MX cards). This is the same method used by Matrox in the G450. In the case of the Creative Labs card, the performance of the "DDR" card should be identical to 128-bit SDR cards since cutting the pipeline in half and doubling the amount of data that can go through it produces the same bandwidth. For example, the ASUS V7100 MX we reviewed a while back has a speced memory bandwidth of "up to 2.7 GB/s". The Creative card, using the 64-bit DDR memory, is listed as having "2.8 GB/s" bandwidth, a .1 GB/s difference that is most likely a result of different bandwidth calculations. The truth of the matter is that we expect the 128 bit SDR cards to actually perform slight faster if at all because SDR memory is theoretically more efficient than DDR memory. Keep in mind that we have not benchmarked this card and this is only our estimate.
So, now to answer some questions. Why doesn?t Creative use a 128-bit DDR memory bus? Well, that one is simple: a 128-bit DDR MX card would be a GeForce2 GTS. If NVIDIA allowed for a 128-bit DDR MX card, they would have a $120 GeForce2 GTS, something they would never allow to happen. Next question: why is Creative using a 64-bit DDR memory bus? Well, this has two answers. First off, it is a bit cheaper to make a 64-bit memory bus, as this requires less manufacturing costs (traces). In addition, DDR memory is only running around 2-3% more than SDR memory, so no big cost there. The second reason that Creative Labs is using DDR memory is to perhaps mislead the consumer some. So far it seems to have worked, judging by the number of confused e-mails I have received. I am not certain that this is the case, nor am I attempting to say Creative is lying to the consumer. The truth of the matter is that by looking at Creative's press release of the 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 MX seen here, there is really no mention of the crippled memory bus; only statements about the DDR memory used. In fact, the only way to tell that this card uses a 64-bit bus is by looking at the listed memory bandwidth of 2.8 GB/s, a number the majority of consumers are not familiar with.
I hope this helps clarify some points of confusion. Look for an Annihilator 2 MX review on AnandTech coming soon.
In the upcoming Creative Labs MX card, DDR memory is used but the memory pipeline is only 64-bits wide (as opposed to 128 bits on all SDR MX cards). This is the same method used by Matrox in the G450. In the case of the Creative Labs card, the performance of the "DDR" card should be identical to 128-bit SDR cards since cutting the pipeline in half and doubling the amount of data that can go through it produces the same bandwidth. For example, the ASUS V7100 MX we reviewed a while back has a speced memory bandwidth of "up to 2.7 GB/s". The Creative card, using the 64-bit DDR memory, is listed as having "2.8 GB/s" bandwidth, a .1 GB/s difference that is most likely a result of different bandwidth calculations. The truth of the matter is that we expect the 128 bit SDR cards to actually perform slight faster if at all because SDR memory is theoretically more efficient than DDR memory. Keep in mind that we have not benchmarked this card and this is only our estimate.
So, now to answer some questions. Why doesn?t Creative use a 128-bit DDR memory bus? Well, that one is simple: a 128-bit DDR MX card would be a GeForce2 GTS. If NVIDIA allowed for a 128-bit DDR MX card, they would have a $120 GeForce2 GTS, something they would never allow to happen. Next question: why is Creative using a 64-bit DDR memory bus? Well, this has two answers. First off, it is a bit cheaper to make a 64-bit memory bus, as this requires less manufacturing costs (traces). In addition, DDR memory is only running around 2-3% more than SDR memory, so no big cost there. The second reason that Creative Labs is using DDR memory is to perhaps mislead the consumer some. So far it seems to have worked, judging by the number of confused e-mails I have received. I am not certain that this is the case, nor am I attempting to say Creative is lying to the consumer. The truth of the matter is that by looking at Creative's press release of the 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 MX seen here, there is really no mention of the crippled memory bus; only statements about the DDR memory used. In fact, the only way to tell that this card uses a 64-bit bus is by looking at the listed memory bandwidth of 2.8 GB/s, a number the majority of consumers are not familiar with.
I hope this helps clarify some points of confusion. Look for an Annihilator 2 MX review on AnandTech coming soon.