VGA Card Buyer's Guide 07/2003

Leadtek WinFast A350 TD MyVIVO, Continued

The noise level once again failed to impress us, even on the A350. Our measuring devices showed almost 60 dB! At least the card runs comparatively cool - the heatsink on the back only reached about 38°C.

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 looks of high class. 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 separate Silicon Image panel link transmitter chip (Sil164C (http://www.siimage.com/products/sii164tx.asp) allows DVI output at resolutions up to UXGA (1600x1200).

The card's driver CD also includes Coloreal, a set of color-calibration tools for monitors (Coloreal Visual, Coloreal Embedded, and Coloreal Bright). These 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.

The games bundle consists of the very recently released games "Big Mutha Truckers" (03/2003) and "Gunmetal" (03/2003). While neither is a top game, both are quite entertaining.