Date:
Tuesday , September 05, 2006
Author:
Mark Warner
Editor:
Brent Justice
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Diamond Viper X1600 PRO 512 MB

Diamond Multimedia is back with a strong lineup of ATI RADEON GPU based video cards. We'll see how the new Diamond Viper X1600 PRO with 512 MB of DDR2 compares to the competition in real-world gameplay evaluation.

Introduction

Throughout the 1990s, Diamond Multimedia was a popular player in desktop video cards. They sold video cards based on a number of GPUs, including the 3dfx Voodoo and Voodoo2 series, as well as the NVIDIA Riva TNT and TNT2 series. Diamond was acquired by S3 Graphics in 1999, which didn’t quite hit expectations with the S3 Savage2000 GPU. In 2003, broadband company Best Data purchased the brand and assets, creating the current iteration of Diamond Multimedia as an independent division of Best Data. Their products include video cards, sound cards, TV tuners, and various connectivity devices. Diamond's video cards now use ATI GPUs exclusively. The well known Viper brand name is back and is now made up of various X1900, X1600, X1300, X800, and X700 GPUs.

This evaluation focuses on the Diamond Viper X1600 PRO 512 MB PCI-Express video card. The Diamond Viper X1600 PRO features an ATI Radeon X1600 PRO GPU clocked at 500 MHz, runs on a PCI-Express x16 bus, and packs 512 MB of DDR2 running at 390 MHz (780 MHz DDR) on a 128-bit bus. The ATI Radeon X1600 PRO GPU features twelve pixel shader processors, five vertex processors, four texture units, four raster operators (rops), eight z-compare units, and supports 128 threads with ultra-threading technology.

The description on the Diamond Viper X1600 PRO packaging and web site indicates that the GPU has eight vertex shader processors. This is incorrect, as you can see by reading ATI’s X1600 GPU Specifications indicates 5 vertex processors. The Diamond Viper X1600 PRO offers up a single 15-pin VGA connector, one dual-link DVI-I connector, and a TV-out connector. This video card does support ATI’s Avivo technology, which provides improved performance and image quality for video playback and capture.

Diamond Viper X1600 PRO 512 MB

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The box this video card comes in is well marked, but there some interesting things to note. First, the black and white “512 MB” on the front of the box is a sticker and not screen printed on the box. Second, on the side of the box it specifies that this card runs on a “PCI-Express X16 or AGP 3.0” slot. Obviously, Diamond has chosen to use the same box for multiple models. While that is sensible from a production cost standpoint, it can also be potentially confusing for customers buying this video card seeing it on the shelf; most notably the information about the interface which is extremely important when choosing a video card. Luckily, smack dab on the front of the box, it does let you know which version this video card is with a PCI-Express label.

The most noticeable aspect upon opening the box is the fact that the video card is not restrained in place. As a matter of fact, you will notice that before you even open the box, you can hear the card sliding around as you move the box. Back in the day, Diamond products were held in place by folds of cardboard forming a kind of cage around the card. It would be nice if they would come up with a way to better secure their products within their packaging which can easily be damaged during shipping these days.

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The video card itself features a large extruded aluminum heat sink that covers almost the entire front surface of the video card, cooled by a 60mm fan. The heat sink and fan assembly is held in place by two offset mounting posts. It is very securely held in place. The memory chips on the back side of the video card are covered by small, blue, stick-on aluminum heat sinks. External power is not required; the video card draws all the power it needs from the PCI-Express bus. This video card also fully supports a CrossFire configuration for more performance.

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The Diamond Viper X1600 PRO 512 MB video card software bundle includes Cyberlink PowerDVD suite, a driver CD (with Catalyst 6.4), and a “Bonus Software” disc of various freeware utilities. Accompanying the software is a DVI to VGA adapter, an S-Video Cable, a component HDTV-out dongle, and a composite TV-out adapter and cable.

In the package you will find a blue document outlining Diamond’s 1-year limited warranty plan, and a generic Diamond Multimedia quick-start guide. Diamond products of the late 1990’s sported a 7-year warranty, so it is a disappointment to see just a 1-year warranty here, especially as there are several other builders offering lifetime warranties on their video cards. The quick-start guide goes through the installation procedure (only in English) and even covers disabling on-board video. It is well written, concise, and simple to follow.

By way of comparison, we are evaluating the Diamond Viper X1600 PRO 512 MB PCI-Express video card against an NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS 256 MB PCI-Express video card. The Viper X1600 PRO 512 MB carries an MSRP of $199.99, but you can pick one up for $126.99 with a $20 mail-in-rebate making it only $106.99. The GeForce 7600 GS 256MB can be owned for around this same price as well from a variety of manufacturers so that makes these video cards worthy competitors.