Gainward CardExpert 128ZX review

Gainward is a Taiwanese manufacturer that produces a wide range of graphics cards based on a variety of chipsets. With 14 years' hardware experience, Gainward is now looking to enter the UK market. The CardExpert 128ZX is the only card this month to feature nVIDIA's Riva 128ZX chipset. This is an updated version of the Riva 128, which drove the Diamond Viper V330 in our last graphics card Labs. Unfortunately, the Riva 128 is out of its depth on this occasion.

The 128ZX ended up last in our overall results table, and a lot of the blame can be laid on the lack of OpenGL support at high resolutions. Even though it was able to play Quake II in default OpenGL at 640 x 480 at a respectable 47.3fps, this proved the resolution ceiling. Direct 3D performance in 3DMark was sluggish but not appalling, and the 128ZX came fifth from bottom. The card was last in the 2D benchmarks, although it should be noted that in real terms it was only marginally slower than the fastest card - which demonstrates just how level the playing field is in 2D. With 8Mb of SGRAM on board and a 250MHz RAMDAC, the CardExpert can manage a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 at 75Hz.

Gainward has placed a heatsink on the chip to reduce the chances of the card overheating, but it's unlikely you'll be playing any recent games for a dangerous amount of time. At £42, it's a cheap option but, in light of the performance, ultimately a false economy.