Bundle, presentation and warranty
XFX alludes to the 730MHz core on the packaging. We'd have mentioned the three major clock domains.
| Items |
Tom Clancy's GRAW - full DVD game Driver CD Quick-install guide TV-Out compatibility matrix 2 x DVI dongles S-Video cable PCIe-to-dual 4-pin Molex connectors. |
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Tom Clancy's GRAW is a decent inclusion into the bundle. The rest is just what you'd expect for a midrange card, really.
Warranty
All XFX cards are backed up by a 2-year warranty that begins on the date of purchase and is limited to the original purchaser of the product, meaning that the warranty cannot be transferred. XFX urges its customers to register their products on its website for efficient validation should things go awry. Registering also opens up XFX's first line of support; web-based technical help where you receive an e-ticket and a response within 24 hours (assuming you can connect to the net if your card is not working).Inexperienced users may incorrectly diagnose a card as faulty and this initial contact determines whether extra support is required. If so, the customer contacts the retailer they purchased the card from and can use the e-ticket as supporting evidence. Customers who look for initial resolution and have no access to XFX's website can call a U.K-based call centre for support. This, currently, incurs a charge of 60p/m.
XFX reckons the average turnaround time for a defective card is 7 working days, and the procedure detailed above applies for the entire 2-year period. Further, should the retailer cease trading whilst the warranty is still valid, XFX states that it will honour it directly.
Pricing
Thus far, we've spoken about the XFX GeForce 8600 GTS XXX in isolation. Ultimately, though, each component needs to be evaluated with respect to its pricing and immediate competition. Our research has indicated that this particular SKU is available for around £160.Now, considering that bone-stock 8600 GTS cards start at around £115 and the fundamentally better-performing GeForce 8800 GTS 320 is available from around £175, read on to see how pricing and performance pan out in our HEXUS.bang4buck graph. For now, though, let's head on over to the benchmark section.
