ASUS V9400-X/TD Highlights
Forgetting about 3D performance (for just a bit)
Its perfectly normal for almost anyone to pay attention to the 3D performance aspects of a graphic card product above all other factors these days. This is caused most in part by 3D games are their incredible popularity on the PC platform; and the one element/component that has the greatest influence over in-game performance is none other than a Video cards 3D performance. What we shouldnt ignore is the fact that there are still a lot of users who dont pay a lot of attention to 3D games, and use their computers to surf the web, edit documents, read articles, view pictures or just play 2D games and so on. 3D rendering power has very little application in such applications, and as a result, 3D performance is inconsequential. While still on the topic of Video cards, many will point out that it is NVIDIA and ATI who are the main graphics chipset providers in the world. Yes, in the discrete graphics market, NVIDIA and ATI hold sway over market proceedings and are the two true industry leaders. But if you were to eye the total graphics market, which includes both discrete and integrated graphics, you may or may not be surprised by the fact that it is Intel - not NVIDIA or ATI - who owns more than 50% of the total graphics market. Although Intels integrated graphics chipsets - the Extreme Graphics, Extreme Graphics 2 or even the latest GMA 900/950 - possess limited 3D performance, the value they provide is in the form of an up-to-date basic solution for video output at affordable cost. Obviously, this solution has made quite a lot of sense for a great many people - otherwise Intel would have already met with failure in the graphics market. The reason behind this little narrative is to show that although Video cards with great 3D performance but high prices seem charming, it is much better to choose your Video card based on your own set of requirements. If you barely touch demanding 3D games, you may be better off considering the card we introduce below.
Introducing the ASUS V9400-X/TD
The ASUS V9400-X/TD is an AGP card made using low-profile design. Thanks to the tiny measurements, it can fit into a mini HTPC case with hardly any problem. The core of the card is the NVIDIA GeForce MX 4000. The GeForce MX 4000 was born for the low-end graphics market in 2003. Owing to the fact that there have been many new GPU releases for the same market segment
over the past two years, the GeForce MX 4000 has been relegated to the status of base entry-level product. Despite this, it is still capable of meeting basic display requirements for users who have absolutely no use for 3D performance from the card.
There is only a heatsink on the card for cooling purposes, meaning the card is quiet when it is running; an advantage that is welcomed by the HTPC users. The card has 128MB of video RAM. Although 64MB is sufficient for non-gaming purposes, more video RAM is still useful for extreme high resolution display. Despite the slim size, the ASUS V9400-X/TD still has three ports on the bracket. The furthest left is a D-Sub VGA output for connection to analog monitor; in the middle is an S-Video out port; and on the right is a DVI-I out port. The DVI-I port supports digital monitors, but can be made to support an analog monitor as well via DVI-to-D-Sub converter.
There are only very basic accessories bundled with the card: a manual and driver disk, but no S-Video cable, which you will need to purchase yourself if you want to output to a TV set. While this does not seem entirely user-friendly, the price of the card is driven down.
Why the ASUS V9400-X/TD makes a lot of sense
If you dont plan on playing todays monster 3D games, and are looking instead for a budget Video card, the ASUS V9400-X/TD is an excellent choice. This card provides three video ports, which is quite unusual on a low-profile cards, and note that the S-Video port can be converted to Composite and DVI to D-Sub with the relevant converters to allow the card to support 4 displays types. In fact the popular dual-view function is also supported. One of the questions you might be asking by this point is: since performance is not a key consideration when purchasing low-end video cards, why not just choose a motherboard with integrated graphics? The answer can be found in the fact that discrete video cards generally support the multi-display function, while most motherboards with integrated graphics only provide one D-Sub connector. In addition, most integrated graphics solutions need to share system memory and use it as the frame buffer, which will cause the overall system performance to come down. A discrete video card such as the ASUS V9400-X/TD has local memory to avoid that - of course, the cost of a discrete video card is generally more expensive than an integrated one. Our view, as always, is that users should make the most feasible choice based on their own list of requirements.

