Leadtek’s WinFast A380 Ultra TDH MyVIVO is not just another GeForce FX 5950 Ultra reference board. Sure, it’s built largely on the reference design, but Leadtek adds just enough spice to the mix to make it stand out in what’s soon to be a crowd of GeForce FX 5950 Ultra cards. For starters you’ve got arguably better cooling than what the stock NVIDIA cooler offers.
Leadtek substitutes aluminum for copper due to its superior thermal transfer characteristics, and while the air intake system isn’t quite as ideal as NVIDIA’s, the bottom line is that the cooler as a whole outperformed NVIDIA’s in our testing. We’ve found that the aluminum plate NVIDIA uses to cool the memory modules can get a little toasty during extended operation, especially when overclocking, so perhaps Leadtek is onto something. The cooler is quieter than its predecessor, and since it only utilizes one fan now you could argue it’s more reliable in the long run, but the aluminum enclosure Leadtek utilized on the WinFast A350 Ultra TDH looked oh so pimp. And in our opinion, Leadtek has improved on the reference design by tilting the orientation of the power connector 90 degrees to the right.
If you own an HDTV though, or are planning on getting one soon, the HDTV output is probably the WinFast A380 Ultra TDH MyVIVO’s biggest selling point. Like the WinFast’s dust filter, we hope this becomes a standard feature on graphics cards in the near future.
With all this, and the fact that the WinFast A380 Ultra TDH MyVIVO is among one of the least expensive GeForce FX 5950 Ultra cards on the market right now, we felt it merited our Bull’s Eye Award. Sure, it doesn’t follow the typical price/performance formula that normally constitutes the Bull’s Eye Award but at the same time the intake design was just enough to prevent it from getting Editor’s Choice. The Leadtek WinFast A380 Ultra TDH MyVIVO offers a compelling package, especially for a first generation GeForce FX 5950 Ultra card and is certainly a card you should consider if you’re planning on taking the plunge to 5950 Ultra graphics in the near future.
Leadtek WinFast A360 Ultra TDH
While the WinFast A360 Ultra TDH’s score is lower than the e-GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, we don’t think this card is inferior. On the contrary, thanks to the easily superior performance of its Air Surround cooling unit we actually think it’s the better card overall.
However, at $200 MSRP, it’s hard to justify purchasing a GeForce FX 5700 Ultra card when GeForce FX 5900 cards can easily be found for $200 or less online. With the low prices on the GeForce FX 5900 128MB line, NVIDIA has essentially priced the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra out of the market. When you couple this with the limited availability of GeForce FX 5700 Ultra cards, price competition doesn’t get a chance to set in. As a result, it’s hard to score GeForce FX 5700 Ultra. What if two months from now GeForce FX 5900 cards dry up or GeForce FX 5700 Ultra is priced at say $140 or $150?
Clearly Leadtek has a fine GeForce FX 5700 Ultra card on its hands with the WinFast A360 Ultra TDH, but with the current pricing structure in the flux that it is (with high-end cards like the GeForce FX 5900 being sold at mainstream price points) you’re better off going with a GeForce FX 5900. You’ll get better performance, and pay about the same amount of money.
This is a big win for consumers, but must make things confusing for NVIDIA’s board partners, while retailers are busy keeping their prices competitive. Of course, with the rapid pace the graphics industry moves at, all this could change in a few weeks, so if the 5700 Ultra does become a hot card again, keep Leadtek’s WinFast A360 Ultra TDH on your mind. Leadtek has implemented a very good board here.
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Which graphics card do you plan on purchasing this Christmas? What are your thoughts on Leadtek’s unique coolers? Voice your thoughts on this article and the Leadtek/ATI cards in the news comments!
WinFast A380 Ultra TDH MyVIVO Ballistics
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