Date: September 19th, 2004
Article by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner, Head Editor & Hardware Reviewer)
Product was donated by: H.I.S.
<--SHOP FOR A RADEON X600 BASED VIDEOCARD HERE

CORPORATE PROFILE

HIS strives to provide our customers the best value and service on accordance to our founding principles. Today, HIS is one of the largest graphics companies in Hong Kong and rank premier in the world of multimedia graphics. In this fast changing world and very especially in the field of PC, a flexible attribute is competitive advantage. Over the years, HIS earned its reputation worldwide as offering a flexibility that other just cannot match. HIS moves fast. HIS reacts fast.

Commitment to excellence is the bedrock of our company direction. We expand by providing our customers worldwide with the best quality and service to achieve the fundamental objective the Total Customer Satisfaction. As such our worldwide customers are very loyal to us.

PRODUCT INTRODUCTION

Since Intel has released their new LGA775 based motherboards on the market, consumers wishing to upgrade to the new Intel specification have been no other choice but to upgrade their older AGP videocard to the new PCI Express variety.

The interesting point is, when companies release their new generation chipsets, what usually charges out of the gates are the expensive enthusiast performance chipset based videocards which are later followed by the mainstream videocards for average gamer on a tighter budget. The HIS X600XT reviewed today does indeed fit into that lucrative niche market of gamers requiring a new videocard with decent performance and an attractive pricetag of around US$180-US$200. With the Nvidia FX6600 based videocards not being on the shelves quite yet, the X600XT based videocard are all that the performance mainstream user has to pick from.

Let's check out what this product brings to the table for the price.

ATI X600 CORE ARCHITECTURE FEATURES (From ATI)

RADEON X600 graphics technology fully supports PCI Express™ design specifications – the new standard for PCs. With RADEON X600 graphics you have the ability to send and receive data simultaneously at twice the speed of current AGP 8X solutions. ATI’s one-chip architecture is designed for better PC power management and reliability resulting in a complete PCI Express™ graphics solution.

Gaming Just Got Better

RADEON X600 is the next generation, making it the ideal choice for serious gamers looking for the right balance of value and performance. RADEON X600 graphics technology has a brand new graphics memory interface delivering frame rates that allow for a highly responsive and smooth game-play experience. RADEON X600 supports the newest games and is fully compatible with Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 to ensure you are ready for all the action today and with tomorrow’s titles.

More than Just Gaming

Investing in RADEON X600 graphics is an affordable and effective way to get the most out of your PC. With today’s technology advancements in digital photography and video editing you need upgraded graphics to optimize performance and image quality. RADEON X600 graphics technology ensures that you are maximizing the visual capabilities of your computer and new widescreen and LCD monitors, allowing for an overall enhanced PC experience – making RADEON X600 graphics technology a must have addition to your PC hardware. In addition, upgrading a graphics card is important for everyday PC functions such as online video chat, web surfing, and screen refreshes as they free-up the CPU and system memory to perform other operations more effectively.

Superior 3D Features

RADEON X600 features ATI’s exclusive SMARTSHADER™ 2.0 delivering fully programmable DX9 vertex and pixel shaders to the game developer, while defining a higher level of image realism for the end user. In addition RADEON X600 offers SMOOTHVISION™ 2.1 which smoothes uneven edges and improves blurred images. HYPER Z™ III conserves video memory bandwidth for improved performance in demanding 3D games and applications. These features help ensure striking picture clarity, visual detail and contour fluency. RADEON X600 is designed with 4 pixel pipelines allowing for all the power and performance needed for today’s demanding games.

Take Your New PCI Express™ Computer to New Visual Heights with the Trusted Leader in Graphics

In collaboration with Intel®, ATI was the first graphics company to demonstrate a live PCI Express™ solution based on RADEON X600 technology. ATI’s proven leadership and expertise positions RADEON X600 as the ideal PCI Express™ graphics choice for 3D gaming and the latest digital PC applications. RADEON X600 enables users to future proof their PCs while delivering superior image quality and the performance they demand.