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XGI Volari 8300 128MB PCI-E Review |
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Written by Mavke
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
Adrian's RojakPot comes with a review on the XGI Volari 8300 128MB PCIe graphics card. XGI is a relative newcomer to the GPU market. But unlike the likes of vapourware companies like Bitboys Oy, their graphics cards have actually seen the light of day and are available for purchase. In fact, they even offer GPU's for the mobile and server markets. On November 9th, 2005, XGI launched a new GPU christened the XGI Volari 8300. This new GPU is XGI's latest offering for the entry-level 3D graphics market. It's not designed to take on behemoths like the NVIDIA GeForce 7800 or even the ATI Radeon X1800. In fact, XGI seems to be touting its DVD playback quality.
 XGI Volari 8300 128MB PCI-E Review
The new XGI Volari 8300 has all the makings of a good entry-level card with its minimalist approach to everything. Cost should be very low, thanks to its simple PCB design, narrow memory interface and support for only cheap DDR memory. XGI is targeting this card, not at 3D graphics enthusiasts, but rather at the home entertainment market. Hence, they are touting the Volari 8300's superior DVD playback quality and its ability to run without a fan for total silence. Those would be significant advantages for users who are looking for a cheap graphics card to power their home entertainment PC's.
Of course, the actual card, as we have seen, comes with a small fan. We wonder if the Volari 8300 could actually work well without a fan. Still, the acoustic impact of the fan should be very minimal. It really is a very small fan. As far as its performance in 3D graphics is concerned, it's definitely not a selling point. You can just barely play games like Doom 3 if you use only the lowest resolutions and graphics details. Playing graphics intensive games like F.E.A.R., unfortunately, are out of the question.
Its only saving grace, as far as graphics is concerned, is its DVD playback quality. As XGI claimed, it is truly superior to what NVIDIA and ATI can offer. Even expensive cards like the GeForce 6800 GT had comparatively poorer anti-aliasing. On the other hand, we did note some jerkiness, which may detract from its anti-aliasing quality.
In conclusion, the XGI Volari 8300 will best serve as a cheap graphics card for use in entry-level HTPCs where its comparatively superior anti-aliasing will be an advantage. It will also work great for business PC's, especially if the price is really low. But if you intend to play 3D graphics-intensive games, even low-end cards like the ATI Radeon X300 are far superior solutions.
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