XFX 6600 DDR2 & MSI X1300 Pro

Gameplay Summary:

F.E.A.R.: We found that the MSI Radeon X1300 Pro was best playable at 1024x768 0xAA 4xAF with medium low graphics options, medium low computer options, no volumetric lighting and we had to turn shadows off too in order to attain a smooth gaming experience. We tried renaming the F.E.A.R. executable and disabling Catalyst AI, as a result of the slight bug in the drivers that came about after the release of the full retail version of the game. We found that the gaming experience didn't change much at all - the minimum frame rate remained the same, and the average frame rate changed by a less than half a frame per second.

The XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 was very playable at virtually the same settings as the MSI RX1300Pro, but with shadows enabled too. We had to disable model decals, but were able to set water resolution to medium. This didn't have much of an effect as enabling the shadows did - we found that the game, with shadows enabled, was a much more immersive and eerie experience.

In SLI, it didn't quite match the performance of the GeForce 6800 GS, but we did see an improvement in quality settings. It wasn't quite as large as we were expecting though - it would have been nice to have enough speed for us to be able to enable volumetric lighting, as it can provide some cool lighting effects to help make the game even more spooky than it already is.

Quake 4: In all honesty, the performance of Radeon X1300 Pro in Quake 4 was atrocious. We tried to play the game at 1024x768 with medium quality, but there just wasn't enough performance there. In fact, there wasn't enough performance to play the game at 800x600 0xAA 0xAF medium quality, without turning some of the advanced graphics options off. We had to disable high quality special effects and specular lighting in order to get the game to run smooth. The lighting didn't look as vibrant when specular lighting was disabled, unfortunately.

XFX's 6600 DDR2 delivered another strong showing in Quake 4, too. We had a slight issue with it stuttering when saving the game, but it was very smooth at 1024x768 0xAA 4xAF high quality during active gameplay. The gaming experience was as smooth as the Radeon X1300 Pro, at much higher graphics settings. The inclusion of anisotropic filtering, specular lighting and high quality special effects gave us a greater feeling of involvement in the game. We would be more than happy to play through all of Quake 4 on an XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 - it looks great considering the price that the card retails at.

When we added a second 6600 DDR2 for SLI, we were able to experience Quake 4 at the same settings as were highest playable on a GeForce 6800 GS. The frame rates were slightly lower, but the experience was as good as could be achieved on a 6800 GS clocked at 430/1000MHz. We were pretty impressed with the performance of two XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 in this particular title.

Day of Defeat: Source: The MSI Radeon X1300 Pro was as playable as the XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 in Day of Defeat: Source - both cards were best-playable at 1024x768 0xAA 8xAF with high details, HDR bloom and water detail set to reflect world. The XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 delivered a higher minimum frame rate, but the MSI RX1300Pro-TD256E delivered a higher average frame rate. You would find it hard to tell the difference between the two in this particular game.

When we enabled SLI mode, we found that we were able to increase the image quality with 2xAA at the same resolution. However, we were not able to increase any of the other settings on the XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 SLI, so HDR was left set at bloom, and water detail was left at reflect world. This didn't compare too well to the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS, which was best-playable at 1280x1024 2xAA 8xAF with high details, full HDR and water detail set to reflect world.

Battlefield 2:Battlefield 2 played best on the XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2. Most details set to medium, with the exception of texture and texture filtering, which were both set to high. When texture filtering is set to high, the game applies 8xAF. We found that 1024x768 0xAA 8xAF with medium details was the highest playable settings on the XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2.

The MSI Radeon X1300 Pro delivered a significantly lower average frame rate in this title, even at settings that were very smooth. This proves that the average frame rate isn't everything when playing a game - keeping a hitch-free frame rate is much more important. We found that we had to lower the details a little, with dynamic light and dynamic shadows set to low, while all other settings, including texture filtering, were set to medium.

With two XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2's, we found that we were able to increase the in game quality settings, and also apply 2xAA to the scene at 1024x768. This gave us some nice improvements in the quality of gameplay, but it wasn't a match for the GeForce 6800 GS, again. Much like Day of Defeat: Source, we found that the GeForce 6800 GS was able to play the game at the same (or higher) in game detail settings, at a higher resolution.

Value:

We found MSI's Radeon X1300 Pro 256MB available at Ebuyer for £75.99 including VAT. That seems to be a pretty good price in comparison to other Radeon X1300 Pro's we've seen. When we looked for XFX's GeForce 6600 DDR2, we found that there were no stores in the UK that stocked it. We spoke to XFX, and they told us that they are no longer selling the card at 400/800MHz, as they have managed to find a way to increase the clocks even further.

Cutting to the chase, XFX are now shipping an Extreme XXX Edition that comes clocked at 450/800MHz. You can buy that card today from Overclockers UK for £82.19 including VAT. Compared to the MSI Radeon X1300 Pro, that is pretty damn fine value. Especially when you consider that the card we have evaluated here either offers the same gaming experience as the Radeon X1300 Pro, or a considerably better experience depending on the title.

However, it's not all rosey, as two XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2's are the same price as Leadtek's GeForce 6800 GS, which can be purchased for £164.44 including VAT. If you are considering spending around £160 on a PCI-Express video card solution, you would be advised not to look at GeForce 6600 DDR2. Instead, look no further than GeForce 6800 GS.

If you've got a little bit more than £160, you might want to consider XFX's GeForce 6800 GS Extreme XXX Edition, which is clocked at 485/1100MHz and available for £176.39 from Scan. It should provide some healthy performance gains over the stock GeForce 6800 GS - we will have a full review of that video card soon. Of course, the ability to SLI two GeForce 6600 DDR2's later down the line is a good upgrade option to have if you've only got around £80 to spend right now.

Final Thoughts...

MSI's Radeon X1300 Pro is not a bad video card by any stretch of the imagination, which is great for the consumer - competition drives prices down. It's amazing to think that you can pick up something that performs as well as a Radeon 9700 for less than £80 these days. The XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 has just bested it by a considerable margin at the same price point. Hopefully, this will mean the Radeon X1300 Pro's price will come down in due course.

For a little over £80, the XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 seems to be a fantastic buy. The fact that XFX has decided to drop its standard GeForce 6600 DDR2 in favour of an Extreme XXX Edition is even better for the consumer. They're selling a video card that will deliver even more gaming performance than we've shown in this review - the additional cost is negligible, as the standard XFX GeForce 6600 DDR2 was selling at £76.25 before XFX decided to discontinue it in favour of the faster model. Superb.