Are you currently looking for an affordable alternative to the GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra for Crysis? If so, the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB is pretty tough to beat right now. In some cases, the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB delivers performance that's competitive with the GeForce 8800 GTX, all while costing hundreds of dollars less. The biggest obstacle that the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB currently faces has been availability, supply is so tight that cards sell out almost instantly when they pop up at online retailers. As a result, AMD's Radeon HD 3800 series have proven popular with enthusiasts looking for an affordable alternative to the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB graphics card. - FiringSquad

XFX GeForce 8800 GT 256MB XXX Video Card Review

The Radeon HD 3870 isn't as fast as the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB, but it's more affordable and delivers performance that's generally comparable to AMD's Radeon HD 2900 XT. The card also supports DirectX 10.1 and AMD's CrossFireX, or also quad-CrossFire technology. The Radeon HD 3850 is even cheaper, with 256MB cards typically selling for $179. The Radeon HD 3850 completely outclasses other cards in the $150-200 segment. Because of its solid feature set, aggressive pricing, and performance, the Radeon HD 3850 has been flying off retailers shelves and taking quite some backorders.

To counter this growing threat, NVIDIA has concocted the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB. The GeForce 8800 GT 256MB card takes the same G92 graphics core found in the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB version, but only it has half the amount of GDDR3 memory, which has also been detuned to run at slower speeds. Whereas the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB boasts 1600MHz effective memory, the baseline specification for the 256MB variant calls for 1400MHz effective speed. And, the graphics core and stream processors run at 600MHz and 1500MHz respectively on all GeForce 8800 GT GPU's, so only the memory is impacted.

While XFX's GeForce 8800 GT 256MB XXX edition is based on NVIDIA's reference board design for the GeForce 8800 GT, XFX has made one addition to the board to aid cooling. Like many of XFX's previous high-end cards, XFX adds a black aluminum plate to the top edge of the XXX board's PCB, resting just above the SLI connector. This plate runs the entire length of the graphics card, and it's designed to help transfer heat off the board's PCB, this in turn helps keep the graphics card and its underlying board level components cool. Heat from the PCB is literally transferred to this plate.

The feature that has always separated XFX's XXX edition boards from their other GeForce cards is clock speeds, and today's card is no exception. XFX clocks their GeForce 8800 GT 256MB XXX edition board at 650MHz core, while the GPU's stream processors run at 1625MHz and the board's memory at 1600MHz effective. These speeds compare quite favorably to the stock GeForce 8800 GT 256MB, which runs slower for both the core and memory. According to XFX, the stock GeForce 8800 GT Alpha Dog carries a price of $210 while the XXX board we are looking at today retails for $230.

With the arrival of the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB, NVIDIA has an answer to AMD's Radeon HD 3850 line. In fact, to call the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB an answer is a bit of an understatement, as the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB clearly outclasses the Radeon HD 3850 256MB in performance, and in some cases outperforms the Radeon HD 3870 512MB. If you absolutely crave performance and must have the fastest card at the $200 segment, the GeForce 8800 GT, like its 512MB sibling, is faster than the nearest equivalent GPU from AMD. The problem that the GeForce 8800 GT currently faces is price and availability.

So far, the hardcore crowd has chosen to opt for the GeForce 8800 GT, even if that means paying a little extra and waiting a few weeks, while the gamer on a budget who can't wait for the inevitable price drops that will eventually occur are choosing to pick up the Radeon HD 3800 series. We really don't see this situation changing until supply begins to catch up to demand. That likely won't occur until sometime after the new year. In the meantime the GeForce 8800 GT is the card for performance junkies. Whether you opt for the 256MB or 512MB card, you're getting a card that delivers the best performance in its class.