The difference is simple, basically it's all the same feature wise except for performance and despite the x800 (high-end) product name this really is a mid-range product that can be compared with the in 2003 (back then) 499 USD costing Radeon 9800 XT (0,15 micron build though) yet it's clocked faster.

ATI is sticking to the 0,11 micron fabrication process at TSMC. Thinner manufacturing technologies are used to cut-down the manufacturing costs and possibly increase clock-speed of complex processors, this is what we saw today as the core clock really is high. So if priced right the product might become a nice success. But is it too little too late? Shouldn't this product have been released say at Christmas 2004? A lot of potential buyers will say "What's the point?"  they would rather spend the $200 and get the plain X800 with its 12 pipes.

Only time will tell. But one thing is a sure fact, there are a lot of ATI fans out there with a budget that have been looking out for this product and it will sell for sure.

Huge plusses have to be the price versus performance, but also do not rule out the versatility the card offers. Although primary considered to be a gaming card, graphics cards these days are getting more functionality. Think of media playback, Video acceleration, HDTV connectivity and a lot of other features that make modern graphics cards really important. This card for example would make a lovely solution in a Home Theater PC connected to a HDTV screen. You'd get all the high-resolution advantages while being able to play a fragolicious game at very nice framerates, for not a huge of money.

The performance is as expected, the price seems right. This product is 100% targeted against the GeForce 6600 GT and does the job quite well. Stability, hey not an issue as this is refresh technology. The drivers have been tweaked for this generation, ATI's current chip architecture, to the maximum and that's a huge benefit. On the downside, do not expect any new features. Oh hey some other good news... it's not a paper launch this time, expect availability in roughly two weeks time.

Now with all discussion aside, the price of the X800 GT price will of course contribute to its success. At roughly 200 USD for this 256 MB model this is a great price versus performance product in that mid-range segment of the market, and that's a fact.

Many thanks to HIS technology for providing this sample. In a couple of weeks we'll test the final product with included iTURBO and IceQ cooling technology.

ATI Radeon x800 GT
Product type: 256 MB (GDDR3) mid-range graphics card
Manufacturer: HIS
Website: www.HISdigital.com
Estimated MSRP: € 200