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Thinking of the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MiB XXX Edition first, we're happy to see XFX launch another pre-overclocked version that performs significantly better than default-clocked models. It's clear that XFX is selecting premium GTS GPUs - or failed GTXs, depending upon your viewpoint - and pairing them with faster-than-default memory.
Such innovation is all fine and well but it needs to be complemented by an attractive street price. This is, primarily, where the XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 640MiB XXX Edition falls down. At the time of writing, the SKU was available for around £325, or up to £80 higher than default-clocked models and, crucially, only £30 or so cheaper than a full 8800 GTX. As good as this XXX Edition is within GTS ranks, it's no performance match for a stock-clocked GeForce 8800 GTX, and its pricing is such that we'd always spend the extra and buy the cheapest range-topping model.
A relatively meagre bundle doesn't help matters and if XFX really wants this XXX Edition to succeed in the marketplace, pricing needs to be readjusted to, say, sub-£300, for it to be considered. The hardware's excellent but the current pricing makes this SKU almost pointless.
Moving our attention on to the brand-new GeForce 8800 GTS 320MiB XXX Edition, we see that performance is comfortably above an 8800 GTS' and, in most cases, slightly higher than the 640MiB version's. The 1.5GHz shader clock, in particular, offers stellar performance in games which are heavy on shader-created effects.
The smaller framebuffer's deficiencies aren't generally highlighted by our trio of high-resolution benchmarks and the card fully deserves its XXX tag.
As much as we like the card and appreciate the efforts that XFX has gone to with the hardcore edition, comparative pricing, again, rears its head and stops us from recommending it outright. The £285 asking price falls above the cheapest GeForce 8800 GTS 640MiB levels, so whilst performance is stellar for a 320MiB card - and it really is, well above a default-clocked 640MiB's - we'd be inclined to save £40 and go for a more futureproof, but slower, 640MiB GTS card and overclock it ourselves, or stretch the extra for a full-GTX SKU.
Bottom line - XFX's XXX Edition GTS cards are high on performance but distinctly average when price is factored in. Right now, given a choice, we'd go for the 320MiB version. It's significantly cheaper than its 640MiB brother and offers the best GTS experience going. Recommended in terms of technology, sure, yet it's not quite so attractive with pricing factored in.
HEXUS Awards
The XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MiB XXX Edition is awarded the HEXUS gaming speed gong for shipping with healthy doses of overclocking on the core, shader and memory clocks.
XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MiB XXX Edition
HEXUS Where2Buy
The XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 640MiB XXX Edition is currently available to buy for around £325XFX XXX Edition 320MiB XXX Edition is available to buy from SCAN for£246.64 INC VAT
HEXUS Right2Reply
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