Bundle, accessories and warranty
Time for some weird angles.
There's little to distinguish the packaging from any other XFX GeForce 8800 GTX card's.
The bundle is also representative of a retail GeForce 8800 GTX's. You receive the following items:
| Items |
Quick-install guide TV-Out compatibility matrix PSU tips and tricks sheet Latest drivers addendum 2 x DVI dongles HDTV-Out (component) breakout box S-Video cable |
|---|
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the bundle but for a street price of around £460, we would expect XFX to include a killer gaming title that elicited the best performance from this killer graphics card. After all, what's another £15 on top?
Strangely, there's no PEG-to-molex connectors provided with our sample. XFX assures us that all shipping models will contain the requisite two.
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. 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.
Summary
There's no denying that this is one helluva fast graphics card but it also has a panic-inducing price to match.Let's see how its performance compares against some very healthy competition.
