Leadtek WinFast A250 Ultra TD GeForce4 Ti4600 - MyVIVO Edition

When Scott asked me if I wanted to review a Leadtek WinFast A250 Ultra TD GeForce4 Ti4600 with VIVO (video-in-video-out) functionality, I didn't hesitate to take on the task. Who would? I have been wanting to get my hands on a 4600 since I first heard about them, and now I finally get to test one! Well, as you can tell, I am excited to tell you all about this card from Leadtek. Before we get to the review, I just want to note that this review will not focus on the card's gaming and benchmarking performance as much as our other reviews do. I will be directing most of my attention towards the VIVO capabilities of this card. After all, that is what the card is for, right? All of our hardcore benchmark freaks out there don't need to worry though as I will be including some of the standard benchmarks since gaming will still of course be one of the biggest uses of this card if you buy it.

In order to really take advantage of a Ti4600, you need at least a 1.2GHz processor and obviously the faster your processor, the better this muscle card will perform. So, I decided it was time to finally upgrade from my 1.2GHz AMD Thunderbird to an AMD Athlon XP 1800+, which runs at 1.53GHz. I also just bought a new TV (Toshiba 27AF42 - a 27" flat screen) that has all the inputs and outputs I could ever want. This will of course be used to test the VIVO features of the A250 Ultra TD. Enough with this intro crap! Let's dig into the review...

• NVIDIA 4th-generatioin 256-bit GeForce4 Ti 4600 GPU
• nfiniteFX™ II Engine
• 128MB world's fastest DDR Memory
• 10.4 GB/sec Memory Bandwidth
• Accuview Antialiasing™
• 4.8 Billion AA samples per second fill rate
• 136 million vertices/sec Peak Vertex Processing Rate
• 1.23 trillion operations/sec
• High-quality HDTV/DVD playback
• Nvidia video Processing engine (VPE)
• Full acceleration for Microsoft DirectX 8.1 and OpenGL 1.3 ICD
• Comprehensive AGP 4X support
• Integrated 350MHz RAMDAC, resolution up to 2048x1536, True Color @ 60Hz
• On-board TV-out support
• On-board DVI support up to 1600x1200 resolution
• On-board Bi-Turbo Cooling System with Anti-Dust Filter Design
• Default clock speed 300/650 MHz core/memory

Leadtek's WinFast MyVIVO Features:

For those of you who don't know, VIVO stands for Video-in-Video-out. Leadtek's MyVIVO series is aimed at users who want an all-in-one solution for video in and out options, 3D gaming, surveillance and entertainment. The unique MyVIVO features include:

• Support for picture-in-picture (PIP) display allows users to watch video programs and play recorded programs at the same time
• MPEG I/II video compression Codec
• De-interlace display function
• Package includes DVI to VGA adapter to enable users to use two monitors simultaneously for enhanced ease of use
• Includes MGI VideoWave 5.0 Software for video editing from various video sources
• Package includes video in/out connector for connecting external video devices like Camcorder, CCD camera, VCD/DVD/ VCR or TV, supporting S-Video as well as Composite-Video

• WinFast A250 Ultra TD GeForce4 Ti4600 Graphics card
• User Manual
• DVI to VGA converter
• Video in and out connector cable
• S-video cable
• Full version games and utilities bundle include: Tom Clancy's Rogue Spear-Black Thorn, Aquanox, Master Rallye and Games Gallery, WinFastDVD, Colorific, 3Deep, True Internet Color and Cult3D
• MGI VideoWave 5.0 Software for video editing
• Leadtek WinFox system utility - for tuning/monitoring the hardware condition of your system

Leadtek WinFast A250 Ultra TD retail package contents

This is a great retail package! I don't think I have any complaints about it at all. They really don't get much better than this. It was nicely packaged and includes everything you need and then some. I really think it's sad when a video card company doesn't include at least one game or even a cheap demo. To me, it really does add some value to the package and shows that the company is trying to make their packages better than those offered by their competitors. Well, obviously Leadtek doesn't disappoint with its 3 full-version games and Games Gallery offering. I haven't played any of the games yet, but they look like pretty decent games. It's also nice to see a variety of game types, which should appeal to many different gamers. I personally would be happy with 3 first-person shooters, but not everyone feels that way so it makes sense to package a variety.

Another simple but nice touch in this package is the DVI to VGA adapter, which will allow you to take advantage of the nView (dual monitor) support available with this card if you have two regular monitors. I might just have to try out the two 19" monitors I have in my apartment! :-) The problem though is that I don't really have a desk big enough for two huge monitors. Oh well... I have seen this feature used with two 17" monitors on a GeForce4 MX card, and it really is pretty cool, especially if you do any kind of web design or development or are some other type of hardcore user who multi-tasks like a madman.

One other thing you can't help but notice about the Leadtek A250 Ultra TD is the huge heatsink and fans (or as Leadtek calls it, the "Bi-Turbo Cooling System with Anti-Dust Filter Design"). You can see it in the image below. This thing is friggin' huge, and you won't believe how much it weighs! My first thought when I pulled the card out of the box was, "How the heck can the AGP slot and screw hold this thing up?" I wish I had the electronic scales we used in my high school chemistry labs. I'd love to know how much it weighs, especially compared to the average Ti4600.

Friggin' HUGE "Bi-Turbo Cooling System with Anti-Dust Filter Design"