PowerColor RADEON X800 XT

PowerColor is one of ATI’s oldest board partners, with products dating all the way back to the Rage128 chip. PowerColor is also one of the world’s largest graphics providers, with extensive distribution channels, allowing them to get their cards to market quickly and with pricing that is very competitive. You may also find some people refer to PowerColor as TUL, which stands for Technology Unlimited. TUL is the parent company of PowerColor and manufactures motherboards, barebones systems, and other PC components; the PowerColor brand refers to TUL’s graphics business.

Like MSI, PowerColor relies on ATI’s reference design for their X800 XT card. As we mentioned earlier, ATI has been known for their stringent control of high-end board production, often selling complete cards to their board partners, who then turn around and sell the final product to consumers. This ensures a consistent level of quality among all cards. Whether you’re getting a card directly from ATI or one of their board partners, you know that you’re getting a dependable card. Board partners like PowerColor will then add additional perks, such as a more extensive software bundle.

PowerColor card up close

Top of the PowerColor card

Back of the card

PowerColor’s X800 XT card shares the same fundamental feature set as the ATI and MSI cards, with the card sporting the same traditional DVI/VGA configuration as the other manufacturers. Finally, PowerColor also tacks on VIVO capabilities (provided by Rage Theater) as well. PowerColor uses the same 2.0ns Samsung modules as the other manufacturers also.

Because the PowerColor, MSI, and ATI cards are so similar, the ATI reference driver actually recognizes them as the same card. Swap one card for another and the driver loads up the exact same settings as the previous card. This also happens to include ATI’s OVERDRIVE feature, first launched last year. OVERDRIVE provides dynamic overclocking and active hardware monitoring. This means that PowerColor users get the exact same capabilities as those who purchase their card direct from ATI.

The bundle

Keep in mind that the PowerColor card ships with more than just the graphics card. You’ll also get a copy of Hitman: Contracts and Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. CS: CZ never really took off with Counter-Strike fans but Hitman: Contracts was a very worthy sequel, earning more favorable reviews than the original it was based on. Also included are a suite of Cyberlink products including PowerDVD, PowerDirector SE+, MediaShow SE, Power2Go, and PowerProducer DVD.

Like the other manufacturers, the PowerColor RADEON X800 XT also ships with a component video cable, S-video cable, and power and DVI adapters.