PNY FX 5900 Ultra

While some regard the Radeon 9800 Pro as the finest graphics chip available, others beg to differ, most notably Nvidia. Offering an alternative to ATI hardware, PNY's Verto Geforce FX 5900 Ultra is based on the top-of-the-range Geforce FX 5900 Ultra.

Made using 0.12micron technology, the card is impressive on paper. Running at 450MHz, it has a 256bit memory interface, twice that of its predecessor, and a theoretical data throughput of 27.2Gbytes/sec. This means it can push pixels around the screen at an incredible speed, applying up to 16 different textures to each one in a single pass.

Also included is version 2.0 of Nvidia's CineFX engine, new vertex shaders and Ultrashadow technology, allowing developers to create a variety of special effects and more realistic visuals. The Ultra is fully DirectX 9 and Open GL 1.4-compatible, and supports AGP 8x.

PNY has combined this with 256MB of Ram, plus VGA, DVI and S-Video outputs. The card takes up two expansion plates at the back of the PC and also has an impressive cooling system.

In tests, the card lived up to the hype, with a 3Dmark 2001 score of 17,226 - the highest we've ever seen. It failed to run 3Dmark 2003, however, demanding more power from a PC fitted with a 500w supply.

This hair-raising performance comes at a price, though. With an RRP of £449, this card is really only suitable for anyone who's serious about graphics. PNY's Verto Geforce FX 5900 Ultra is a fantastic performer and well worth considering.

Contact: PNY 01784 224 220
www.pny.co.uk

Specifications:

• 450MHz core
• 400MHz Ramdacs
• 256MB DDR-Ram running at 850MHz
• 27.2Gbytes/sec memory bandwidth
• VGA, DVI and S-Video
• DX9
• OpenGL 1.4
• AGP 8x
• Drivers, The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, Tribunal