Extreme AX600XT/HTVD

The Extreme X600XT is based on the X600 XT chip and has 128MB of GDDR memory installed. Its default clock speeds of 500MHz for the GPU and 742MHz for the memory provided decent scores in Unreal Tournament 2003, but it did not produce adequate frame rates in Doom 3 above the 800x600 resolution setting. A large heat sink and relatively quiet fan cool the GPU, but the memory does not have any cooling devices, and Asus also ships the card with an overclocking utility that can run this card at a maximum GPU/memory clock speed of 550MHz/780MHz. We tested with these settings and experienced good stability and image quality, while noticing a three frame-per-second (fps) boost in Doom 3.

This card is one of the few we have seen which does not have a standard VGA port on its bracket, but instead has only a DVI port and a high definition (HDMI) port. It does ship with a DVI-VGA adapter so an analog monitor can be connected to it, and it also ships with component cables to make use of the high definition output. Because it does not have an analog VGA port, the card does not have the typical capability to be used in multiple monitor situations. Regular TV-out functions are supported via S-Video and composite cables and video-in functionality is also a feature of this card. Apart from high-end connectivity, a good software bundle is also supplied and includes such titles as Deus Ex: Invisible War, PowerDirector 3 and Medi@show.

If gaming is not your main focus, but you require high definition output, then this card is worth considering.