Radeon X1600 Pro: overview of the video card

Radeon X1600 Pro - a video card of the Canadian company, released in 2006. The model refused reference parameters and took the middle class on the market. A year before its introduction, ATI released the X1600 XT, which was supposed to impose a fight on the accelerators from Nvidia. It turned out rather controversial. Based on the RV530 chip, which received only 4 texture modules. The video card had good performance, even in some games it behaved more confident than its main competitor, the GeForce 6800 GS. However, it was not necessary to talk about leadership.

Soon the manufacturer announced the Radeon X1600 Pro - a model that differed from its predecessor only by lower frequencies.

Packing and equipment

A 3D accelerator is delivered in a small box of glossy cardboard. She looks very dignified. The Radeon X1600 itself is securely attached inside, which protects it from damage during transportation.

The chip maker decided to start surprising the user right away. Inside the box, besides the accelerator, lies:

• A disk with drivers;
• PowerDVD 5 CD;
• Conflict: Global Storm as a gift;
• Manual;
• DVI-to-d-Sub adapter;
• TV-cable;
• Composite cable.

In general, the bundle of Radeon X1600 is quite typical, similar is found in most models of this price segment.

Appearance

At first glance at the video card it becomes clear that the manufacturer has spent not only on the colorful box. The design is very different from what you can see in the older model of the ruler. The release of the Radeon X1600 is performed by the engineers of Radeon X1600. They did everything to make their product the most unique on the market. This is seen in detail, and in appearance. Such an approach can only be welcomed.

Changed memory chips. As already mentioned, the X1600 XT uses only four modules. In Pro, the developer added four more.

Characteristics

Thanks to the efforts of the team of engineers, the model received eight memory modules, which carry 256 MB. Of course, such a volume today is considered very small and insufficient to run even the most demanding programs and games. However, in 2006 this was enough for the stable operation of the system and most of the tasks. The memory is made in accordance with the GDDR3 standard. However, the chips themselves were made by Samsung. Operates at a clock frequency of 700 MHz. For that time, this speed was considered quite high, especially when you consider that the video card belongs to the middle class. ATI did its best to increase this parameter. In addition, the model is known for the possibility of increasing the frequency of operation.

The graphics processor was specially designed for the Radeon X1600 Pro. It operates at a clock frequency of 570 MHz.

Cooling system

Let's move on to the most interesting part of the video card. The cooling system is based on the cooler from Zalman. It is quite massive. Despite its impressive size, the cooler is attached to the board by a pair of bolts. For fixing, a rubber rim is used that runs along the perimeter. The cooler has a rather interesting look: the fins of the radiator are under the fan and diverge from the center in all directions. Such a design provides more efficient heat dissipation and its dispersion throughout the case.

Given the size, it's amazing that the cooler works quietly. The noise from it is practically not audible, which makes the video card even more interesting for acquisition. In addition to the cooler, there are two small radiators on the front side of the video card, which provide even better cooling.

In games

Today, the video card is suitable only for assembling an office machine. In modern games things are terrible. However, fans of games until 2008 will be able to re-enter them comfortably. For example, in NFS Most Wanted, the graphics card demonstrates about 30 FPS on the minimum graphics settings. But in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, even at low settings, I could not cross the threshold at 10 frames per second. Therefore, for games it is better to buy models more expensive.