Judging by our experiences with the MX400, it appears as though the card is targeted at a slightly different market than competing offerings from Creative Labs and Aureal. Lacking the more advanced gaming realism of the SQ2500 and coming up short in sound quality to the Live! series, the MX400 seems most adept in the overall value it provides. With most of the competition taking place in the high-end performance gaming sector, there is definitely room for a value-oriented card offering excellent positional audio and a few extra features (coax-out and RioPC connectivity).

A few aspects of the card left us desiring a little something more, such as the options for internal connectivity. A stereo AUX output would be very useful, as well as an S/PDIF connection. In addition, sound quality from the MX400 was noticeably bright, a quality attributed to the Canyon3D processor.

While Diamond's drivers don't offer much control over the MX400's sound output, they bring an aspect of maturity previously unseen in Canyon3D based boards. Whether or not the drivers will receive continual attention is up to Diamond, as the current MX300 software has not been updated in months. In addition to the drivers, multiple audio streams, great stability and Windows 2000 support are all perks of the newest addition to the Monster family.

Although the MX400 doesn't appear to be quite as vicious as the preceding MX300, Diamond's latest offering excels in a few areas the previous card lacked. By hitting a precious price point, Diamond has brought to life a Monster that the budget user may want to sink their claws into.

Chris Angelini
Editor

• RCA digital output
• Sensaura 3D audio
• Impressive bundle
• Lower price point than competition

• No A3D 2.0 support
• Lacking internal connectors
• Highest CPU usage of cards tested
• Windows 2000 drivers not finished