Graphics Card I/O Ports and Interfaces Graphics cards today are responsible for much more than simple text output to monitor. Their duties now include heavy-duty 2D and 3D rendering as well as video processing. The output devices they support include not only CRT monitors, but TVs, video recorders, LCDs and HDTV sets as well. To do this, graphics cards are often equipped with a combination of I/O ports/interfaces. D-Sub output port This 15-pin D-Sub output port is a very common sight. It is responsible for connection to CRT monitors and LCD monitors that support analog input. Digital signals must go through RAMDAC conversion before being sent through the D-Sub port as it is capable of only analog input. S-Video output port Current graphics processors are equipped with integrated video encoders to provide them with direct video output capabilities. If you didnt already know, in the past users were required to purchase add-on video encoders in order to realize video output. On the video output front, nothing is more common than the 5-pin S-Video (Separate video) port. During output, it separates the luminance (Y) and color (C) signals in order to avoid possible interference between the two to enhance signal quality. DVI output port The once unownable LCD has finally entered the home of the everyday man. While LCDs operate on digital signals, some older graphics cards output only analog signals through the analog D-Sub port, causing compatibility problems to arise. To sidestep this problem, many LCDs are equipped with integrated ADC (Analog to Digital Converter). This means, according to what has been said in the D-Sub section, that a digital signal is converted to analog and then reconverted from analog to digital again. It is a taxing process that does not produce the best end results. To set things straight, many graphics processors feature integrated TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) transmitter for direct digital output to LCD monitor through the DVI port. This way a pure, unadulterated digital signal is ensured all the way from the graphics card to the LCD screen.

DVI-D port

DVI-I port
DVI ports that comply with the DVI1.0 standard include the DVI-I, DVI-D and DVI-A types. Among them, the DVI-I port is capable of supporting both digital and analog output. The DVI-D, on the other hand supports pure digital output, while the DVI-A port supports pure analog output. The DVI port most often seen on graphics cards is the DVI-I port, which, direct connection to LCD DVI port aside, will also support a DVI to D-Sub converter in order to support analog output. The DVI-D port is rather rare, but can be found on the ASUS V9520-X and V9400-X (both X series cards).
ASUS V9520-X with DVI-D port RCA output port Also known as the AV or composite video connector, the RCA port is seen on home electronic devices including television sets and video cassette recorders. AV output is separated into one video and two audio signals (left and right channel). The yellow connector is often responsible for the video signal. For connection to AV devices, older graphics cards often featured the RCA port. As the graphics card is responsible for only video, there was only ever the yellow RCA port to be found.
Nowadays, the RCA port has been replaced by the S-Video port. With the help of an adapter, an S-Video port can also be converted to RCA (video) output. D Connector The rise in HDTV popularity has meant a growing number of HDTV ready sets appearing in our homes. This D here obviously stands for Digital. signals. There are currently an entire series of D connectors in use, as can be seen below: Horizontal frequency 15.75KHz 31.5KHz 33.75KHz 45KHz 67.5KHz Vertical frequency 30Hz 60Hz 30Hz 60Hz 60Hz Scanning method Interlaced Progressive Interlaced Progressive Progressive The D-shaped connector hails from Japan and is used for direct transfer of digital video

Part number D1 SDTV480I

Resolution 720x480 720x480 1920x1080 1280x720 1920x1080
D2 SDTV480P D3 HDTV1080I D4 HDTV720P D5 HDTV1080P
A very limited number of graphics cards feature D connectors - one of them is this ASUS EAX600XT/HTVD card.
ASUS EAX600XT/HTVD with D/Port Video Input/VIVO port In the past, certain high-end graphics card products provided video input ports such as
S-Video and RCA to cater to users with video input requirements. Contemporary graphics cards, however, already have a video output port (S-Video or RCA) on the bracket. To avoid congestion, common mainstream practice is to integrate video input and output capabilities in a single port. The ViVo port, as it is known, is generally found on high-end products and takes on the form of a 9-pin S-Video port (left), which can be also used in conjunction with a ViVo adapter to offer a complete set of video and out ports (right).

VIVO port Modular Input and Output Block Connectors

ViVo adapter

The appearance of graphics processors capable of optimized decoding of HDTV format media has allowed HDTV output to become standard feature. Generally speaking, this takes the form of a 9-pin S-Video port aided by an adapter with component output to support various HDTV media including 720p, 720i, and 1080i and so on. This type of adapter will also provide RCA and S-Video output expansion. Certain all-in-one cards adopt own to meet some special video input/output requirements, as witnessed in the ATI All In Wonder card below. It too, makes use of a modular input and output block connector solution to provide all functional ports, however. In addition, the card is built with a TV tuner, so it rightly features a set of RF connectors as well.
ATI All In Wonder 9600 XTs proprietary port and multi-functional adaptor and cables
Extra Information Some interfaces are not found on the graphics card bracket, but on the PCB next to the cards power connector instead (right). This makes it convenient in cases where the user wishes to have the video input/output ports located at the a PCs front interface panel. Such cards include the RADEON X800 XT PE and RADEON X850 XT PE. Closing The graphics card interface has developed from the first simplistic VGA port to the varied multi-function ports of today owing to the increasing number of integrated functions constantly being added to graphics card products. Therefore, we can expect to see an even greater variety of graphics card I/O ports, and therefore a greater number of supported output devices in the future. The standard complement of ports to be expected from contemporary graphics cards are a D-Sub VGA port, a DVI-I port, plus a single S-Video output port.