ASUS V7100/T GeForce2 MX

Conclusion

With an estimated retail price of about $180, the V7100/T runs on the upper price end of GeForce2 MX cards. This high price is simply a result of the video-out features of the V7100/T that we tested. The V7100/Pure, a card which looses the Chrontel chip as well as the video-out connectors, has an estimated retail price of $169 but can be found on-line for as low as $136. Of course, there is also the 16MB version, costing about $100 but with what should prove to be a large performance hit.

Although $180 is only the estimated price, the V7100/T should be priced higher than TV-out lacking GeForce2 MX based cards. Expect it to enter the market at about the $150 mark. Regardless, the card is still more expensive than other GeForce2 MX based cards. Is the extra money worth it?

Well, one of the the extra costs of the ASUS V7100/T is its video-out features, as we mentioned before. A TV-out feature on an MX based card really makes the most sense, as it allows one to use the computer CRT as well as the TV for display while each showing a different screen. As mentioned before, this could allow for a movie to be played on the TV and a webpage to be surfed on the CRT. However, if you do not foresee using this feature (for example if your TV is not within reach of your computer), the video-out feature of the V7100/T really has no use. If you are not interested in this aspect of the card, you are much better off going with the less expensive V7100/Pure.

So, what else makes the V7100 more expensive than some budget MX based cards? Well, for one the software bundle that comes with the V7100 series cards is much better than the nonexistent bundle found on many other GeForce2 MX based cards. Sure, it comes with the standard DVD software decoder and Colorific, but ASUS also throws in one of the hotter games of this year: Soldier of Fortune. This alone essentially saves you at least $30, that is if you were going to buy Solider of Fortune on your own. Then again, it does not do you too much good if you already have the game or are not interested in it.

The final thing that the extra cost of the V7100/T goes to is quality. If you recall, we started this review discussing the excellence of ASUS's products, and the V7100 is no exception. Incorporating a heatsink, thermal grease, quality memory, and custom drivers, the V7100 has definitely been thought out by ASUS, as as many of their other products have. So, if you are on the market for a TV-out capable GeForce2 MX, you can not go wrong with the ASUS V7100/T.