The target of entry-level and mainstream graphics card is skewed more towards home theater applications than gaming. This can clearly be seen in the specifications of the solutions in these segments from both Nvidia and AMD. Let's see what the HD 3650 can do. FEATURES: First things first; AMD's Radeon HD 3600 series is a mainstream solution which bridges the gap between the entry level HD 3400 series and the high-end HD 3800 series graphics cards. Along with smooth high-definition video playback you can expect some decent game play.

The Sapphire Radeon HD 3650 runs at stock speed with the core and memory clocked at 725 MHz and 500 MHz respectively. The amount of video memory installed onboard is 256 MB. Being a part of the Radeon HD 3000 family, the HD 3650 uses a PCle 2.0 bus interface and supports DirectX 10.1, making it an all-rounder. The most interesting features about the HD 3000 series are ATI PowerPlay technology and Unified Video Decoder support.

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While ATI Power Play reduces the GPU and memory speeds in idle mode to save power, the Unified Video Decoder enables the GPU to decode high-definition video natively-ideal for home theater PCs. The rear panel has dual-link DVI ports which allows for dual-monitor setups. The package includes dongles for composite and component video via the S-video port placed between the DVI ports.

PERFORMANCE: It is a mainstream graphics card so you can only play games at resolutions up to 1280x1 024 with low effects-check out the frame rates in
'Call of Juarez' and 'Crysis' on medium settings. Blu-ray movies play back clearly even on a PC powered by an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ processor.

VERDICT: The GeForce 8600 GT still remains our favorite in the mainstream segment. But the HD 3650 isn't bad-we find it a worthy consideration for an HTPC. FOR: Active cooling, superb entry-level performance, recommended for home theater PCs.

AGAINST: None.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 FX-62, 2.8 GHz
Motherboard: Asus M3A78-EMH HDMI
Memory: 2 GB G.Skill F2-6400C4LD (DDR2-8001
Hard drive: Western Digital 5000AACS