Conclusion

Overall, our testing showed the following. Graphics cards based on the NVIDIA NV35 GPU cope well with anti-aliasing in games that don’t use shaders. High processing speed of relatively simple geometry and a fast memory subsystem contribute to this a lot. ATI R350-based cards, however, slow down less quickly with the increasing level of FSAA. Moreover, ATI’s chips look much better than NVIDIA’s in modern games that use actively pixel and vertex shaders. A striking example is Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness.

So, my resume is simple: if you play current games, you may find Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH an excellent solution, but you’d better buy something like VisionTek Xtasy 9800 Pro to play comfortably the upcoming games like Half-Life 2, Stalker: Oblivion Lost and Doom III.

As for the particular cards we have tested today, we liked them both. However, Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH made a better impression due to its original looks and rich accessories set. Both products have advantages and shortcomings, of course, and they are both a good buy: Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH would suit well for those who need high performance in modern games and dabble at video editing, while VisionTek Xtasy 9800 Pro would make a good card for computer gamers who wan their system to last longer in the future.

VisionTek Xtasy 9800 Pro

Highs:

• High performance;
• Good overclocking potential;
• High quality design;
• Excellent 2D image quality;
• Compact PCB;
• Low noise level.

Lows:

• Relatively inefficient cooling solution that hinders extreme overclocking;
• Few accessories;
• Strange package design.

Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH

Highs:

• High performance in modern games;
• Excellent overclocking potential;
• Efficient cooling solution;
• VIVO functionality;
• High quality of PCB design and components mounting;
• Perfect 2D image quality;
• Numerous accessories;
• Effective looks.

Lows:

• Low performance during DirectX 9.0 shaders processing;
• Perceptible noise.