Specification and musings
We have Radeon X1300 and X1600 cards for your delectation. No Pro or XT suffixes, but they do have 'HDMI/HDCP', 'HyperMemory' and 'Slim Edition' monikers. Media centre cards, anyone? To be pedantic, their full titles are 'GeCube X1300 256MB DDR2 HyperMemory 512MB, HDMI / HDCP, Slim Edition' and'GeCube X1600 256MB DDR2 HyperMemory 512MB, HDMI / HDCP, Slim Edition'. Do excuse us if we happen abbreviate that a little at points during the review. Let's dive into some specs.
| Feature | GeCube X1300 256MB DDR2 HyperMemory 512MB, HDMI / HDCP, Slim Edition | GeCube X1600 256MB DDR2 HyperMemory 512MB, HDMI / HDCP, Slim Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Low-profile | Low-profile |
| GPU | ATI Radeon X1300 | ATI Radeon X1600 |
| Host interface | PCI-Express x16 | PCI-Express x16 |
| Memory | 256MB GDDR2, 512MB through HyperMemory | 256MB GDDR2, 512MB through HyperMemory |
| Clocks (core/mem) | 500MHz/540MHz | 500MHz/792MHz |
| Display outputs | VGA, HDMI (DVI with adapter), video out | VGA, HDMI (DVI with adapter), video out |
| VIVO support | No | No |
| Sound input | Internal through headers or externally through mini-DIN | Internal through headers or externally through mini-DIN |
| CrossFire support | Yes, dongle-less | Yes, dongle-less |
Perusal of the above table should reveal that while the two cards have different GPUs and memory speeds, and thus will give different levels of performance, their feature sets are essentially identical.
Dongle-less CrossFire is supported by both of these cards; data for the composition of the two GPUs' outputs sent over the PCIe bus. We recently investigated this form of CrossFire with a pair of HIS X1600XT IceQs, so check out that review if you're interested in doubling up on your cards.
Mulling over the specs. then, we'll have to see what the bundles offer, but ultimately, the only two differentiating factors between these two cards could well be price and performance.
