PowerColor X1300 512MB GameFX - Conclusion

To be honest, I'm quite happy with how this card performs in comparison to its ancestor, the X300.  In all tests, the X1300 tremendously outperformed its counterpart, showing definite advancement in the right direction. 

Using ATITool, I did attempt to overclock this card to see if I could squeeze out any better performance.  Before I could make any substantial increase, the card would give up on me.  As I said earlier, though, with some better cooling I'm sure this card could overclock an amount actually worth mentioning.

As always, here are the high and low points for this card:

Highs:

• Vast improvement over its last generation counterpart, the X300
• Runs quiet
• Decent performance in all tests
• Crossfire ready

Lows:

• Somewhat pricey for a low-end card ($90 at the time of this writing)
• Couldn't overclock well with stock cooling

Overall, this card fits into a weird spot.  It's a bit pricey for an entry-level card, even if it is an entry-level card for the next generation.  The X300 cards are still available on the market for about half the price of the X1300, but if you want to even pretend to play today's games, then you are going to need the X1300.

So all things considered, I give this product an 8 out of 10 rating, and Dev Hardware's GOLD Award.  If you want to move slowly into the next generation of video, and can't afford too big of a jump, then this card is the right one for you.

I'd like to thank PowerColor for sending us the X1300 to review.  If you would like more information about this card, or any of PowerColors other products, please visit them at http://www.powercolor.com/main_product_detail.asp?id=107.