PowerColor X1600 XT BRAVO Edition

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by Rob Williams on March 13, 2006 in Graphics & Displays

Are you building a new PC or HTPC and are looking for a great budget card? PowerColor may have exactly what you need, with their X1600XT 256MB. It offers great gaming performance for a budget card, and includes the AVIVO technology to make your video experience even better.

Page 1 – Introduction

If you are considering an upgrade to the PCI-Express platform and don’t know which GPU to pick up, then this review may be for you. In the GPU-world, there’s always a low and high end card. The card we are taking a look at today lands itself in the middle somewhere, and proves to be a worthy contender to it’s competitors.

The X1600 series has a lot to offer. If you are familiar with ATI’s AVIVO technology, you will get it here. In gist, AVIVO is everything video related. It offers superb video playback quality, crisp and clear images and vibrant colors. It includes benefits for HD TV’s and other high-definition monitors. You can look below in the features list for a more detailed look at what AVIVO offers. Today, we are taking a look at the gaming aspect of the card, not the video playback.

If you are a budget gamer, which you must be if you are reading this review, then you may benefit from the Crossfire capabilities that the card offers. If you have a Crossfire capable motherboard and a X1600 Crossfire card, you are good to go with multi-GPU. PowerColor offers two versions of their X1600XT, but the only difference is that one offers VIVO (Video-In, Video-Out). The cards otherwise are clocked at the same speed and include the same extras.

The X1600XT is the top offering available in it’s class, with the next step up being the X1800XL. At the time of writing, the X1600XT retails for around $170US, while the X1800XL retails for $370. That’s quite a jump, and at that point you may as well shell out the extra for an X1900. The card I’m taking a look at today is one I couldn’t wait to shove in the machine. All of the benchmarking tests throws this card against my 6800GT. Granted, the 6800GT was top end of last gen, and offers more pixel pipelines and a wider memory bus, but that’s why it will be a fun challenge!

Before we jump into looking the card over, here is a huge chunk of text that compares today’s card to others on the market and below you can read the specifics and features.

X1600XT
X1800XT
X1900XT
6600GT
7800GT
7800GTX
Pixel Shaders
12
16
48
8
20
24
Bus Width
128bit
256bit
256bit
128bit
256bit
256bit
Current Avg. $
$169
$520
$550
$130
$300
$460

Specifications

  • Part Number : X1600XT256MBVIVODDR3
  • 2nd Part Number : 4710810937804 / X1600XT256VIVO
  • Memory & Bus Width : 256 MB GDDR3 / 128bit
  • Core Speed : 600 MHz
  • Memory Speed : 700 MHz x 2
  • Output : Dual DVI/ / / VIVO/ HDTV
  • Interface : PCIE x16
  • Pixel Pipelines : 12
  • Direct X Support : 9.0
  • TV Connector : S-Video

Features

    Transform Your PC with Intense 3D and High-Definition Visuals

  • The Radeon X1600 is designed to deliver outstanding entertainment and 3D graphics through its unique ultra-threaded core architecture and Avivo video and display technology. The Radeon X1600 is CrossFire Ready to deliver the ultimate gaming performance.
    Revolutionary Avivo Video and Display Technology

  • With Avivo technology the Radeon X1600 connects to home entertainment devices and produces vibrant colors, sharp images, true-to-life image reproduction, and the smoothest video playback ever offered by ATI.
  • With ATI’s Avivo technology the Radeon X1600 connects to home entertainment devices and allows you to view your digital media and play games with vibrant colors, sharp images, true-to-life image reproduction, and the smoothest video playback ever offered by ATI.
    CrossFire Ready for Extreme, Accelerated Gaming

  • Get multi-GPU gaming performance that works with all games by adding a Radeon X1600 Crossfire Edition graphics card for powerful GPU sharing.
    The Most Advanced 3D Performance Technology

  • Experience state-of-the-art graphics technology and enjoy unparalleled gaming with the most advanced 3D performance technology including: a 90-nanometer process GPU, a new ultra-threaded core processing architecture, a 256-bit ring-bus memory controller and up to 512 MB GDDR3 RAM.
    A New Era of Visual Realism Brings Your Games to Life

  • Radeon X1600’s 90-nanometer process technology and new 3D architecture support Shader Model 3.0 and deliver better gaming allowing for new high dynamic range visual effects, enhanced realism with adaptive anti-aliasing and lightening fast performance.
    Intelligent Software for Clear and Stable Images

  • Squeeze every drop of performance out of the Radeon X1600, with Catalyst Control Center, the award winning feature-rich software application with automatic and adjustable display configurations. Keep on top of technology changes with frequent updates and support for current operating systems and Microsoft VistaTM.

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Rob Williams

Rob founded Techgage in 2005 to be an 'Advocate of the consumer', focusing on fair reviews and keeping people apprised of news in the tech world. Catering to both enthusiasts and businesses alike; from desktop gaming to professional workstations, and all the supporting software.

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