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The VerdictSo here we are again, a new flagship, a new conclusion. Of course the Radeon x850 XT PE is the fastest thing around, once you have it in your rig you will absolutely love it. Whatever task you'll assign it in terms of media playback, 2D desktop, recording video and of course playing games You'll simply love it. You better start saving though because the prices of the fastest graphics cards around are getting a bit more steep then is good for them. The suggested retail price for the x850 XT PE is roughly 550 USD. Now if it is low on stock (hard to buy) then I'd not be surprised to see prices above 600 USD. This is also the only negative comment I can get this card as it's gaming heaven on a PCB. Competition wise in a single card solution ATI is the clear winner. But I do wonder in the same price range ... if you'd go for a SLi configuration (two graphics cards in one system) with 2x GeForce 6 6800 (12-pipes) you'd be at 550-600 bucks also. And that would be even more value for money. But that's the never ending story I guess. If you decide to get this little puppy then be sure that you have the rig that can actually feed the monster. You will need at the very least a 3GHz or better system in order to benefit from the framerates in an optimal way. But since enthusiast people always buy high-end stuff, my bet is that you are prepared.
In black and white as it's a classic ..
Compared to the x800 XT this product however offers only a small performance gain, so small that I doubt you'll ever notice it in-game. If you are still at Radeon 9x00 .. well be prepared for a raw gaming power increase. It'll play any game to date absolutely fabulous with and without settings like Anisotropic Filtering (always use at least 8x AF btw),and whether it is Doom III or Half-life 2 it just doesn't matter, this card was made for one thing, extreme gaming in high resolutions. This is ATi's new speed demon. In short, the Radeon x850 XT PE is an amazing product. Hopefully it'll be in the shops soon.
Final words, the Radeon x850 XT PE is a classic for sure, but I'm not in control of your wallet of course.
Next week the Radeon x800 XL will be reviewed.
(19th of January 2005) Available in Japan and the USA for $695 - $1000 I just had a peek in our PriceGrabber database and indeed it is selling, for $749.99 , click on that price to observe the info's!
+++ ATH
Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition
Product type: Graphics card
Manufacturer: ATI
Website: www.ati.com
MSRP: 549 USD
Best price for Radeon x850 XT is (click price to get info)
