Sapphire X800 Series Roundup --- TheThirdMedia Hardware

Conclusion

Sapphire has been one of the ATI's staunch supporters and the comprehensive series of Radeon X800 GTO cards they’ve lined up affirms their commitment to the red team. We were as surprised as any to confront the full extent of Sapphire's support for the Radeon X800 GTO SKU; it would be accurate to say that Sapphire has a Radeon X800 GTO to fit any purpose and user. At this moment, probably no other vendor is the equal of Sapphire when it comes to the diverse range of Radeon X800 GTO cards available.

Built from a common software and accessories base that is consistent across all the cards, the four different Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO graphics cards were optimized for an intended application or market niche. For the average user who just wants a good graphics card capable of handling a variety of tasks from 3D gaming and graphics editing to video playback, the vanilla Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO 256MB fits the bill with its competency and cost friendliness (though it does run a little hot). While we do not have the suggested retail price of the card at the point of publishing, it should be around the US$189 mark which is the average prevailing market rate for a Radeon X800 GTO 256MB now. Take note that certain regions may only have the 'Lite' edition of the card where software and games have been stripped out.

Silent graphics cards are quite the rage nowadays with mainstream acceptance of home theatre personal computers (HTPC) and Microsoft launching its stand-alone Windows XP Media Center Edition. While the Radeon X800 GTO seems too overpowered for such a system, there are those who don’t mind getting a better card in order to play 3D games on their HTPC system too. In that case, the Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO 256MB Ultimate is the last word in silence, as it will not make even a whisper due to its heat pipe based cooler. However, anticipate it to be slightly pricier than your typically Radeon X800 GTO and from the operating temperatures we’ve recorded, you should be prepared to have adequate ventilation in your casing. Overclocking this card is highly discouraged.

For the power user, the Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO 256MB Fireblade is your candidate. Despite having default clock speeds, it has a heavy-duty two-slot cooler that hints at its overclocking capabilities. Predictably, overclocking was what this card excelled at, as it set a new high for the Radeon X800 GTO in our tests. It also has an extra game for its Sapphire Select DVD so a slight premium is to be expected for this card. However, compared to the wild card of the bunch, the Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO2 256MB, it is completely overshadowed. Easily unlocked to its full potential of 16 pipelines from the initial 12, the modded GTO2 is unbeatable among the Sapphire cards. With some deft overclocking, reaching the heights of a Radeon X850 XT P.E is highly probable. The only catch is that this is a limited edition card that commands a price that is almost a hundred dollars more than the normal Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO at US$289 as found on online e-tailors. Hence, this is a card that's strictly for the enthusiasts as some work is needed to fully realize its potential. For the bold adventurers though, the Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO2 can be rewarding and a great bargain as its overclocked and unlocked performance can rival the much more dearer Radeon X850 XT P.E.

Ratings and Awards

Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO2 256MB (limited edition)

Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO 256MB Fireblade.

Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO 256MB.

Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO 256MB Ultimate.



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