ATI stunned the graphics world last month with the debut of the RADEON X800 XL. The X800 XL delivers on all the core features found in ATI’s highest end $500+ products. For the most part, there are no compromises here. You’ve got all sixteen pipelines found in the X850 XT line, and the same 256-bit memory interface. The only thing missing is the 500MHz+ clock speeds found in X850, although we’re sure many enthusiasts will shoot for those speeds with overclocking. Pair this with a $300 MSRP and you’ve got a card that delivers unprecedented levels of performance at such a low price.
PowerColor takes this to another level with their RADEON X800 XL card. PowerColor has truly gone out of their way to build a better X800 XL board than ATI, or any of the other third-party board partners.
You’ve got dual DVI for starters. With prices on 16ms response time LCDs dropping continually, an increasing number of gamers are ditching their bulky CRT monitors for smaller LCDs. These enthusiasts want the sharpest image quality possible; pairing their brand new graphics card and LCD monitor together with a VGA cable isn’t an option. By providing dual DVI connections, PowerColor’s X800 XL card is ideally equipped for these consumers, while those of you with older CRT monitors can use the DVI adapter to drive your display. This provides more flexibility than the more conventional DVI/VGA configuration most video cards ship with.
The second feature that sets the PowerColor board apart from others is VIVO. While the proliferation of FireWire in most newer motherboards has made this less of an important feature, VIVO can still come in handy for transferring old videotapes to your PC, or for your Xbox/Playstion vid caps.
By combining both of these features into their RADEON X800 XL board, PowerColor provides more features than any other manufacturer to date.
It’s because of this that the PowerColor RADEON X800 XL earns our Bull’s Eye award. PowerColor provides all this, as well as a copy of Hitman: Contracts and the component video cable for the same $300 MSRP as the other X800 XL board manufacturers. As of right now, this card offers more features than any other RADEON X800 XL card that has been announced to date. And while we would like to see PowerColor address the noise issues with the fan, their RADEON X800 XL card delivers impeccably.
EVGA nForce 750i SLI FTW Review
With it's sub-$200 price tag, EVGA's nForce 750i SLI FTW motherboard has proven to be highly popular among enthusiasts looking for a budget alternative to pricier nForce 780i SLI motherboards. But how does it perform in comparison to nForce 780i? With its dual x8 lanes, does the board run slower than nForce 780i in SLI? All these questions and more are answered inside today's review!
Sigma Unicorn Review
Does Sigma's Unicorn Mid-ATX case deliver as a tool-less and well-built unit? Check out our in-depth review including temperature readings and noise checks.
NVIDIA nForce 780a/ASUS M3N-HT Deluxe Performance Preview
With support for HybridPower, NVIDIA's nForce 780a chipset for the AMD platform is designed to mix SLI performance in games with IGP power draw at idle. But that's not the only feature the new chipset supports. Join us as we go over all the new features introduced in nForce 780a as well as the first board we've received based on the chipset: the ASUS M3N-HT Deluxe!
Spring 2008 PC Build Guide
With the arrival of spring and tax rebate checks in the mail, many of you may be planning on building a new PC soon. In this article, we're highlighting four different PC budgets ranging from $500-$1,500, and one unlimited budget build. If you're wondering which components to consider, you won't want to miss this article!
The Simpsons Game Review
Alex Mebane gives us an in-depth look of The Simpsons Game on the Nintendo Wii in another FiringSquad video review. Check out sweet gameplay footage and plenty of our yellow Springfielders in action.
Cooler Master Cosmos Review
In today's video review, Tom Colarusso gives us the skinny on Cooler Master's new case - Cosmos. Does it mneasure up to the standards we expect from Cooler Master? View the video and see!
3DMark Vantage Overview and Performance
FutureMark has incorporated a number of changes into 3DMark Vantage. The benchmark includes a new suite of tests designed to test 3D performance, GPU-based physics, CPU performance, and CPU/PPU-based physics. Join us as we explore the performance of over two dozen cards ranging from the Radeon 3450 and GeForce 8400 GS all the way up to the GeForce 9800 GX2 and 3870 X2 in CrossFire and SLI configurations. Which card comes out on top in the $50 bracket? $200? $300+? Find out in this article!
Assassin's Creed PC Review
Assassin's Creed finally makes its way to the PC. How does it stack up? Does it meet the Thief legacy? Brett explores this deep philosophical question.
Phenom Goes Triple-Core: AMD's Phenom X3 Processors
AMD is all about choice these days and now it’s giving mainstream users the choice between dual-, triple-, and quad-core processors. Is there room for the odd configuration or are you best served by a more conventional CPU?
Ballistics Report
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