Leadtek WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B

Conclusion

Often times companies that rush to put a product on the market first are left feeling the economic impact later in the game. While being the first has its advantages, often times competing products can offer more due to additional time. With this in mind, it is not without improvements that a company can ensure a card's longevity. This is exactly what Leadtek set out to accomplish with the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B. Lets see if Leadtek's the goal was reached and a more competitive product was formed.

Often times in reviews we talk about how most of the DDR GeForce cards are the same: same reference design, same drivers, ect. In the case of the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B we can actually discuss the two features which set this card apart. First we have the oversized heatsink and fan. Not only is the heatsink visually pleasing, it is also very functional. By having such a large surface area to dissipate the heat from, the core of the GeForce chip stays exceptionally cool. For this reason one of the major stopping points of overclocking is eliminated: heat. Because the large heatsink and fan effectively dissipate the heat created by even high overclocks, the limit of overclocking the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B turns out to be chip purity. While often times this is the case with other cards, you can almost be assured that it is not heat buildup that is causing your overclock not to work (as long as the overclocked speeds are moderate).

The second feature that sets the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B apart from the rest of the DDR pack is the composite video out feature. While most every DDR card now comes with some form of S-Video out, it is rare that we see composite features built onto a card. This can be very useful, especially for those who have not recently purchased a TV. Most older televisions have some form of composite input on them, and those that do not can easily be made composite ready with a simple VCR. What it boils down to is that watching DVD's from your computer just became a whole lot easier for many people. These two aspects, when placed along with the crisp 2D graphics at resolutions up to 1600x1200, make the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B a very solid card.

Software bundle has become a more important selling point in the video card market. While many of the cards are the same, a software bundle can set a card apart from the competition in some ways. Most of the time, however, we find that the software bundle is rather useless to the avid gamer who is better off going with a lesser software bundle and buying his or her own games. Leadtek made an interesting choice when choosing a software bundle, as they included 3D modeling programs and opted to leave out the often useless games. The fact of the matter remains that many of the programs bundled are not as powerful or as useful as other programs on the market. Thus, once again we find a company opting to include more software at lesser quality.

The one main drawback to the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B is a results of Leadtek's marketing department. While choosing to call this card "Revision B" may maintain sales of the version A card, it also may leave the consumer wondering which card is which. It is understandable that Leadtek choose not to call Revision B a new name due to the fact that Revision A card sales would almost cease, however it is not right to feed off the press that the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B will get and use this to maintain Revision A sales. With the major improvements found on the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B, it can pretty much be considered a new card and one deserving of a new name.

Running at an MSRP of $289, the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B is on the pricey side of DDR cards. However, as often times is the case, the price reflects the features. The good thing is that the MSRP of the card did not change from Revision A to Revision B, meaning that retail stores will not have to raise the price of the card. It is very likely, however, that the advanced features of the Revision B card will result in a price hike on the retail level. The ideal purchaser of the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B is a person who wishes to embark on a trip to the world of overclocking without actually having to change any parts. The WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B also appeals to users who wish to view their computer image on their composite television. These two features seem to justify the price of the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B and make it a strong buy, as long as you can get your hands on the Revision B, revision.