Thoughts
With the PowerColor Radeon X1300 HyperMemory 2 available online for £57 including VAT from Scan, you have to like the low-profile PCB and media features for it to appeal. Boards 20% faster are available for less than 10% more outlay, and the basic discrete X1300s (450MHz GPU clock) which it's close to in performance are nearly identically priced (for passively cooled models, too).Avivo video and display technology does make the little board appeal for that quiet, low-profile media center PC that sits under the TV. It has Windows XP Media Center Edition drivers, consumes little power and makes very little noise.
The form factor has competition, though, when you factor in NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS boards being available in similar low-profile, low-noise guises and for less money. They're slower, but also priced accordingly.
Ultimately, Avivo and the form-factor is what's going to carry the PowerColor Radeon X1300 HyperMemory 2 into user's systems. It's got the output quality and size that's desirable for those slim media PCs, and that seems to be its natural home. It's no gamer's board (at least in modern games!) as we showed.
Instinct says that it needs to be closer to £50 than £60, especially in the arena where pennies on the pound can make the difference between sale and no sale, and at £50 I'd consider it for a media PC project that required the small PCB and low noise.
We're remiss in not showing you video performance, but some issues with MPEG-2 decoders and the like during testing on both ATI and NVIDIA sees us postpone that. Maybe later.
Overall, it's mostly recommended for the obvious target market but consider all your options before making the (current) outlay.
HEXUS Awards
PowerColor Radeon X1300 HyperMemory 2
