Albatron Ti4200P TURBO + VGA DVI-I & TV-out
It seems as if everyone is trying to outdo each others' Ti 4200. Common sense tells us that the GeForce4 Ti 4200, priced at between £110 and £170, is going to be the card that appeals the widest cross-section of buyers who want Ti 4400/4600 power but don't want to pay the premiums associated with those cards. We've seen some Ti 4200s comfortably exceed Ti 4400 specifications once overclocked.
Albatron, it seems, have decided to produce the ultimate GeForce4 Ti 4200 in the form of the Medusa Ti 4200 Turbo. Please note that this is an AGP 4x card and not 8x like the majority of others on test.
The only indication that this is Albatron's performance-based Ti 4200 comes with the small Ti4200P sticker on the box cover.
Firstly, the Medusa Turbo is larger than any other Ti 4200 on test. It's exactly the same size as the Ti 4400/4600 cards - that should tell you where Albatron see it with respect to performance. The cooler is amongst the best on test. It's low-profile, well built, and permeates a feeling of quality from its 8-layer PCB. Like a few other coolers the air removed from the copped-clad heatsink is channeled out over the RAMsinks. The RAMsinks do an effective job of hiding 128MB of BGA RAM. The Albatron, along with the Gainward 750XP, are the only cards to use Tiny BGA RAM. Looking at the detailed specifications it appears as if Albatron use 3.3ns RAM for this particular card. Nominally rated at 606MHz, it should overclock well.
The card feels extremely well made. The impressive RAMsinks cover the remaining 64MB of BGA RAM on the back. Video-out functions are handled by Philips. This time the SAA7104E is used. As you may know, this particular chip cannot process incoming streams so you had better look elsewhere if video-in is of some importance. This card has been designed for maximum performance.
The usual HD15, TV-Out, and DVI outputs on the back of the card.
The accompanying bundle is exactly the same as the Albatron Ti4280 on test here. That comprises of a S-Video-to-RCA converter, S-VHS extension lead, RCA extension lead, and a couple of older games in Motocross Mania and Serious Sam. A DVI-to-VGA dongle is conspicuous by its absence. I'd wager that one is included but was overlooked on this particular card. There's no need for any video-in cables with the 7104E chip.
