Leadtek Winfast A280 LE TDH
Leadtek have made quite a reputation for themselves in overclockers' eyes. Their extra attention to cooling, sometimes involving a twin fan approach, has consistently provided cards that far surpass their rated speeds. In recent times, Leadtek have decided to have one all-encompassing card with their MyVIVO range. These cards attempt to marry performance and versatility into one package. We've got a MyVIVO 128MB 8x AGP card on test here.
The large heatsink assembly simply takes over the card from a visual perspective. Leadtek have decided that more is better in cooling terms. The single heatsink assembly envelopes the card from both sides thereby cooling the memory and GPU at the same time. The weight of the card tells you just how heavy the cooling solution is.
The slab of cooling extends to the back. Leadtek have implemented this fashion of cooling on most of their cards with the higher Ti range benefiting from dual fans for cooling purposes. The card feels well-made and takes a different approach from most. My only concern was with how the the cooling was attached to the card. It seemed to move about with little or no force from myself suggesting that it could have been applied better.
This card is also distinctive in that it has dual outputs for the VIVO functions as well as for the external box that is provided.
The bundle that accompanies the Leadtek MyVIVO is solid to say the least. As you can probably see, Rogue Spear: Black Thorn, Master Rally (in the same wallet), and Aqaunox provide the gaming entertainment. A rather funky blue-coloured extension box gives us the requisite connections on the Philips-powered SAA7108E VIVO chip. Whilst not being the latest in the range, it should be good enough for most. To maximise the card's potential, ULEAD's VideoStudio 6 SE, Cool3D, Winfast-branded DVD player, drivers, manual and extension cable complete the lineup
