VGA Card Buyer's Guide 07/2003

Leadtek WinFast A310 Ultra TD MyVIVO

The Leadtek WinFast A310 Ultra TD MyVIVO is based on NVIDIA's GeForceFX 5600 Ultra. Our review sample did not yet sport the newer flip-chip version of the chip and therefore runs at a lower clock speed! In addition to the TV-out, the card also offers Video-in via composite and S-VHS connections. The included adapter cable for these connectors is 90-cm long and seems to be of very high quality. The card uses the Philips SAA7114H encoder chip. Again, although Leadtek bundles cables with the card, they are too short to be useful (1.00 m composite; 1.10 m S-VHS).

A very visually appealing heatsink/ fan cools both the 3D chip and the memory chips. There is also a flat passive heatsink on the flipside of the card. Although the fan earns the card some points for style, it is too loud - especially compared to the competition.

The card's driver CD also includes Coloreal, a set of color calibration tools for monitors (Coloreal Visual, Coloreal Embedded, and Coloreal Bright). They are especially helpful in multi-monitor environments. Other software on the CD includes Colorific/ True Internet, Cult3D and the software DVD player WinFast DVD 3.1.