Testing Continued:

FRAPs

    Fraps was used to check the FPS in these game demos. It is a very simple program that works in the background and displays the frame on the screen.

D3D RightMark 1.05.0

    This program is a great tool for testing the throughputs of a graphics processing chip. Below are the results of the Geometry Processing Speed tests, including Fixed Function Pipeline, VS1.1, VS 2.0 SFC (Static Flow Control,) and VS 3.0 DFC (Dynamic Flow Control.)

Performance Test:

    The program used for this next set of tests is for fast and easy to use PC speed testing and benchmarking. PassMark PerformanceTest allows you to objectively benchmark a PC using a variety of different speed tests and compare the results to other computers. I just used the graphics portion of the program to test the Sapphire.

Temperatures:

Conclusion:

 The Sapphire X1600 PRO performed flawlessly and ran like a champ. The specifications fall right in line with other X1600's out on the market. The difference between this card and most others is the heat pipe cooler.

   The heat pipes didn't perform as well as I would have liked. The temps on the Sapphire were higher than on the MSI X1600PRO under idle and load conditions.. I feel these heat pipes are not large enough to transfer the heat efficiently from the GPU to the back heat sink where the fan is located. Either larger heat pipes or double the heat pipes are needed to insure proper cooling. Other than the higher-than-I-like temps, I was pleased with Sapphire Ultimate x1600 Pro.

     So if you are in the market for a good graphics card and don't want to break the bank, give the Sapphire Ultimate X1600 PRO a try. It's a good quality card that will play just about any of the games currently out today. For the traveling LAN goers, I would suggest removing the card before you travel since this thing weighs A LOT.