Radeon X1900-series roundup

Club 3D Radeon X1900XTX 512MB:

Core Clock: 650MHz
Memory Clock: 1550MHz

Club 3D's Radeon X1900XTX is the same card as the reference Radeon X1900XTX that we looked at on the 24th January. The company hasn't put any of its own branding on the card, but bear in mind that this is an early sample - all of Club 3D's artwork shows the card with Club 3D branding on it, so we expect retail cards to have the branding installed on it.

The product presentation is as good as any we've seen - the card is packed securely in foam housing with the bundle underneath it. The bundle includes a selection of cables and along with a reasonably good software selection too. There are two games, namely Colin McRae Rally 2005 and WWF Panda Junior in Africa. The second game might not be the wisest bundle inclusion an enthusiasts video card but as we've mentioned before, Club 3D's CEO is keen for the company to do its bit for charity.

On top of the two games, there is a driver CD with an electronic manual and a multimedia DVD with the following Cyberlink programs included: PowerDVD 5, PowerDirector, PowerProducer and Medi@Show. The cable bundle includes a 6-pin PCI-Express power adapter, two DVI-to-VGA converters and a wide selection of cables for the cards' VIVO port. There are two different cables that connect directly to the VIVO port - namely a combination composite in/out, s-video in/out dongle and an YPbPr component out cable - and there are extension cables for composite and s-video connectors.

One thing that we feel is missing from an otherwise decent bundle is a hard copy of the manual. What happens if the customer doesn't have another computer and is unsure on something during installation? They're left a little stranded. It's hypothetical, but we feel that it's a valid scenario to consider.

Connect3D Radeon X1900XTX 512MB:

Core Clock: 650MHz
Memory Clock: 1550MHz

Not surprisingly, Connect3D's card looks the same as Club 3D's, with the exception of the Connect3D logo in the centre of the fan shroud. There's nothing more to say about the card in all honesty. However, it's worth nothing that Connect3D sells its video cards with a barebones bundle. This appeals to many, as the box isn't filled with unwanted software that is often left untouched.

The box is the smallest of the bunch with just enough room for the card and the additional extras. As expected, the card comes inside an anti-static bag but there is little protection for the card inside the box with a single piece of thin foam at the bottom of the box. We feel that the packaging doesn't have the same attention to detail as other board partners, but we do understand that Connect3D sells its cards for less than other partners do.

Having said that, it can't cost all that much to add another piece of foam on top of everything just to give that piece of mind that things aren't going to get damaged in transit. We'd expect etailers to pack this video card in another box before shipping it to the customer, but it's not something that can be guaranteed.

The bundle has everything you need, including drivers and a hard copy of the manual, with the exception of a 6-pin power adapter. The Radeon X1900-series cards have reasonably strict power requirements, but our trusted OCZ PowerStream 520W power supply unit hasn't got a 6-pin PCI-Express power adapter. It's a reasonably old power supply unit - about 2 years old - but it has enough power to cope with two Radeon X1900's in CrossFire and GeForce 7800 GTX 512's in SLI without any problems whatsoever.