Should you be an existing Geforce2 MX owner and are looking into stepping up to the Geforce4 MX then no doubt a speed boost is in reach. For a budget card the Visiontek MX440 performed very well not having a problem rendering any of the tested games/benchmarks. This of course might we add is the case unless you have a desire for ultra high resolution or FSSA gaming, in these areas a Geforce4 Ti with more power clearly is the better card type to own. Should you be happy with up to 1024x768 with Quincunx FSSA then the performance is sufficient to enable satisfactory gaming. While the MX440 doesn't have almost any fundamental architecture improvements over the Geforce2 MX200/MX400 series there is definitely more pace beating within its internals.

As with the Geforce 4 Ti's spoken of above Visiontek fails to focus on a good all round software bundle. The most you can expect to get with your MX440 from Visiontek is a copy of Cyberlink PowerDVD XP. While we are keen to admit the MX440 not being a pure gaming 3D card, we still insist there should be at least one game (even if not most recent) included to improve upon the overall value which we care to remind is not low by default but could well benefit from a tweaking. This is very much along the same lines as our opinion regarding all the Visiontek cards tested; more software is something we'll definitely be looking out for in the next line-up of cards.

The MX440 isn't by standard rated or intended for overclocking, the 5ns DDR RAM and black passive heatsink underline this point. Even so we were pleased to boost the card's default operating values to healthy levels, this naturally contributed to a welcome advantage in stable greater velocity. We foresee no problems screwing on an older 40mm Socket7 fan onto the passive heatsink in the aim of moving up a level even further. It is always a pleasure to see active cooling on every graphics card though as the MX440 isn't essentially made for pure speed this aspect becomes of less importance.

Along in the package you will find a well written and illustrated installation guide much like those bundled with the Ti series. What you will not find (and should be made obvious to all) is 128MB on your card. Due to the nature of this card being more of an economy product there is no need for the emphasis to be on 128MB RAM as it would not aid swiftness. The two HD-15 monitor sockets pleased us and also cannot be faulted as this makes the card very much suitable for multi-display operation in the office or at home.

In a nutshell the census rests on you to identify your needs as a buyer. Where were come in is to state that this card will work flawlessly offering very good value for money in the office workplace and in home computers where gaming is NOT the prime priority. In these areas the Visiontek MX440 scores very well while ruins its standing in others, such as a poor software bundle. No serious gamer should look upon the MX440 as the answer and instead treat is as a blend of two worlds, office work and gaming. There is not all that much price difference in the Ti4200 and MX440, if your prime concern it gaming performance then by all means look upon the Ti4200 as your best option. Otherwise should you be more a business orientated user then the MX440 is the most suitable card out of all four to focus in on.

Every Visiontek card we tested scored very good marks right across the board only really failing to deliver on two fronts, cooling and software. We hope that Visiontek will take both these shortfalls to heart and work on improving them for the next generation of their products due out later this year. For now at least and the foreseeable months ahead, the Nvidia 3D chipset spectrum ranges from the MX420 to the Ti4600. In this Geforce 4 roundup, Visiontek has made a good appearance producing cards based on such chipsets, and that claim becomes even more so agreeable should you ever need to make use of the 6 years RTB lifetime standard warranty.

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