The VisionTek X1300 PCI is a reminder as to why the industry needs to move beyond the PCI bus. Although there is a powerful and solid graphics chip behind it, this card simply fails to make any impact on games or video. The PCI bus is just not fast enough to transfer all the texture and vertex information for games.
Playback of standard definition video is smooth, but at a cost of higher processor use. High definition playback just isn’t possible, even with a processor capable of handling it: 720p is right out, so don’t even think about playing 1080p.
There are a few advantages that the VisionTek X1300 PCI has over older PCI cards, like dual-link DVI and HDTV 1080p support. These features alone make this card perfect for a home theater PC, depending on your needs.
The VisionTek X1300 PCI is definately an innovative product, and probably the most powerful PCI-based video card ever made. This would be a killer video card for anyone building a retro rig, but for modern tasks this card is a little hard to swallow, especially considering the $130 price tag. If you need to upgrade your video card and have a motherboard with AGP or PCIe, then you save money by purchasing a standard X1300 or X1600 video card (which should cost half of the X1300 PCI). For the cost of this card you could buy a more capable motherboard; one that even has decend onboard graphics.
The VisionTek Radeon X1300 PCI video card is a niche item for specific purposes. The majority of users will pass on it, but it is a godsend for those that need it.
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