Product Listing

ASUS EAX1600XT Silent (Radeon X1600 XT 256MB)

By Vincent Chang - 11 Apr 2006

Conclusion

Conclusion

From the anecdotes and comments that we gathered on many online hardware websites and forums, the cause has already been lost. Those who frequent these sites have formed a lasting impression about the performance drawbacks of the Radeon X1600 series, a rather negative picture bolstered by solid benchmark numbers that is unlikely to be changed easily or quickly. And so far, based on our own experience, we have to agree that the Radeon X1600 series have been disappointing.

Silence is its trump card and while it may be more expensive than the GeForce 7600 GS, it is a decent performance alternative should you need VIVO.

Out-muscled previously in both performance and price by NVIDIA's mid-range product rehashes like the GeForce 6800 GS, the situation has only worsened with the new GeForce 7600 series. From our benchmarks, the slightly cheaper GeForce 7600 GS does well to keep up with the Radeon X1600 XT, especially in actual game performance and so offers a valid alternative. Therefore, it is left to the game developers to improve its fortunes by offering games that utilize its pixel shaders more. The situation is still largely unchanged from its original introduction - promising but unfulfilled, but time and public opinion may no longer be on its side. This may be why ATI has already introduced a more expensive, higher end mid-range card, the Radeon X1800 GTO to counter the encroaching green army.

Instead, many vendors are featuring the mobile version of the Radeon X1600 in their notebooks, including the high-profile MacBooks from Apple. This could well be the fate of the Radeon X1600 series in the near future, with the odd cameo in the discrete market for the remaining, stanch ATI supporters. After all, for the loyalists, there are really few modern alternatives in the mid-range segment and Shader Model 3.0 and Avivo are decent consolations. If you are looking for something different from the reference card clones that seem to appear everywhere, then ASUS has prepared a rather interesting solution with its Radeon X1600 XT.

Its benchmark scores are a shade slower than the reference card but the main attraction of the ASUS EAX1600XT Silent is its passive cooling. Those who have endured the noise of the original Radeon X1600 XT should know what we mean. This endears the ASUS to those who want a decent card for both gaming and multimedia purposes. Besides the quality engineering associated from ASUS, the EAX1600XT Silent may run into motherboard compatibility problems with its rear protruding radiator. Thirdly, for an ASUS product, it does have a rather weak bundle compared to their usual high standards. Finally, the ASUS EAX1600XT Silent stands among one of the higher priced Radeon X1600 XT graphics cards in the market now at around US$179 versus the US$149 offered by competitors. Not to mention that there is also the passively cooled GeForce 7600 GS, which ranges from US$129 - US$149 and from US$170 onwards, the superior GeForce 7600 GT is at your disposal. Taking all factors into consideration, the EAX1600XT Silent may well have to bank on the ASUS name, ATI supporters and its passive cooling nature to offset its vastly higher asking price.

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