Introduction

ASUS and ATI PCI Express cards

ASUS X800 XT PCI-E versus the AGP Platinum Edition

ASUS is the first manufacturer to get a retail PCI Express RADEON X800 XT in our hands, and it looks like a real winner. Since we’re still a few weeks out from posting a full review of this card, we figured we’d take the time out to give you a quick preview, as there isn’t much information out there about it and those of you who plan on building a PCI-E system in the near future should definitely give this card a close look.

For starters, the ASUS Extreme AX800XT card we’re looking at today is based on ATI’s X800 XT VPU, and not the X800 XT Platinum Edition. If you recall our X800 XT/X600 XT Performance Preview, the X800 XT was built to address the needs of OEMs who liked the X800 XT Platinum’s core technology, but felt the heat generated by the card was a little too high for use in their PCI Express system designs. With Prescott’s thermal requirements increasing with each new release, they weren’t comfortable adding another hot component in their systems.

Another shot of the PCI-E boards

New cooling on the PCI-E board

To accommodate this market, ATI has developed the X800 XT. The X800 XT features the same 16-pixel pipeline architecture as the RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition, only the core and memory clock frequencies have been reduced: the X800 XT runs at 500MHz core/500MHz memory, versus 520MHz/560MHz on the Platinum Edition.

These changes make the X800 XT cheaper to produce, as 2.0ns GDDR3 memory is used in place of the 1.6ns modules used on the Platinum Edition. 2.0ns memory modules are also more readily available at the moment than 1.6ns modules (which is why the Platinum Edition is in such short supply), so theoretically supplies of X800 XT won’t be as tight as the X800 XT Platinum Edition has proven to be. And finally, thanks to the X800 XT’s reduced clocks, the board generates less heat.

Note the longer cooler on the ASUS board

See the new connector on the PCI-E ASUS Card?

It’s important to note that the X800 XT is a PCI Express-only part, we haven’t seen any plans for an AGP version of this card, but if the shortage of X800 XT Platinum Editions continues, we wouldn’t be surprised to see one of ATI’s board partners step in with a card, as our understanding is that these graphics cores are still yielding well. The MSRP for the X800 XT is $50 lower than the Platinum Edition, so it could potentially contend with the GeForce 6800 GT in sales.

The ASUS Extreme AX800 XT

What ASUS has done with their EAX800 XT is simply marvelous. The first aspect you’ll probably notice are the dual DVI connectors, this is the first ATI card we’ve seen with dual DVI connections:

Dual DVIs!

By implementing dual DVIs, the EAX800 XT offers more display configurations than other ATI X800 cards. You can pair the card with dual DVI-based LCD monitors of course, or dual VGA connections (two DVI adapters are included in the box). Or if you don’t have two DVI monitors, one DVI and one VGA.

Heatpipe cooling

Another shot of the cooler

The second trait that helps the Extreme AX800 XT stand out from the rest is its heatpipe cooling. ASUS has integrated a single slot, slim profile copper heatpipe, and paired it with a copper-based heatsink. We haven’t tried it under extended use yet, but we think this should give ASUS a little bit of an edge over the other card manufacturers. For added style, ASUS has also integrated a blue LED in the center of the card’s fan.

What do you think of the orange PCB?

Back of the card

Samsung 2.0ns GDDR3 modules

Accessories

In addition to the card itself, ASUS has put together quite a bundle for the EAX800 XT. Included in the box is a USB 300K pixel webcam, a PCI Express power adapter, S-Video to RCA adapter, and two DVI adapters. Meanwhile, the software provided includes a copy of ASUS’ DVD XP software, Ulead Cool 3D and Photo Express SE 4.0, Cyberlink PowerDirector and Medi@ Show SE 2.0, and a copy of Deus Ex: Invisible War.

The ASUS bundle

Of course, no high-end ASUS card would be complete without their powerful Smart Doctor software, which we’ve praised many times in the past. Smart Doctor provides both manual and dynamic overclocking as well as cooling, adjusting both of these based on temperature and/or workload. Smart Doctor, and its Smart Cooling and Hyperdrive functions really put ASUS in a class by itself, going well beyond the capabilities ATI provides with OVERDRIVE.

Conclusion

We really like what we’ve seen from the Extreme AX800 XT so far. Dual DVI is a feature ATI owners have been wanting for years now. This call only intensified with the GeForce 6800 Ultra’s dual DVIs as a standard feature. Today, ASUS provides it with the EAX800 XT. This feature alone could sell a lot of boards for them. Smart Doctor and the heatpipe cooling will also likely draw a lot of gamers eyes. ASUS even provides a webcam (although we don’t know how popular this feature will be). The only thing that’s really missing is video input, but we assume ASUS plans to provide this with their PCI Express-based X800 XT Platinum Edition card.

ASUS’ video cards have been impressing us for years now, and the Extreme AX800 XT is poised to continue that tradition. ASUS is one of the few manufacturers that builds cards that stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s single-slot NVIDIA cards, or ATI cards with dual DVIs and video input support, ASUS is definitely turning heads. As we said at the outset, it looks like ASUS has another winner on their hands with the Extreme AX800 XT. Be on the lookout for the full review in the coming weeks.