HIS X1650 Pro IceQ Turbo Dual DL-DVI

HIS X1650Pro IceQ Turbo Dual DL-DVI 256MB GDDR3 PCIe - Close Up Both Barrels Are Loaded

When we get down to brass tacks, the HIS X1650Pro IceQ Turbo Dual DL-DVI 256MB is essentially the same as an X1600XT with a higher GPU clock.  Both cards are based on the RV530 core which is built on a 90nm fabrication process and comes equipped with 12 Pixel Shaders, 5 Vertex Shaders and a 128-Bit memory bus.  Furthermore, both models support Shader Model 3.0, leaving the memory type and frequency as the only major differences between each model.  The stock X1650 Pro comes with GDDR3 memory clocked at 700MHz (1.4GHz DDR) while the older X1600 Pro is outfitted with 400MHz DDR2 memory chips (800MHz). 

ATI's reference design specs the X1650 Pro's GPU speed at 600MHz, a full 100MHz faster than the X1600 Pro which runs at 500MHz.  However, HIS took things a step further, and raised the GPU clock an additional 25MHz, to a default speed of 625MHz.  We should note, however, that when the card was installed in our test system, we did find the clock speeds to be slightly lower than advertised.  In actuality, the GPU runs at 621MHz while the GDDR3 memory was clocked at 688.5MHz (1.37GHz DDR).

To keep the GPU temperatures in check, the HIS X1650 Pro comes with on of HIS' IceQ coolers.  The IceQ cooler is an all aluminum design with an extremely quiet fan solution.  The cooler is ported directly to outside air for maximum cooling, and it's also quieter than the stock reference cooler.

As we mentioned earlier, the HIS X1650 Pro IceQ Turbo Dual DL-DVI 256MB comes with dual link DVI connections as well as a video out port for S-Video and HDTV out.  The only thing "missing" is a CrossFire edge connector, but with this model, a dongle is not required.  Lastly, HIS also offers the HIS X1650 Pro IceQ Turbo Dual DL-DVI in a 512MB version as well.