Package, Installation and Drivers
Given their respective target markets, both PowerColor models come supplied in stylish but minimalist package:
PowerColor include the following items in the package for the the X1300 PRO BRAVO Edition:
- Quick Installation Guide
- CD-ROM containing Catalyst display drivers, HydraVision and DirectX 9.0c
- DVI-to-VGA dongle
- S-video extension cable
- Composite extension cable
- VIVO cable (S-video & Composite)
- S-video to 3 colour composite cable
The X1300 128MB HyperMemory 2 package contains the following items:
- Quick Installation Guide
- CD-ROM containing Catalyst display drivers, HydraVision and DirectX 9.0c
- S-video to Composite cable (128MB board only)
Even by budget model standards, the contents are parsimonious - there is no full user guide supplied so one is left to guess how to use the cables (although the QUG available from PowerColor's website does provide some basic images of cable connections); there is no software DVD player in the bundle either which would disappoint potential customers planning on using the board in a home media PC.
Although one would not expect products aimed at having the lowest possible price to come with extra "unique selling points" (e.g. games or software bundles), the market is still a competitive one and some customers may view the sparseness of the two reviewed boards as being an aspect that would force them to consider other brands.
The driver CD's included in the packages will often contain a version that is behind the latest, especially with ATI releasing WHQL certified drivers every month. The drivers supplied on vendor CD's are rarely different from ATI's reference drivers, hence the latest drivers can be download from ATI's site here.
