Reference Board Examination
If you've ever seen any of ATI's other X800 PCI Express products, you'll know what to expect with X800 XL. Clad in the reference cooler used on all X800 products to date, X800 XL's small form factor makes yet another welcome appearance.
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PCI Express as the host interface means the X800 XL at its clock of 400MHz doesn't need an external power source, relying on power being drawn entirely by the slot connector.
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Carrying 256MB of card memory, the board has four Samsung GDDR3 DRAMs each on the front and the rear. The GC20 variant means 1000MHz maximum supported DDR clock from the 2ns refresh the device is rated to.
The board sports DVI, analogue VGA and S-Video outputs. I'd whinge about it not having dual-DVI, but such whinges fall on deaf ears at ATI. Ah, what the hell. ATI, if you're listening, PLEASE start equipping any enthusiast graphics card that costs more than a token pittance with dual digital outputs. Digital displays are only becoming more common and as prices for them continue to fall, dual digital monitors will in turn only become more common. For the extra cost of a TMDS and the connector, and a convertor, it's worth it. That whinge goes for all AIBs too, pester your IHV for the support you need to make most enthusiast-level boards dual-DVI. Leave DVI and analogue VGA as a configuration for cost-cutting OEMs. Rant over.
The board weighed 339g on my digital scales, almost identical to the original X800 XT Platinum Edition reference board. In my original evaluation of that board, I commented, "Small, light, cool and quiet. Just what the doctor ordered, especially for such a powerful next generation design.", a statement which applies again here. If Shuttle were to make a PCI Express XPC in the G5 chassis, the X800 XL would be right at home.
Like other reference boards sent out to reviewers, my sample has X800 PRO etched into the die, hinting at a product reshuffle at the last minute.
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