The Albatron 8600 GTS Up Close
One of the first things I noticed about Albatron's 8600 GTS that set it apart from mainstream graphics cards of the past was the fact that it requires a PCI Express power connection to operate properly. Requiring an external power connection used to be reserved for only the high end cards of a product line. Once you look at the specs for this card, courtesy of Albatron's 8600 GTS product page, I believe you'll see part of why this was necessary.
Specifications:
Grapics Engine
8600GTS
Memory Size
256MB
Memory Bus
128 bit
Engine Clock
675 Mhz
Memory Clock
2000 Mhz
RAMDAC
400 Mhz
Max. Resolution
2560*1600 ( Dual Link with DVI )
Bus Standard
PCI-Express
VGA Output
N/A
TV Tuner
N/A
TV-out
Yes
DVI
Dual DVI
What you do not see in the table abouve is the speed or type on memory used on this card. To find that out, I had to dig through Albatron's website in Spanish to find the memory specs for this card. I'm not sure why the Memory Clock is given on one site and not the other and I have asked Albatron about this. I will post an update to this review as soon as I receive an answer. It is because of the memory that the external power is necessary on this card. Personally, I would rather have external power for my video card. The motherboard has enough to do just pushing data.
The card itself
If you look carefully, you'll notice that the card I received from Albatron has a slight bend in its backing plate. It was easy enough to bend back with my hand, which was necessary to get the card installed. What I still haven't figured out is how it got bent in the first place. Overall, however, if this is the worst thing that ever happens to me, I'll count myself very fortunate indeed!
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