Albatron Ti4200P Turbo

Overclocking:

We had very high expectations for this card when it comes to overclocking. It comes on the 8-layer PCB, which in more simple terms means more stable voltage throughout the videocard. It also has some very nice looking heatsinks on the memory that should allow for good overclocking. The 128MB of RAM consists of 3.3ns memory modules by BGA and on top of that they’ve added aluminium RAM sinks front and rear to keep the memory cool for performance. On the GPU it has a copper heat sink that appears to cool decently, although it does seem a bit border line in terms of high performance. Finally, Albatron has bumped up the core and memory clocks from the standard 250/444 (core/memory based on a 128MB configuration) to a healthy 250/552. Before we recieved our sample, I looked at other reviews on the internet that had the card hitting over 310mhz on the core and 720mhz on the memory! So when I recieved the Albatron Geforce 4 Ti4200p Turbo I was ready to push the card to the extreme. I took our card up from default speeds in 5mhz steps up to the point at which the 3dmark loops would lock up. The card maxed out at 290mhz core and 640mhz memory. If we try running the core or memory at just 1mhz higher we recieved a ton of distortion and lower benchmark scores, but at 290/640 everything runs perfect.

To get the last couple mhz out of the Albatron card, we removed the fan and heatsinks to make sure everything was mounting flat. We found that Albatron uses a nice amount of thermal compund and that contact pressure on the GPU was fine. We cleaned up their thermal compound and then proceeded to lapp the surface. We found the surface to be flat and then applied Artic Silver 2 to the copper fan base. Again, we reached the cards original max of 290/640 and recieved no performance gain. I will be honest and say I was expecting much more, but then think of the Geforce Ti 4600…. Core 300mhz, Memory 650mhz This is a Geforce Ti 4200 that is running 10mhz shy of its oldest big brother.

To sum up our overclocking section, the card runs 50mhz faster on the core and almost 200mhz faster on the memory than the default Nvidia Ti 4200 spec sheet shows on a 128mb card. This is an impressive result from any company let alone a company that is not yet a year old. Watch out Visiontek, Gainward, MSI we have a new powerhouse in the market!

Conclusions:

Albatron is a name that has been rapidly spreading around the computer enthusiasts for months, and we now know why. They are building quality products for both the average users and power users. Our card performed just shy of what a standard Geforce Ti4600 can do, and we get these results for almost half the price of a Ti4600. We recommend this card to any user wishing to update their system if they have the left over Christmas gift money from friends and family. You really can’t go wrong with the Albatron Ti4200P Turbo; it incorporates great looks and performance without burning a hole into your wallet.

Often companies come and go quickly in the computer hardware market, but Albatron does not seem to be going anyplace other than up for the foreseeable future. Just a few days ago Albatron had a press release on their next video card, the Geforce 4 Ti4600 Turbo. Plus they will be offering the Geforce FX in the first quarter of 2003. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of good things for Albatron as long as they keep the quality coming!

PROS

• Performance
• Memory Cooling
• 3.3ns Memory
• Cost Effective High Performance
• Does Not Use a PCI slot
• Not very loud
• Looks Great

CONS

• GPU Heatsink Questionable For a High Performance Card
• Needs a DVI To D-Sub VGA Converter

IMPROVEMENTS

• Needs a Better GPU Heatsink
• Needs a DVI To D-Sub VGA Converter

This Albatron card also recieves our Editor’s Choice award for a job well done!