X-Micro GeForce4
Impact 440
Many astute readers noticed that we had no GeForce3 reviews up when those cards
were released. A very short production cycled coupled with few review boards meant
that we were essentially in a void. At the time we had no idea that the production
of the GeForce4 cards would be ramped up so soon and in hindsight it was unfortunate
but not a total disaster that we missed out on the GF3 generation. The last time
we saw one of X-Micro's cards was when I reviewed their GeForce2
Pro card. To say that it has been quite a while would be an understatement.
Luckily X-Micro has sent their new GeForce4 Impact 440 which is a budget solution
based on the GeForce4 MX chipset but certainly not one to overlook.
| Features |
The
Board |
- AGP
2X/4X
- 6.4 GB/sec
Memory Bandwidth
- 64MB
DDR memory
- Integrated
TV Encoder Supporting 1024x768 resolution
|
|
First
Impressions
The Impact
440 is a reference design GeForce4 MX design. One of the first things that caught
my eye about this card was that it features a full 64 MB of DDR memory. It was
a very short time ago that a budget card would come equipped with low end memory
to save on expense and keep the price of the card down. Obviously corners don't
have to be cut with a card like the Impact 440 since the memory price drops we've
seen in the last year and that definately benefits the consumers who want a good
performing card without having to take out a second mortgage.
