PowerColor X800 GT EVO Tide Water 256MB
PowerColor X800 GT EVO (Tide Water) 256MB PCIe
What's all this about? A midrange graphics card with a pre-attached waterblock! That's exactly what the first part of PowerColor's X800 GT EVO 256MB (Tide Water) card bundle is all about. A closer look at the PCB and component mountings shows it to be the identical to the Xtreme's, save for the hard-to-miss block.
The block's attached to the core via the simplest method possible; two long screws that are bolted to the rear side. The pressure provided by this method is more than ample, and there was absolutely no give in the fitting whatsoever, thereby providing excellent contact with the R480 core, running at an Xtreme-rated 500MHz, underneath.
A look at the other side shows exactly where the liquid enters and leaves the copper block that's effective for GPUs which kick out up to 150W. The basic premise of liquid-based cooling relies on the efficient ability of moving liquid to carry away the heat transferred from the core to the block. The exiting liquid, warmed by having to run through warm channels inside the block, is then cooled on its way around a closed system, usually comprising of a pump, radiator and fan assembly. We'll get to that in just a moment.
A look at the very front shows, obviously, that only the core is being cooled. PowerColor has foregone the opportunity of constructing an all-in-one block, replete with memory cooling on both sides. It's no surprise that the X800 GT EVO also carries the same 256MB Samsung memory found on the Xtreme model.
A look at the back shows an identical set of connections to the PowerColor X800 GT 256MB family of cards. That means no video-in functionality. That's offset by PowerColor providing dual DVI outputs.
Only the two hoses, just about viewable at the very top, tell you that it's the X800 GT EVO edition.
