Leadtek WinFast A180 DDR TH :: GeForce4 MX 440 AGP8X

Introduction

As you all know, video card companies market the Ti4x00 family of video cards to the hardcore gamers and high-end users out there. You also probably realize that this isn't everyone, so there has to be cheaper (but still good quality cards) out there for the casual gamer and average user. That is where the MX line of cards comes in. A GeForce4 MX card will definitely not appeal to a gamer addicted to ridiculously high FPS gaming running smoothly at high resolutions with high quality settings, but someone concerned with just getting the job done well enough to run the game he wants to play can find satisfaction in the MX line. Leadtek is definitely one company that can help you out if you are the latter type of gamer, especially if you are also interested in VIVO (Video-In Video-Out) capabilities. The Leadtek WinFast A180 DDR TH MX440 is one of the most feature-packed MX cards I've ever seen. The new A180 line adds the AGP8X spec to the former A170 line that you may already be familiar with. Read on to see how well this cool little card performs.

Specs & Features

WinFast A180 DDR TH Specifications:

• NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 With AGP8X GPU
• Accuview Antialiasing™ - Delivers unbeatable visual quality and frame rate
• nView™ Multi-Display Technology - Empower user with maximum flexibility in display options and control
• Lightspeed Memory Architecture™ II - Increases MA II - Increases memory bandwidth efficiency for unmatched performance
• 34M triangles/sec through T&L and Set-up
• 1.1 billion texels Fill Rate
• Default Clock speed 275/512(Core/Memory)
• Onboard 64MB high speed DDR memory
• 8.0 GB/sec Memory Bandwidth
• 2 dual-rending pipelines
• 4 texels per clock cycle
• Cube environment mapping
• High-Definition Video Processor(HDTV)
• AGP 8X/4X/2X and AGP Texturing Support
• High-quality HDTV/DVD playback
• Video capture function supports S-Video and composite video device
• Integrated TV Encoder Supporting 1024x768 resolution
• Microsoft® DirectX® 8.X and OpenGL® 1.3 Optimizations and Support
• WinFastDVD, WinFox II, ColoReal and other valuable software included

A180 Features:

• Leadtek ZBIOS Technology: Used for protecting graphics BIOS on the WinFast graphics card series. This is a single BIOS that consists of two parts, a "Primary" and "Backup" BIOS. If the "Primary" BIOS fails, the "Backup" BIOS will automatically take over on the next system boot up. Whether the problem is a virus or a reflash failure of the "Primay" BIOS, ZBIOS will back you up, automatically.
  
• Hardware Monitor: The Hardware Monitor helps you be able to control the details of your PC and make the right decisions if problems occur. It also provides immediate access to hardware status information such as Sample Tim, Critical Temp, Fan Speed and Voltage level.
  
• Software Bundle: Ulead Video studio SE DVD, ULead cool 3D SE, WinFast PVR, WinFastDVD, WinFox II, Cult 3D, Coloreal Embedded, Coloreal Visual, Coloreal Bright, Aquanox, Master Rallye, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six - Rogue Spear Black Thorn and 6 value demo game.
  
• Diagnostic LEDs: 3 LEDs are embedded on board to help users identify the hardware status.

A180 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:

• PIP ( picture in picture): One for live and the other for captured program. And master video can be alternative. The slave video can be displayed with any size and anywhere
  
• De-interlace: Make the best quality for fast-motion video. No noise and flicker on the edge of motion objects
  
• Capture format profile: Support friendly setting for MPEG1/MPEG2/VCD/DVD video format
  
• Supports MPEG1/MPEG2/MPEG4 video codec and MPEG3 audio codec configuration to get the smaller file size for capturing. MPEG4 codec can be download at www.microsoft.com
  
• Supports de-interlaced function to get high quality of motion video
  
• Bridging video to PC from VCR, camcorder, LD/VCD/DVD player
  
• Support for picture-in-picture (PIP) display allows users to watch video programs and play recorded programs at the same time
  
• Package includes DVI to VGA adapter to enable users to use two monitors simultaneously for enhanced ease of use
  
• 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 A180 DDR TH MyVIVO graphics card
• General guide
• Quick installation guide
• AV cable x 1 / S-Video cable x 1
• 9 pin mini-din cable
• Driver & Utilities CD-ROM
• Software bundle: WinFastDVD, WinFox II, ColoReal, Ulead VideoStudio 6 SE, Ulead Cool 3D 3.0 SE, Rainbow Six Rogue Spear - Black Thorn (full), Aquanox (full), Master Rallye (full), Games Gallery (demos)

As you can see, Leadtek gives you a lot of stuff for your hard-earned dollar. While the games included might not be the latest releases out, they should provide some fun and entertainment. The included Ulead software is a nice extra touch and definite improvement over the older MyVIVO bundles. Ulead makes some good products, and the included software will help you edit any captured video you decide to store on your hard drive.

You've probably seen in other reviews that the difference between 4X AGP and 8X AGP is for the most part insignificant, but when you compare the two side-by-side, I still think you'd prefer to have the advantages that 8X provides (on paper at least). This table demonstrates the technical differences between the two specs.