This Connect3D card manages to hold its own in benchmarks. It has a core clock of 625MHz — the same as the X1900 XT. But the similarities end there. It has 16 pipelines and a memory clock of 750MHz, contributing to impressive speed in Call of Duty 2. With an average of 37fps, it was faster than a 7900 GTX, as the large amount of fast memory handles the textures with ease. But Far Cry shows up its limitations: 39fps is a better representation of its true performance, around 22 percent slower than a 7900 GTX and 26 percent slower than the X1900 XTX.

As you’d expect, the card features two dual-link DVI ports, while the TV-out socket supports S-Video and composite inputs and outputs, plus component output via the supplied adapter. The heatsink and fan are the same as those on the X1900 cards, so this Connect3D will take up two backplates.

We found performance almost halved in Call of Duty 2 with textures set to Extra, but the difference was barely noticeable in Far Cry.

At $664, the price is too close to the X1900 XT to be a realistic choice, but there’s a 256MB version available for more than $100 less.