ATI X800XL 512MB reviews flood the web

IT'S A CLEVER piece of a cunning marketing plan from ATI that is the launching of the X800XL with 512MB memory. I strongly suspect that 256MB X800XL components will be "phased out" or OS really quickly, only to be replaced by the 512MB as the price - not the performance - gap between the X800XL and the X850XT closes. BTW, what are your views coupling a GPU with a dedicated onboard physics coprocessor (PPU) for improved performance.

First, one from Xbitlabs which spans a staggerging 26 pages. Click on print article to get a more general view. 16 benchmarks explored including the forthcoming FEAR multiplayer beta game and Warhammer 40000. No notable difference between the 256MB and the 512MB version.

Neoseeker also publishes its review, which is mercifully much shorter. The X800XL card is based on a 110nm process so it might be a good candidate for overclocking. 512MB of GDDR3 memory is nothing to be sniffed at. With the forthcoming ATI Tile based version of SLI, you might double or triple the amount of memory in your PC by adding two video cards. Here also few improvements or any.

Beyond 3D "partnered" with Sapphire to bring the Hybrid X800XL 512MB review. Beyond3D's verdict, stick to your 256MB X800XL Is it marketing Hype as someone from Croteam bluntly puts it? Interesting comment from Tim Sweeney. Wouldn't decompression hardware costs less than larger memory? Points to ponder.

PCPerspective also fires up their X800XL preview. Useful when going above the 1600x1200 but I would advise against it unless you have a 21-inch CRT monitor or your eyes will get strain. Also a huge percentage of LCD do not support anything above 1280x1024. Their ATI based card was tested thoroughly and PCPers conclusion, wait six months for the next-gen to come out.

Abbas from T-break has yet another review. They notice that the card has a power connector which was noticeably absent from the 256MB version. They also note that performance actually decrease in Doom 3 and Far cry when resolution was stepped up to 16x12. Better concentrate on 3Dc rather than adding more memory it seems.

Guru3D checks the X800XL Fireblade from Sapphire which retails for $449, a $150 price increase in the price of the X800XL for doubling the memory. Real performance increase occurs at 2048x1536, my Samsung 21-inch monitor can reach it but not my eyes. They overclocked the card at 450MHz/1098MHz with significant improvements.

The same card from Sapphire gets dissected - well almost - by Stuart at Driverheaven. Overclocking was certainly surprising, yielding 450/1180, resulting in a 31% improvement in 1600 Ultra 4AA D3 result. For once though, DH found that the 256MB memory improvement did bring very noticeable improvements. µ