If you wish to build a home theater PC or upgrade from integrated graphics to the next level, check out AMD's new entry¬level offering, the ATI Radeon HD 3450. FEATURES: The Radeon HD 3450 is fabricated using 55 nm technology and runs at a peak speed of 600 MHz along with 256 MB DDR2 memory clocked at 500 MHz.
Belonging to the third-generation, the key features of the H D 3450 includes the improved Unified Video Decoder (UVD) for manipulating high-definition videos, ATI PowerPlay technology for cutting down power consumption in idle mode, and ATI Hybrid Graphics support. Coupled with a leaner manufacturing process, these features translate into cooler and quieter performance.

The test sample that we received from AMD featured VGA and DVI ports, as
well as a component/S-video connector. You will also find variants of this model featuring the new DisplayPort and HDMI ports from various manufacturers.
In addition to this, those who are planning to build an HTPC (Home Theatre Personal Computer) can even look out for a fully-silent passively-cooled variant.

PERFORMANCE: Although the Radeon HD 3450 supports DirectX 10.1, it's certainly not meant for gaming unless you want to play decade-old games at 1024x768-note the measly 11 fps at 1280x1 024 in F. EA R in our tests. However, it has enough juice to handle Vista's Aero interface which features transparency effects, the Flip 3D task switcher, and other eye candy. Thanks to UVD, the card excels in at video playback making it ideal for a home theater Pc. Pop this card into an entry-level PC and you have an inexpensive high-definition video player. If you're looking for decent 3D gaming performance, we suggest you extend your budget and settle for the meatier Radeon HD 3850.

Considering the competition in graphics cards, the Radeon H D 3450 is marginally better than Nvidia's GeForce 8400 GS in gaming performance. But that coupled 3D Mark 06: SM 3.0.

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FEAR: 1280x1024 High 2xAA with lower power consumption and less heat emission makes the HD 3450 a better deal hands down.
The GeForce 8500 GT performed twice as better well in F.E.A.R. but only
a frame per second better in Crysis and Call of Juarez. Between the HD 3450 and GeForce 8500 GT. we vouch for the latter solely due to its steroidal performance
when overclocked.

VERDICT: Integrated graphics does keep the budget cost of a PC low, but if you want to enjoy Vista's Aero interface and add HD video playback capability to your PC, this card is an absolute steal for its price.
If you plan to build a Home Theatre PC, there's no better deal than buying a variant of ATI Radeon HD 3450 with HDMI or DisplayPort output.