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10x8
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12x10
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HIS 9550 Default
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17.72
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14.06
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HIS 9550 308/556
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22.68
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18.08
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Need for Speed: Underground
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10x8
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12x10
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HIS 9550 Default
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36.92
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27.93
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HIS 9550 308/556
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38.90
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32.88
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The difference it makes to games is minimal, although it will depend a lot on which games you play, but I guess every little bit helps. Anyhow, it's up to you to decide if overclocking is worth the gain, but the HIS 9550 we have here certainly has some extra potential and reading around other reviews it would appear to be about the average overclock. One thing I must point out here is that the HIS 9550 is clocked locked, so you will need to unlock the overclocking potential.
2D Image Quality
I loaded up a 1600x1200 image we use in our video card reviews and also pulled up an HTML document with various sized fonts to judge the text rendering. The document used white text on a black background, and vice versa. The screen resolution for all tests was 1600x1200 @ 72Hz on a Sony 19" Trinitron.
Scores are subjective, but having worked with many video cards over the last few years, I'm confident I can provide an opinion on what cards render 2D better than others. The scores will be out of 10, with 10 being excellent.
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FX5950 Ultra
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Radeon 9700 Pro
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HIS 9550
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Black Text (12pt)
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8.5
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9.5
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9.5
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Black Text (6pt)
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8.0
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8.5
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9.0
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White Text (12pt)
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8.0
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8.5
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9.0
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White Text (6pt)
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7.5
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8.5
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8.5
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Bitmap Quality
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9.0
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9.5
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9.5
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2D Displays from the HIS Excalibur 9550 are very clear and concise, with a nice contrast but a some what softer image than the NVIDIA card, especially noticeable when comparing fonts. This is an area that ATI always wins at, and nothing has changed with the 9550.
3D Image Quality
This is an area that many agree ATI have dominated, although NVIDIA has caught up somewhat recently. I was going to do comparisons using FarCry but their seemed to be a difference in image quality depending on the version of the game as well the cards, so reverted back to using Need for Speed. Images were taken without FSAA or AA and at 4x FSAA and 8x AA.
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9550, 4xAA, 8xAF
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5950, 4xAA, 8xAF
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At first glance the images appear to be pretty much the same, but look closer and you can see minimal differences in the 9550's favour. Look at the shadow reflection on the glass from the door, and you will see a more blocked appearance to the 5950's image compared to the 9550. The 9550 also gives us a softer image overall, and whilst it isn't as harsh as the 5950, you do lose a certain sharpness to the image in comparison with the 9550. In my opinion these are minor differences you are not going to notice in a fast paced action game; suffice to say the 9550's 3D image quality is up to the usual high standards you would expect from an ATI based card.
Final Words
It's been a long time since I've tested a budget card and things have certainly changed. Despite not being able to keep up with the high end cards, the does pretty well in its own right and does very well performance wise for its target market. The package and its extra's don't pretend to be anything other than it is, so rather than getting useless outdated games you get some rather useful software aimed at taking advantage of the cards ViVo capabilities. To aid in this, supply a 1m long S-Video lead to be used in conjunction with the ViVo dongle that provides S-Vid and Composite In/Out from the TV-Out port on the I/O Panel. Speaking of the I/O Panel, you'll also get both a VGA and a DVI port, along with a DVI-VGA Adapter, and the card supports Dual Displays making for a quite a versatile card overall.
Gaming performance is about what you expect; older games will run fine, but newer games will need to be tweaked or you will suffer some rather annoying slow downs, and in the case of FarCry or Splinter Cell you will want to look elsewhere. Image quality is what you would expect from an ATI based card, i.e. very good. Gaming performance can be boosted slightly with some overclocking, which the 9550 provides quite a bit of room for, at least the sample we have here does and that would seem to correspond to what others are getting.
Ok, so that's the good, the bad? Well the price for this will need to be right; too close to the 9600 and you may as well get a ViVo 9600 anyway (do ViVo 9600's exist?), but if it's considerably lower, you can overclock the 9550 and get near to 9600 performance (325/400 for a 9600).
Should you decide the 9550 is for you, then you really can't go wrong with the HIS Excalibur 9550 ViVo Edition, and since the iFan version doesn't add to the sound levels at all, that's the version I would personally go for. HIS have a great overall package here, a decent card and without useless software/games added, everything included is actually useable. This has been personally my first experience with an HIS product and I'm happy to say it's been a positive one. Recommended.
Pros: Quiet - Less than 20dB, No extra power connectors needed, Overall useful package - no out of date games included, ViVo features, Dual Display, Decent overclocking potential, Older games and less intense games will play ok
Cons: Performance king it isn't - it's not designed to be, Perhaps some more secure padding in the box for the card itself?
Bottom Line: Hardcore gamers will obviously want to look elsewhere, but if your staple gaming diet features mainly older games, or you're an infrequent gamer, or not a gamer at all, then the HIS Excalibur 9550 ViVo Edition and its extras will serve you well, though do check out the prices of a ViVo capable 9600 first.
If you have any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
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