Interesting review, but I take issue with this statement:

Two obvious departures from the reference design here. The first is a lack of dual-DVI digital outputs that's become a signature feature of ATI's X800 XL 512MB video cards. The question that arises is why would ABIT eschew a feature that can only be considered in positive terms. After all, one can simply use a DVI dongle if requiring HD15 connectivity. The answer is probably space related. Take a look at the width of the right-hand DVI slot and then picture it on the left-hand side. There wouldn't really be enough room to locate ABIT's one-click BIOS-activating switch, especially with the S-Video socket right in the middle. It's actually a heavy price to pay for a new feature, as many users who opt for mid-to-top-end cards often run 2 DVI-capable LCD screens as standard.

I find it VERY hard to believe that anything more than a very small minority of people who buy x800xls will use 2 TFTs ‘as standard’ (of course I may well be wrong :) )

Well a lot of us are now getting addicted to dual screens… I know I am ;)

well the rich people amongst us with too much desk space maybe :p

YorkieBen
well the rich people amongst us with too much desk space maybe :p

X800 XL 512MB cards cost upwards of £250. You can now purchase 2x 17-inch DVI-capable TFT monitors for around the £300 mark, and one of the X800 XL 512MB card's selling features is provision for two digital connections.

You'd be surprised by the number of users who contemplate dual-display setups, especially if the user can afford reasonably expensive cards.

I can understand why the card doesnt outperform any of the higher clocked competitors. But I have been looking forward to a 512mb card for a game like Everquest 2. It has the option to use huge textures and I wonder if in that case the 512mb card would be better then a 256mb card since it wouldn't have to swap textures as much as the faster 256mb cards.

It would be interesting to se the differences in such a game which is very demanding on the graphics card if u turn up the settings high.