The 9600XT is the latest mid-range card in ATI's long lineup to offer full Direct 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0 support. Based on the same .13µ process design as the RV350, the RV360 is the world's first low-k graphics processor. Stock clocked at impressive 500MHz, the 9600XT core is capable of still higher speeds using a standard heatsink/fan to cool it (the same one used on the venerable old Radeon 9700 Pro in fact). At around 30°C idle and more or less 40°C under load, the 75 million transistor chip is an impressive feat of engineering.