Image quality both in games and DVD playback was excellent. I have an older, very slow 25ms response time LCD monitor (been dropping hints for a new one for my birthday in Feb. so we'll see) and was quite pleased with the IQ. I spend more hours in front of my computer than I spend doing ANYTHING else, including sleep. So I use my PC for everything from watching TV/DVD's, gaming, working etc. As much time as I spend here IQ means a lot, after all no one wants to watch movies that don't look good.

With 4xAA/16xAF IQ is excellent for gaming, DVD playback was equally impressive.

Overclocking:

I didn't know what to expect as far as overclocking results, but I was hoping for some decent numbers. I started with the default 581MHz core in increments of 5MHz and was able to reach a stable OC of 601MHz on the core. Not a huge increase, and by most "enthusiast" standards it is pretty mild. On to the 1.4GHz memory clock, again I bumped it up in 5MHz increments until I hit a wall of 1.47Ghz. 1400MHz to 1470MHz isn't a huge leap by any means and I don't feel the mild OC would make much of a difference in the gaming test. In my opinion there is a point that overclocking just isn't needed, this is probably what separates me (the casual gamer and hardware geek) from the hardcore enthusiast. 1-2 FPS just doesn't make that much difference to me, especially when the games I play run great at max setting without having to OC.

Final Thoughts

Most anyone that uses their PC to play games spends a lot of time looking at those $500, $600 even $700 vide cards, and for the majority of us those high end cards are a pipe dream. We all want the best possible performance our budget will allow. Being a gamer on a budget usually means you are willing to make sacrifices in one area or another, but video is the one area you are willing to give up the least.

There are a lot of mid ranged cards out on the market, and they all bring different things to the table, for me it's all about performance. I willingly give up silence or a huge bundle of extra software or other freebies to get the best bang for my buck. The EAX1950 Pro is an excellent example of the type of card I look for. Whether you are buying a single card, or are splurging and getting a Crossfire set up it has an excellent price/performance ratio. As I mentioned at the start of this review, a lot of times you will see people ask why buy two of these when you can buy one of those and get better performance, nevermind the people saying this usually don't have either. I would never drop $600 on a video card, but I would drop $400-$450 on two.

The performance of a single EAX1950 Pro makes it a great bang for your buck video card, coming in at about for the non crossfire card and $219 for the Crossfire version you are looking at a nice dual card set up for about $400 plus shipping. Sure your not going to see FPS in the triple digits, but your going to save a few hundred dollars and pay your electric bill.

The EAX1950 Pro cards are HDCP ready and fully compatible with Windows Vista making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to upgrade. Great performance, great price, great looks all make for a nice package.