Published in Reviews

Club3D Radeon HD2400Pro and HD2600Pro

by on18 September 2007

Index

 

Games

 

Company of Heroes 

 

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Radeon HD2600Pro is a card that won’t fail you while gaming. We see that it reaches playable 30FPS on 1600x1200 resolution. With antialiasing and aniso filters on the situation is different, but you can still play on 1280x1024.

With HD2400Pro you’re doomed to play at 1024x768, which still isn’t that bad for a integrated graphics replacement. Low profile card at 1280x1024 with 4xAA and 16xAF on obviously has certain problems because it scores better than with 2xAA and 8xAF on the same resolution. Both HD2400Pro cards score same results in Company of Heroes.

 

F.E.A.R

 

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F.E.A.R. is a bit more demanding and asks for more when it comes to card power. HD2600Pro is the only card that can score a playable number of FPS.

 

Oblivion 

 

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Again a game that will make you feast your eyes on good graphics. With low settings you can try it with HD2400Pro cards, but you won’t get the goods unless you own HD2600Pro. Although higher resolutions are not playable with antialiasing, it’s worth a try at 1024x768. Low profile card has proven to be a bit better that the passively cooled one.

 

Quake 4 

 

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Quake4 was playable with all cards, with HD2600Pro scoring double in tests.

 

Serious Sam 2

 

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Lower antialiasing and aniso filter settings but with HDR on, will score good results. At 1280x1024 2xAA and 8xAF + HDR scores similar results to those at 4xAA and 16AF. HD2600Pro scores enough for smooth gaming, while HD2400Pro cards are incapable of higher antialiasing levels. However, with filters off, and resolution at 1024x768, they churn out enough FPS for gaming.

 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 

 

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is one of the newest games we’re testing the cards with, so maximum detail will only be possible with HD2600Pro cards.

Games show that 2400Pro cards don’t offer acceptable frame rates, except on lower resolutions, and low detail settings. It might be enough for non-demanding users who like to play a game from time to time, or to play older and less FPS-hungry titles.

We have to be honest though, you can’t expect anything more from the cheapest DirectX card on the market.

Although 2600Pro uses the slow DDR2 memory, this card handles higher details and resolutions much better, offering enough FPS for a mid-class card, and it will be enough for most users.



Conclusion

For only €43, the Club3D 2400Pro is one of the cheapest DirectX 10 cards on the market. The passive version is a bit more expensive and it will cost you around €46, and you can also get an AGP version for under €60.

Although the manufacturer makes it clear on the package that the card is designed for multimedia, any user who might want to play will be able to do it, but with some limitations. You can forget about high resolutions and details, but many titles will still be playable, which is more than a good result for this price.

We found out that Club3D plans to release another passively cooled low profile card that might be interesting for those who want such a unit, and HD2400Pro didn’t please them dimension-wise.

HD2600Pro is another story altogether. Even on high resolutions it’s capable of handling newer games, and some will even allow you to use AA and AF. Again, we have to emphasize that it’s not a high-end card, so don’t expect anything spectacular. Still, casual gamers, playing at average resolutions with no detail level exaggeration, this card is not a bad choice, especially when taking the €74 price into account. You can also get a passive HD2600Pro for just under €100.

Supplied by Genelec Tuzla.

 

Tested by Sanjin Sejdinovic

 


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Last modified on 18 September 2007
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