Radeon 8000 series

ATI Radeon 8000 series
ATI Radeon 8500 LE With S-Video
Release dateAugust 14, 2001 (2001-08-14)
CodenameChaplin
ArchitectureRadeon R200
Transistors60M 150nm (R200)
  • 60M 150nm (R250)
Cards
Mid-range8500LE
High-end8500
Enthusiast8500XT
API support
Direct3DDirect3D 8.1
Shader Model 1.4
OpenGLOpenGL 1.3
History
PredecessorRadeon 7000 series
SuccessorRadeon 9000 series
Support status
Unsupported

The R200 is the second generation of graphics processing unit used in Radeon graphics cards and developed by ATI Technologies. It features 3D acceleration based upon Microsoft Direct3D 8.1 and OpenGL 1.3, a major improvement in features and performance compared to the preceding Radeon R100 design. It also includes 2D graphical user interface acceleration, video acceleration, and multiple display outputs. "R200" refers to the development codename of the initially released GPU of the generation. It is the basis for a variety of other succeeding products. The Radeon 8500 can also have the ATI Rage Theater chip, allowing for S-Video output.