XFX 8800 GTX XXX Edition Graphics Card Review

Conclusion

No surprises here, the XFX 8800 GTX XXX Edition makes good use of the extra clock speeds and wipes the X1950 XTX off the map. While there is a measurable performance difference over the reference 8800 GTX, it is not always easy to feel that there is more speed on tap. Part of that is due to the specs of our aging test system but the biggest reason is that the standard 8800 GTX is already a damn fast card. In situations that really tax the 8800 GTX we see more practical use out of the XXX edition as it could be just what is needed to get you over the hump of an un-playable setting.

Things to keep in mind while contemplating the purchase of an 8800 series graphics card start with drivers. We are finally getting XP WHQL level drivers and some games still may not work correctly with an 8800 series card. SLI support is improving but still has a way to go. Windows Vista support does not exist now but we should see that resolved in just a few weeks. The heat that the 8800 GTX puts out is significant and the XXX edition adds just a bit more to that. Our example idled at 70c while on the desktop and hit a max of 86c running the ATI Tool artifact tester for 5 minutes. The sweet spot for noise and performance is manually adjusting the fan to 75% where the idle temperature was 61c and the fan was still very quiet. Power use is only slightly higher than the reference 8800 GTX, a quality 450W power supplies are still the highly recommended minimum. If you are pushing an Intel Quad Core with an 8800 GTX, I would suggest 550W or more if you are overclocking.

Fortunately the downsides pale in comparison to the merits of our XFX card. The XFX 8800 GTX XXX is a solid built video card that comes with a double lifetime warranty, so you know youre covered. Most importantly, it offers you a gaming experience that no other single video card on the market can beat and gives you the power to play any game you can get your hands on at high resolutions with the eye candy cranked to the max. When DirectX 10 titles arrive you can be sure that youll be able to play those games in full DX10 glory including the GPU based physics implementations. Finally, the 8800 GTX XXX is SLI ready so you can pair it with a standard 8800 GTX to drive that large LCD display or with another 8800 XXX edition for the ultimate in gaming performance.

Legit Bottom Line : XFX raises the bar in gaming performance with their overclocked 8800 GTX XXX Edition video card. With an extra speed boost over the standard GTX you can be sure youre getting the absolute best gaming experience any single video card can provide today. With the launch of the GeForce 8800 GTX XXX Edition, XFX delivers an 8800 GTX with obscene performance worthy of the title XXX.