so basicly if you want the faster ram you have to pay for it in the for of "golden sample" cards?
However, even with the 'slower' RAM, 550 MHz+ without a voltage modification is not shabby at all.
For the price you pay, these cards are excellent in every way.
I highly doubt that a 'Golden Sample' XL will ever be produced. All a 'Golden Sample' is, is a card with special speed-binned components, or higher grade components (GC16>GC20). Right now, neither the core or RAM the XL uses is practical or possible to speed bin, or replace with higher grade parts.
GC16 is still in way too high demand, with inadequate supply, to "waste" using in an XL 'Golden Sample', when it instead needs to be used in a very wide range of higher-end video cards.
The XL core is unique so far - no other models use this core, a core which is also still in its early days, and apparantly not performing extremely well just yet.
By the time the process has matured enough that speed binning these cores aggressively, in order to make reliable 'Golden Sample' cards, is even a possiblity, ATi will want to release a higher-end model using the process - the speed bin will go there before it ever makes its way into a 'Golden Sample'.
You want to get a Golden Sample X800 XL? Buy yourself a shiny X800 XT, pretty much the same difference
.