Introduction
DFI SiS Xabre X400-T2 64MB Graphics Card
Whilst the NVIDIA GeForce FX and ATi Radeon 9700 Pro understandably grab all the limelight, one musn't forget that these high-end cards do not make up the bulk of the relative companies' earnings. It's nice to see what the latest technology can do for us today, but it's usually the cards based on similar, less expensive technology that sell by the proverbial bucket load.
It stands to reason that sub-£100 graphics cards sell more individual units than their more expensive brethren, simply because more are integrated into the mass-produced PCs we see at all the popular hardware outlets. Basic economics tells us that you will sell more £700 PCs than you will £1500 monsters.
With such a lucrative market at the lower end of the price spectrum, it's inevitable that all the major players will have more than one model vying for your attention. NVIDIA have their GeForce4 MX range, ATi now have their 9000/9100 range positioned well in this sector. It would be a rather boring world if those two graphics giants were the only ones plying their trade at the lower end of AGP add-on cards. That's not the case, however, with a couple of other manufacturers willing to throw their hat into the graphics card ring.
SiS technologies may be better known to you as the producer of quality chipsets for both the Socket 478 and Socket 462 platforms respectively. Their ethos of quality at relatively low prices have made them a favourite to those who are slightly limited of budget but don't want to skimp on features. You'll see SiS chipsets powering all manner of PCs from well-known system integrators in both desktop and mobile form.
Branching out here, SiS launched a couple of budget-orientated graphics cards last year under the moniker of Xabre. Priced at well below the crucial £100 level, and supporting, amongst other features, 8x AGP and DirectX8 compliance. Let's now see if it has what it takes to compete with the industry's best.
