CNET editors' review
CNET Editors' ChoiceMay 04-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Outstanding
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 05/04/2004
- Released on: 05/21/2004
Like many classic dramas, power and greed are at the forefront of this heated competition. When we first spoke to Nvidia about the GeForce 6800 Ultra, we were astounded at the power requirements. A minimum 480-watt power supply? Not one but two power connectors? Unaware of ATI's new specs, we feared these extreme wattage demands represented the beginning of a cumbersome new era in performance computing, one bristling with heat sinks, nitrogen cooling, and minivan-size PC cases. Thankfully, the X800 XT allayed our fears. It requires only a single power connection to a 300-to-350-watt power supply, which is the same requirement as that of ATI's previous high-end card, the Radeon 9800 XT.
Until now, power consumption has not been a significant factor with graphics cards because most PCs had enough oomph for a CPU, a graphics card, multiple hard drives, and other components. But given the 6800 Ultra's extreme power requirements and the fact that new CPUs have intense wattage demands of their own, the X800 XT has a clear advantage. Do you plan to upgrade the graphics on your current desktop? Since the vast majority of current PCs have 450-watt power supplies at most, you'll need to drop another $50 to $200 for a 480-watt or greater power supply if you choose the 6800 Ultra card. Not so with the X800 XT.
If you want to build or buy a fast small-form-factor (SFF) PC, ATI's new card is your only high-performance option because thermal issues are especially problematic in cramped SFF interiors. Another design edge: the X800 XT uses only one expansion slot. The massive fan on the 6800 Ultra makes the card hog two slots, making it even more unsuitable for an SFF PC or any system in which expansion room is limited.
The next-generation cards from ATI and Nvidia include architectural advancements as well, the most notable of which is the 16 pixel-rendering pipes found on both the X800 XT and the 6800 Ultra. That's the most 3D graphics-processing headroom to date from either company. As always with image-quality improvements in new graphics cards, most of the new capabilities are not demonstrable at launch since game developers usually need some time to code software that takes advantage of the new features. Two new features to note with X800 XT are a new texture-compression technology called 3Dc, which improves the image quality of surface details, and temporal antialiasing, a new strategy for improving overall image smoothness with less of a performance drain. You can find tech demos on ATI's Web site that highlight these new features, but real-world examples are a ways off.
New features are always appreciated, but what every gamer wants to know is how the new cards perform. Our benchmarks show that the X800 XT is far and away the winner, beating Nvidia at every step. The results from our new 1,600x1,200 Far Cry benchmark illustrate the difference most dramatically. Far Cry presents an extremely challenging graphics engine that is representative of the type of 3D graphics we will see in the near future. Testing with Far Cry at the highest detail settings, the X800 XT was able to display roughly 40 percent more frames per second than the 6800 Ultra. Both cards make it possible to play new 3D games with the best image quality and fast frame rates. The shocking difference is how much better the ATI Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition performs. It's not only the undisputed performance leader, it's also the best-designed graphics card out right now.
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1,024x768 with 4X antialiasing and 8X anisotropic filtering | |
1,600x1,200 with 4X antialiasing and 8X anisotropic filtering |
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1,024x768 with medium-quality settings | |
1,024x768 with high-quality settings | |
1,600x1,200 with medium-quality settings | |
1,600x1,200 with high-quality settings |
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1,024x768 with 4X Antialiasing and 8X Anisotropic filtering | |
1,600x1,200 with 4X Antialiasing and 8X Anisotropic filtering |
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1,024x768 with 4X Antialiasing and 8X Anisotropic filtering | |
1,600x1,200 with 4X Antialiasing and 8X Anisotropic filtering |
Find out more about how we test graphics cards.
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"ATI is blowing away the competition. NVIDIA's 400 MHz card (ULTRA) still falls short."
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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest
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alaTest.com
Summary: alaTest collected and analyzed 316 reviews of ATI All-in-Wonder X800 XT Video Card from international magazines and websites and compared these to 30835 reviews for other Graphics Cards. Experts rate this product 81/100 and users 80/100. The amount of rated reviews for this product is too low to calculate a reliable alaScore™.
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machome.com
Editors' rating: 80
Summary: Big ol' dual LCDs
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techtree.com
Editors' rating: 90
Summary: ATI unveiled the Radeon X800, which leveled the competition on paper. ATI released two variants in the X800 series, the Radeon X800 Pro and Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition, both based on the R420, the latest GPU core. Even though the X800 was released ...
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personal computer world
Editors' rating: 100
Summary: We take an exclusive peek at the Pro and its big brother the XT.
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pcmag.com
Editors' rating: 80
Summary: This is the reference from which other X800 XT based video cards spring, and while the performance is great, other manufacturers are doing more to add value.
