ATI redefines gluttony with its latest PCI Express-based graphics board, the Radeon X800 XL 512MB. Yep, that's 512MB of memory, double that of most high-end cards (and as much RAM as your average value-priced PC). Estimated street price: $449.
Who needs all that memory? According to ATI, the additional RAM will let serious game players run their games at the highest resolutions without slowing down the action. The company also states that the added memory could, in some instances, lead to better performance than that of boards brandishing its faster X850 XT chip.
Those claims weren't borne out in our tests, though. We actually found that the X800 XL 512MB failed to dramatically outperform comparable ATI X800 XL-based cards that carried less memory.
We tested a preproduction version of the board supplied by ATI; shipping versions from ATI's partners should be available by the time you read this (ATI won't be offering its own cards this time around).
In our Doom 3 test run at 1600 by 1200 resolution, the board cranked out an impressive 39 frames per second. However, a previously tested PowerColor card with ATI's X800 XL chip and 256MB of memory managed a comparable 37 frames, and an ATI X850 XT Platinum Edition board with 256MB produced 45 fps. Results were similar in our Far Cry tests, where the 512MB board netted 64 fps, versus 62 fps for the standard X800 XL card and 67 fps for the X850 XT board.
Just as the 512MB card's performance lands squarely between that of its two brethren, so does its price of $449. The PowerColor X800 XL card with 256MB of memory sells for about $350, and ATI prices its X850 XT Platinum Edition board at about $549.
Bottom line: The 512MB card's nearly imperceptible performance jump makes it tough to recommend over the less pricey 256MB version.
Tom Mainelli
