eVGA Personal Cinema FX5700
Overclocking and Our Final Conclusion
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We also spent some time overclocking the eVGA Personal Cinema FX 5700. Using the Coolbits tweak, we tried the "Auto Detect" feature in the drivers which pushed the GPU from 425MHz to 461MHz and the memory from 550MHz DDR to 629MHz. This equated to a gain of 8.5% with the GPU and 14.36% with memory. Not satisfied, we took matters into our own hands and continued to increase the speed of each. Using the driver test option, we managed to peak the GPU at 520MHz before the test failed, a more impressive gain of 22.36%. With the memory we peaked at 650MHz before the test failed, leaving a gain of 18.18%. It was encouraging to see that the Personal Cinema exceeded the GPU speed of the 5700 Ultra, giving us hope of better benchmarking scores. On the flipside, the memory gains still could not touch the Ultra's 950MHz DDR. We re-tested the card while overclocked with Wolfenstein: ET...
The Personal Cinema FX 5700 did manage to come relatively close to matching the 5700 Ultra. But when you figure the GPU is running 45MHz faster than the Ultra, you see the effects of the slower memory. Nonetheless, the card worked well at these speeds and we saw no odd behavior throughout the overclocked testing.
When we step back and reflect upon what we've seen so far, it's evident that eVGA is offering a great alternative to the ATi "All-In-Wonder" series. With a complete package comprised of the hardware and software necessary to make the card the centerpiece of any multimedia PC. ForceWare Multimedia was a refreshing alternative to ATI's Multimedia Center software, with a fresh, intuitive interface. However, ForceWare doesn't have the advanced features Multimedia Center is known for such as Thruview, Channel Scan and MP3 encoding to name a few. Kudos to the folks at NVIDIA and eVGA for coming up with powerful package whose components blend nicely with each other. We also liked the added video editing options made available by ULEAD's VideoStudio 7 and DVD MovieFactory 2.5SE, both of which expand the card's ability to become a solid capture and editing device as well.
On a performance standpoint, the card was a little low-end for serious gaming in our opinion. A 5700 Ultra configuration would have offered a bit more muscle for gaming which is needed with some of the newer titles becoming available. If you are a serious gamer that is looking for a TV/Video card to install into your rig, you may want to seek another solution or wait for a future version of the Personal Cinema. However, if your goal is to build a custom media center that can integrate into your entertainment center, acting as the core component, the Personal Cinema fits the bill. With the RF Remote and external breakout box, the card can link up to various equipment, offering a broad range of options. ForceWare Multimedia is right at home with the tools to manage music, DVDs and Radio while doubling as a VCR/DVD recorder with scheduling options, various recording formats and time-shifting capabilities.
The Personal Cinema FX 5700 from eVGA retails for $299 at the eVGA website, $50 more than faster All-In-Wonder 9600XT which retails for $249 at ATI's store. Street prices are much lower, however, putting the AIW 9600 XT and eVGA Personal Cinema FX 5700 on equal footing. Each comes with a similar Remote Control, although the Remote Wonder II included with the All-In-Wonder 9600XT offers more functionality, greater range and a backlit keypad. We were impressed with the Forceware Multimedia software, the functionality of the card and the bundled versions of VideoStudio 7 and DVD MovieFactory 2.5SE. However, with a similar price-tag and lower performance than the 9600XT AIW, which is clocked even higher than our comparison 9600XT, eVGA will have a tough time convincing buyers that the Personal Cinema FX 5700 is the better choice.
We give the Personal Cinema FX 5700 from eVGA a Hot Hardware Heat Meter Rating of a 7.5.
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