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PowerColor Radeon X1800 GTO 256MB PCI-E Review |
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Written by Mavke
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Friday, 12 May 2006 |
We gotten informed by techPowerUp! about their review on the PowerColor Radeon X1800 GTO 256MB PCIe graphics card. What started with the Radeon X800 GTO now continues with the Radeon X1800 GTO. Furthermore, the GT/GTO line looks like its here to stay, recently ATI launched its Radeon X1900 GT series. So what are ATI's aims with GT/GTO chips? Basically, nothing less than affordable gaming performance. Most GTO's are within the middle price range. Another thing worth mentioning is that GTO cards usually feature cut down versions of high-end GPU's, so unlocking the missing features is not out of the question.
 PowerColor Radeon X1800 GTO 256MB PCI-E Review
I was anxious to see if the card could be unlocked. We tried several BIOSes,
modifying the original BIOS and a Radeon X1800 XL BIOS sadly, with no avail. The
pipeline count would not budge no matter what, so it looks like our sample was
locked. Other people on the Internet have been more successful though. Next, I
tried overclocking. With standard voltages, the card reached 573MHz on the core,
1134MHz on the memory. Bumping the core and memory voltage we have been able to
boost the board to an amazing 702/1550MHz. So in the end this shows a very
decent overclockability.
I cannot say anything else than state the fact
that testing this card was so much fun. That was probably due to the fact that
it was the fastest thing I've tested, at the same time it was silent, and
insanely overclockable with voltage. I just wish that the core of every
PowerColor Radeon X1800 GTO scaled so well with voltage. At such a price, what
more could someone want? Reviewing this card has shown me something else too,
dishing out all your hard earned cash on the newest, fastest hardware is not
always worth it. I paid four as much for one of my GeForce 6800 Ultra's when it
came out.
A year later, the GeForce 6800 Ultra is outperformed in every
aspect. So remember, rather than getting the most expensive card, get something
cheaper and upgrade more often. This shows even more if you are not scared to
overclock. I can definitely say that the whole graphics card segment is headed
the right way, providing high-end performance to the masses. PowerColor is proving that it
can quickly adapt to trends, and reliably deliver performance to our beloved
rigs.
Related Articles
HIS Radeon X1800 GTO IceQ3 Turbo 256MB Review
MSI Radeon X1800 GTO 256MB PCI-E Review
Quite a few Radeon X1800 GTO's can't be unlocked
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