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When we completed giving
the
Gainward GF4 Powerpack! Pro 600 8X
TV/DVI and Gainward GF4
Powerpack! Ultra/650 8X/XP TV/DVI a workout, we
were left wondering what the big deal was. Don't get
us wrong, as far as affordable video cards, both have
their virtues. Each card offered good performance
and a decent collection of software and hardware to take
full advantage of their respective capabilities.
What we found unimpressive was the effect of AGP 3.0
(8X) on performance versus the AGP 2.0 (4x) comparison cards. Even with these two cards
increasing their AGP bandwidth by 100% versus AGP 2.0 (4X), the
performance gains were minimal at best. With current
hardware and software barely taking advantage of the
bandwidth AGP 2.0 offers, we were not entirely surprised.
It is important to note that future software products
should be intensive enough that the benefits of AGP 3.0
should be more obvious. We suspect that the much
anticipated Doom III will push enough data to show the
benefits of AGP 8X. But until this software arrives,
the benefits of AGP 3.0 are minimal. Fortunately,
the inclusion of AGP 3.0 has little effect on the price of
the product versus previous models, so you won't have to
invest much more money to get
an AGP 8X card. What's more, if you just went out and
picked up a new card that doesn't support AGP 8X, you can
rest assured that you are not missing much...yet.
In the end,
when we stopped comparing the two cards AGP performance
versus older 4X cards, each proved to be a decent card in
its class. We did feel that the GF4 MX Pro 600
8X/XP was a bit weak compared to the Ti series
card, but you get what you pay for. When we take into consideration the price of
the two cards, the GF4 MX Pro 600
8X/XP is tough to beat. With its
aggressive clock speeds, dual monitor output and TV In/Out
capability, it's a good deal. You'll get good 2D performance and
average gaming performance for around $100. However, when we look at the GF4
Ti4200 Pro 650 8X/XP for an additional $50, it
becomes a very good choice. It comes with all of the
features of the Pro 600, less the RAM-sinks, plus a more
powerful GPU that has pixel and vertex shaders and an additional 64MB of RAM. Take
into account the excellent overclocking potential of the
card and it will prove to offer the best balance between
performance and price. When it comes to value minded
graphics cards with better than average performance, the Gainward GF4
Powerpack! Ultra/650 8X/XP TV/DVI is very
attractive.
We give the Gainward GF4
Powerpack! Ultra/650 8X/XP TV/DVI a Hot Hardware Heat Meter
Rating of a
9.
We give the
Gainward GF4 Powerpack! Pro 600 8X
TV/DVI a
Hot Hardware Heat Meter Rating of an
7.5.
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