X-bit labs

ASUS AX800 PRO/TD Graphics Card Review

Category: Video

by Alexey Stepin

[ 07/28/2004 | 03:05 PM ]

Today we would like to introduce to you an excellent graphics card from ASUS based on ATI X800 PRO chip. The outstanding accessories set, low noise level and crystal-sharp image quality are its major trumps, which would undoubtedly appeal to you. Check out now, how fast this solution can actually be!

Table of contents:

• Box and Accessories
  
• Closer Look
  
• Noise, Overclocking and 2D Image Quality
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Performance in Gaming Applications: First Person 3D Shooters
  
• Call of Duty
  
• Unreal Tournament 2004
  
• Far Cry
  
• Halo: Combat Evolved
  
• Painkiller
  
• FireStarter
  
• Highly Anticipated DirectX 9 Game 1
  
• Highly Anticipated DirectX 9 Game 2
  
• Performance in Gaming Applications: Third Person 3D Shooters
  
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  
• Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
  
• Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
  
• Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
  
• Performance in Gaming Applications: Simulators
  
• IL-2 Sturmovik: Aces in the Sky
  
• Lock On: Modern Air Combat
  
• Colin McRae Rally 04
  
• Performance in Gaming Applications: Strategy
  
• Perimeter
  
• Performance in Semi-Synthetic Benchmarks
  
• Aquamark 3
  
• Performance in Synthetic Benchmarks
  
• Futuremark 3DMark03 build 340
  
• Conclusion
  

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. is outputting a wide assortment of computer products, including mainboards, optical drives, barebone systems and – well, graphics cards of course! This Taiwan-headquartered manufacturer is among those few companies who are not afraid of imparting something new and original into their products.

We discussed such an improvisation on the theme of the RADEON 9800 XT in one of our past reviews (see our article called ASUS RADEON 9800 XT and LeadTek WinFast A380 TDH Ultra: The Battle for AquaMark3). ASUS’ RADEON 9800 XT got our praises through its highest quality of manufacture, a compact, silent and intelligent cooling system and simply gorgeous accessories.

Since then the new generations of graphics processors came out both from ATI Technologies and NVIDIA Corporation. Of course, ASUS marked this epochal event with a launch of new graphics card models, and we’ve got one of them, the ASUS AX800 PRO/TD, into our hands. As you may guess, this is a realization of the RADEON X800 PRO graphics processor from ATI. Let’s get to know it closely.

Box and Accessories

Like the last time, the new graphics card came to us in its retail box that’s trying hard to attract the choosy customer. It performs this task with its dimensions mostly: the box is really huge like the one that contained the ASUS RADEON 9800 XT. Its front is decorated with the logotypes of ASUS and ATI Technologies as well as with a picture of a girl in an intricate armor, reminiscent of the heroes of Japanese role-play games. There’s a flap at the back side of the box, the inner surface of which has text describing the advantages of the enclosed product. The product itself is visible through the window at the back side of the box. The free space around the window is also covered with praises to the numerous merits of the AX800 PRO. Among the eulogies to the software bundle, there’s also a short notice of a web-cam included among the accessories.