DX10 Support

Even 6 months after Vista's release, there is still little call for DX10 compatible hardware as there is so little that supports it. Company of Heroes and Call of Juarez are the only games that support it (as far as I am aware). Until more games come out that use this technology, its nothing to get excited about. Don't get me wrong, it's always nice to have extra features - especially future proofing ones - but there is little to party over at the moment. However, when games like Unreal 3 begin to hit the market, DX10 might seem a bit more worthwhile.

HDMI, HDCP, HDHDHD

One of the more celebrated features of ATI's latest GPU series is their support for HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)I. This means that not only can any of the HD 2xxx support 1080p HD quality video but they can also deal with HD quality sound too. Of course, for this to comply with sheriff Vista, it has to also support HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection). HDCP is a way of controlling digital content that travels over an HDMI connection.

For more information on HDMI and HDCP, check out our glossary entry here.

Noise and Cooling

Noise wise the 2600XT is relatively quiet throughout most of its operation. However under heavy load when it tends to heat up a bit, it can become a little noisy. Also, the shroud around the fan is very close to it and any pressure on it forces it to touch the fan causing a horrible rubbing noise. This can be easily rectified with a bit of pressure in the right places, but it is annoying.

Temperature wise, the 2600 stayed pretty much constant even when going full tilt. At idle it was about 61 degrees C, and under full load it hit a maximum of 65 degrees C. This was possible because the fan speed increased as the temperature did, keeping it nice and chilly.

Cost

This card comes in at about the £70 mark which is 15 to 20 pounds cheaper than its Nvidia rival the 8600GT.