HIS X800 GT & X800 GTO Review Date: 2005-11-25 [Abstract]    ConclusionATi has brought two very similarly performing chipsets to the table with their X800 GT and GTO cards. In the case of the HIS examples, the GTO is certainly the stronger part, since it... [Content] PCDigitalMobileGame Performance

Intel System CPU AMD Athlon FX53 Processor socket 939 CD/DVD Hitachi 16X DVDROM Drive Motherboard Abit AN8 Fatal1ty SLI Memory 2GB OCZ Dual Channel Platinum PC4000 - 2.5-3-3-6 Hard Drive WD Raptor 74GB (10000rpm) Video Card HIS X800 GT iTurbo, HIS X800 GTO iTurbo 256MB Sound Card Audigy 2 Platinum EX NIC NVIDIA Gigabit

The X800 GT and X800 GTOs are aimed squarely at taking on the 6600 GT and beating it. For this reason, we will be comparing them to this card, and of course to each other. It would be futile to compare them to cards like the 7800GTX and the X1800 XT, because it would be like comparing a nippy hatchback to a Ferrari Enzo. We also wont be running benchmarks at 1600x1200, since if you want to play at these resolutions, you should be saving up an extra couple of hundred pounds and getting something meatier. 1280x1024 is the sweet spot for mid ranged cards, since it’s the native resolution of most peoples 17?LCD monitors.

Quake 4 may not be the most original or the most innovative shooter this year, but that wont stop it from probably being the best selling, so it is important to see how technology stacks up when handling this title.
As you can see, the advantage held by nvidia when running the Doom 3 engine is still apparent, and although both the X800 GT and the X800GTO play the game perfectly smoothly, the average frame rates displayed by the nvidia hardware is better.

F.E.A.R is a spooky first person shooter that has a lot in common with the popular Japanese-Horror movie remakes we are now being inundated with. It has some stunning visual effects that push even ?00 cards to the limit. We disabled soft shadows since they look awful and have a huge impact on performance.

In Fear, the X800 GT is close to the 6600 GT, but not quite as fast at stock speed. The X800 GTO is slightly faster, but none of the three contenders are up to 1280x960 at maximum settings, even with soft shadows disabled. At more moderate detail settings, all were capable of playable frame rates without sacrificing too much in the way of detail.

Far Cry was one of the best shooters of last year, and still does the trick if you are looking to show of your new videocard’s capabilities.

In This title the 6600 GT is soundly beaten by a very solid margin by both the X800 GT and the X800 GTO. 1280x1024 was not really playable with the 6600 GT, but was smooth with the X800 GT and flawless with the GTO.

Half Life 2 is THE game at the moment. Quake 4 and F.E.A.R may be taking the limelight at the moment, but neither comes close to the cinematic quality Valve’s Source engine provides ?just check out the new Lost Coast level if you need convincing.
In Half Life 2 all three cards are very evenly matched, though the X800 GT and GTO cards take a lead over the NVIDIA card in this title.

People who wrote off Chronicles of Riddick as a lame console conversion and/or a cheap movie cash in should seek medical help immediately ?it is one of the best shooters on the PC, and one of the most attractive. As you would expect, it needs a very beefy machine to get the best out of it.
As with far cry, there is a noticeable improvement when comparing the X800 GT and the X800 GTO to the 6600 GT, though all three cards provide only an adequate level of performance at 1280 x 1024.

3DMark 2005 isn’t a game, but people whine if we do not include it.
As you can see, the X800 GT and GTO offer very similar performance, both slightly higher than the 6600 GT card.

So, in terms of performance we have X800 GT and X80-0 GTO both besting the 6600 GT in most games, but taking a bit of a back seat in Quake 4. Since Q4 is based on the NVIDIA-friendly Doom 3 engine, this is hardly surprising. Both cards offer superb performance for the price, though th4e X800 GTO is the faster of the two in each situation, despite the X800 GT’s extra MHz.