I ran 3DMark03 with all the settings at default which left the resolution at 1024×768. The scores decline with each increase of anti aliasing and anisotropic filtering. All of the scores are pretty low but with this being a lower end card that isn’t shocking.
Overclocking
After adding the coolbits registry hack to my system I started overclocking the card from its stock speed of 425MHz/500MHz. This is the first time I have used the “Detect Optimal Frequencies” button which worked really well. After it finished testing different speeds it overclocked the card to 495Mhz/630Mhz. I then tried to push the card farther than what it set it to but running it any faster would cause artifacts to appear or the system to lock up. This overclock is quite nice and will give you some extra power which will make gaming less choppy and more enjoyable.
Conclusion
Being that there are very few PCI-Express video cards on the market, this first showing from Albatron fits right in where I expected it to. With most of the benchmarks that were run the FPS and scores were not very high. Using this card for gaming would not be the best choice especially if you desire to use a resolution higher than 1024×768.
Though this card does not make for a high end gamers card it does provide good frame rates for older games that are not outdated yet. If you are planning on playing games like FarCry, Unreal Tournament, or Half-Life 2 I would suggest buying a faster card. If you are looking to play older games or want the benefit of having DVI and S-Video out this card could work nicely for you.
In the coming months we will see newer and faster PCI-Express card hitting the market which will be able to handle new games like Half-Life 2. Until this new expansion slot matures a little we will need to be a little patient and wait for new cards or stick with AGP. Overall I am pretty happy with what this card can do and am going to give it an 8/10. I would like to thank Albatron for sending me this video card to review.
Pros
- PCI-Express
- Overclocks well
- Quiet fan on the heatsink
- DVI & S-Video out
- Blue PCB
Cons
- Performance somewhat unimpressive
- Lacking game bundle
