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We
are currently in a very transitional time when it comes to PCs.
SATA connections, new socket formats for CPUs such as the LGA775
or Socket 939. We now have DDR II and of course the PCI-Express
standard that's found on Intel's i915 and 925 chipsets. PCI-Express
is set to replace both PCI and AGP formats giving us a singular
format for both, although the graphics side of things are handled
by a 16x lane socket.
Now
whilst currently these new formats don't offer much of a performance
boost (if any) over their older counterparts, it always nice to
get the latest when you upgrade, although this time around that
will be a lot more expensive since chances are you will need to
update everything all at once. If you are going to be going for
the latest tech, you'll either need deep pockets or to buy sensibly.
One
area you can save a bit of cash on is the graphics card. HIS
manufactures and markets ATI based cards, and they like to differentiate
themselves with their own unique touch, hence they have a mid range
gamers card in the X600XT,
which features a PCI-Express interface, as well as VIVO in their
Platinum Edition bundle.
Specifications
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HIS
Excalibur X600XT VIVO Platinum Edition
|
VPU:
|
ATI
Radeon X600 XT VPU |
| Memory: |
128/256MB |
| Memory
Speed: |
740MHz |
| Bus: |
Native
x16 lane PCI Express |
| 3D
Support: |
DirectX
9.0 & OpenGL |
| Connections: |
VGA,
S-Video, DVI-I & VIVO |
The HIS
Excalibur X600XT VIVO Platinum Edition
I
do like the HIS packaging. It's plainly a box, has some nifty
graphics on the front, lots of info without overwhelming you,
and most important, you don't need power tools to get in it. The
rear of the box gives us even more info and specifications and
its all laid out in an easy to read format. Inside the box we
find the contents.
HIS
have included a manual which describes the card, its functions,
usage and installation, in different languages and in a basic
format. The software disks included are the HIS driver disk, Picture
EZ (limited quantities), Video Studio 7 SE, a games collection
disk with some older games and Counter Strike: Condition Zero
(not personally my bag but I know a lot of folks will enjoy seeing
that included). The PictureEZ Premium Digital Photo Suite 3.1
is a limited edition package, and is available for a short time
only. The software can manage and edit photos, as well as some
page design.
Extra
cabling is provided with a 1.5m S-Vid cable, a S-Vid to Composite
adaptor and the VIVO dongle that provides S-VID and Composite
in and out. The other item you can see in the picture is the obligatory
DVI to VGA adaptor for use with the singular DVI port on the I/O
Panel.
Moving
on to the card itself, you'd be forgiven for mistaking this as
a 9600XT from HIS. HIS stuck with the standard red PCB as found
on most ATI products but do use their own cooling solution.
Like
the 9600XT, we once again have the rather nice iCooler with its
less than 24dB fan and blue led, although this time round the
HIS logo is a raised logo rather than printed on.
Surrounding
the fan assembly HIS have used aluminium heatsinks on the ram
(on both sides).
The
ramsinks appear to be quite large and of a good design, so they
should hopefully provide us some extra headroom in overclocking
later on. The overall appearance is of a less than busy card which
is nice, and the blue LED on the GPU cooler is good addition.
The
I/O Panel gives us from left to right, the VGA port, VIVO port and
DVI port.
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