FX 5600 graphics

At the heart of Chaintech’s Zenith FM6P/N Personal Cinema FX 5600 is NVIDIA’s GeForce FX 5600 graphics core. Keep in mind that this is not the “Ultra” variant of the GeForce FX 5600, rather it’s the original FX 5600 that was released last spring.

Single slot cooling

Neither card requires external power source

Both offerings are about $200

Chaintech follows NVIDIA’s specifications for the GeForce FX 5600 to the letter. The graphics core is clocked at 325MHz while the memory operates at 275MHz (550MHz effective). When you couple this with the GeForce FX 5600’s 4-pixel pipeline architecture with one texture unit per pixel pipeline (4x1) and 128-bit memory interface, these figures yield a peak fill rate of 1.3Gigatexels/sec and up to 8.8GB/sec of peak memory bandwidth.

As a result, the Personal Cinema FX 5600 isn’t a groundbreaking performance improvement over the GeForce4 Ti 4200 which it replaces (although admittedly, Personal Cinema 4200’s weren’t produced in large quantities) as the Ti 4200 boasts a fill rate of 2.0Gigatexels/sec thanks to its four pixel architecture with two texture units per pixel pipe (4x2) and is matched with up to 8.2GB/sec of peak memory bandwidth. Chaintech also outfits the card with 128MB of memory.

In comparison to its nearest competitor, the ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 PRO, the Personal Cinema GeForce FX 5600 has got its hands full. ATI clocks the 9600 PRO chip it’s based on at 400MHz, giving the card a peak fill rate of 1.6Gigatexels/sec, while the memory operates at a cool 325MHz (650MHz effective). This gives ATI an advantage in peak memory bandwidth, which tops out at 10.4GB/sec.

As you can see, these figures give ATI the edge in traditional performance metrics. And since NVIDIA doesn’t offer a Personal Cinema based on the GeForce FX 5600 Ultra or GeForce FX 5900 family, they really don’t have a true answer.

VGA output here

Dual display

One aspect where NVIDIA’s second generation Personal Cinema is superior to ALL-IN-WONDER however is in display output. Whereas the ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 PRO is limited to providing dual VGA outputs only, the Personal Cinema GeForce FX 5600 has a DVI output on the card’s backplate, and an additional VGA output that is connected to the AV breakout box. This makes the Personal Cinema FX 5600 the perfect solution for those of you with an LCD display with a DVI interface. Chaintech also includes a DVI-to-VGA adapter in case you do need two VGA outputs.

A/V pod

Audio/Video outputs provided

A/V pod

The A/V breakout box is a stylish grey pod adorned with NVIDIA’s corporate logo. The breakout box provides your standard RCA inputs and outputs for audio as well as video, as well as S-Video connections for higher quality video input and output. All output connections are organized on the right side of the A/V pod, while the inputs are provided on the left hand side. NVIDIA finishes the package off by adding two full length rubber pads to the underside of the pod. This prevents the breakout box from slipping, making it perfect for use on a table.