NVIDIA GeForce DDR Roundup (March 00)

Leadtek WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B - Card Specs

WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B Specifications
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Memory	32 MB Infineon DDR SGRAM 6 ns
Cooling	Extra-Large heatsink/fan combo
TV-Out	Brooktree 869
TV-In	Not Supported
Drivers	Reference Leadtek
Highest Overclock	160/348 MHz
Overclocking Utility	Leadtek's Speed Runner
Software/Gaming Bundle	WinDVD, Colorific, 3Deep, Asymetrix WEB 3D, Platinum VRCreator, Asymetrix 3D/FX, Asymetrix Digital Video Producer
Estimated Street Price	$289
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The most shocking, as well as most appealing, aspect of Leadtek's WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B card is its extremely large heatsink and fan. Measuring 8.5 cm x 4.5 cm, the large heatsink does an excellent job at keeping the GPU cool, a feature reflected upon by its high overclocking speed. In addition to the eye-catching and extremely functional heatsink, the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B also comes with the ability to do composite video out. Unlike most other cards we have seen (with the exception of the ASUS V6800 Deluxe), the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B includes a connector which allows not only S-Video out but also composite video out. Considering the fact that most televisions (except those made within the last year) do not have an S-Video port on them, the composite feature of the card is very powerful. The one major complaint we have about this card is its name. Rather than give the card a new name, Leadtek chose to call it a revision, thus making the differences between the original WinFast GeForce 256 DDR and the revision of the card hard to tell from a retail point of view but easy to see upon examining the features of the card.

The driver set found on the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B is the same one found on the other WinFast GeForce cards. Basically the reference driver set, Leadtek has included a few extra utilities worth mentioning. The first, and also the most powerful one, is the included Speed Runner utility which allows for overclocking of both the core and memory clock speed. Leadtek knows that the only way that a consumer will gain the full advantages from their extremely efficient cooling method will be with overclocking, thus the Speed Runner utility is a great feature. The second utility worth mentioning is the included Eye Protection utility. When enabled, this feature can remind you to rest your eyes at an hourly rate specified by the user. While the word of the wise dictates that we should take breaks from computer use, it is quite unlikely that a small dialogue box will motivate us to take a break. This feature seems like more of a work orientated option, as it gives the worker an excuse to take a break. The phrase "But my computer told me to" comes to mind.

Pros: Great cooling from a great heatsink, composite video out, included overclocking utility

Cons: A tad pricey, reference based driver set, Revision B may be hard to find