VisionTek -Xtasy By Numbers
The American company VisionTek was among the first to have a line of Titanium cards on the market. VisionTek was kind enough to send us one of each of the Titanium Xtasy models for this test.
The models and their features:
| Graphics Card | Hardware | Software |
|---|---|---|
| VisionTek Xtasy 5864 | GeForce2 Ti: 250 MHz64 MB, 5 ns, 400 MHzGPU FanMemory HeatsinksTV-Out (Bt868KRF) | Driver-CDPowerDVD |
| VisionTek Xtasy 6564 | GeForce3 Ti200: 175 MHz64 MB, 5 ns, 400 MHzGPU FanMemory HeatsinksTV-Out (Bt868KRF) | Driver-CDPowerDVD |
| VisionTek Xtasy 6964 | GeForce3 Ti500: 240 MHz64 MB, 3,8 ns, 500 MHzGPU FanMemory HeatsinksTV-Out (Bt868KRF)DVI | Driver-CDPowerDVD |
The Xtasy family comes along in a rather unobtrusive green color and uses identical blue heatsinks. Unlike most other cards, the heatsinks are only attached to their memory chips at a few contact points using thermally conducive glue, instead of a thermal pad that covers the entire surface of the chip. Consequently, the contact between memory chip and heatsink is limited to these points, reducing the effectiveness of the cooling solution. Realistically speaking, the memory heatsinks are primarily decorative anyway, so this has no effect. This is borne out by the overclocking tests, in which all three Xtasy models make an impressive showing. All three cards use the Conexant Bt868KRF TV-Out encoder chip. The Ti500 also offers a DVI output.
Software seems to be the favorite way of cutting corners and costs these days. This idea holds true with the Xtasy cards, which come bundled only with their drivers and a software DVD player. A clever feature is an MPG video on the driver CD that gives detailed instructions on the correct way to install the card or replace the old one. The technician demonstrating the process might want to practice shutting a computer case, though...
