-
Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!
What's best X800XL to overclock
- Thread starter meionm
- Start date
m3x1c4nj3w
Disabled
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2005
- Location
- Cupertino, California
I think the PowerColor Bravo edition would be the best, since it had 1.6ns RAM (I think) and comes with the auxiliary power connector
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2003
- Location
- Beer Sheva, Israel
That's quite unlikely... ATi doesn't care enough about overclockers to intentionally 'sabotage' one of their products for lower overclockability, or for them to take the time to impose a 'hard lock' of some sort to prevent overclocking.
It is rather the very new and immature R430 core process that the X800 XL cards use that is causing the somewhat poor core overclocking results. The memory (run-of-the-mill Samsung GC20) on these cards seems to perform roughly the same as GC20 does on other cards, yet the cores do not seem to overclock particularly well at all - the process is very new and infantile.
Here's a good roundup of different X800 XL video cards: http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-x-1793-x-x-x
If I was buying an X800 XL for myself, and wanted a good overclocker, I would get one with an aux power connector. Otherwise I would base the purchase on the price of the card, and the software bundle that came with it. Avoid non-reference cards with sub-reference stock clockspeeds, such as the ASUS X800 XL.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2004
- Location
- Seattle, WA
I wasn't aware that any of them came with aux power... 
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2003
- Location
- Beer Sheva, Israel
Connect 3d brand does, it also comes with 1.6ns memory but the OC was 20mhz more on the core and the mem OCed about the same.
Don't remember where the review of this was but I remember the scores, in the end the OC gave hardly 2-3 FPS more so it was rather useless.
Don't remember where the review of this was but I remember the scores, in the end the OC gave hardly 2-3 FPS more so it was rather useless.
Getting 1.667ns memory on an X800 XL is a bit of a straw draw unfortunately.
Some of the older VIVO cards came with the more desireable 1.667ns Samsung GC16 memory, but the more recently manufactured cards, VIVO and non-VIVO, all seem to all be coming with 2.0ns GC20 as is called for in the X800 XL reference specifications. All of the non-VIVO cards that I have seen had GC20.
I've seen pictures of various VIVO XL cards with GC16, and pictures of various VIVO XL cards of the same make with GC20. The only way to know for sure, is to check the memory ICs on the physical card itself before buying it.
It is also mostly VIVO XL cards that come with an aux power connector. Unfortunately, VIVO XL cards are also considerably more expensive than non-VIVO XLs - making the purchase less worthwhile when slightly higher-priced alternatives that overclock much better on average are available as a choice, instead of the X800 XL.
Some of the older VIVO cards came with the more desireable 1.667ns Samsung GC16 memory, but the more recently manufactured cards, VIVO and non-VIVO, all seem to all be coming with 2.0ns GC20 as is called for in the X800 XL reference specifications. All of the non-VIVO cards that I have seen had GC20.
I've seen pictures of various VIVO XL cards with GC16, and pictures of various VIVO XL cards of the same make with GC20. The only way to know for sure, is to check the memory ICs on the physical card itself before buying it.
It is also mostly VIVO XL cards that come with an aux power connector. Unfortunately, VIVO XL cards are also considerably more expensive than non-VIVO XLs - making the purchase less worthwhile when slightly higher-priced alternatives that overclock much better on average are available as a choice, instead of the X800 XL.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2003
- Location
- Beer Sheva, Israel
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2005
- Location
- MA
Not sure what the Rosewill will oc to but I've had very good success w/ my Powercolor. I've also added an ATI Silencer which dropped the temps considerable and gave me a little bit more overclocking room.
In regards to the price range of X800XLs, you'll need to decide if things like dual dvi and vivo are important to you.
In regards to the price range of X800XLs, you'll need to decide if things like dual dvi and vivo are important to you.
- Joined
- May 10, 2002
- Location
- Los Alamos, NM
felinusz said:
Felinusz, been awhile since I've been in the video card market. What are the slightly higher-priced alternatives you note? Thanks.
deeppow, check these two cards out, both are good XL alternatives .
X800 XT - More expensive than a VIVO X800 XL. AGP cards seem to be cheaper than PCI-Express cards. The X800 XT will far outperform the XL at stock speeds (16 pipelines, and higher clockspeeds), they also overclock way, way better on the core. These also often come with 1.667ns memory:
Brand New Retail-box AGP X800 XT AIW ($389, but with a $50 Mail in rebate making it $339): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102492
AGP X800 XT Refurbished ($324): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102507R
Brand new OEM AGP X800 XT ($392): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102423
X850 Pro - still slightly more expensive, and almost identical to the XL in performance at stock speeds (The X850 Pro has only 12 pipelines, but higher clockspeeds). However, these should overclock much better than an X800 XL (the X850 cores are known to clear ~600 MHz easily), making it a far better enthusiast card once overclocked. These almost always come with 1.667ns memory:
PCI-E X850 Pro Retail ($349): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102506
.X800 XT - More expensive than a VIVO X800 XL. AGP cards seem to be cheaper than PCI-Express cards. The X800 XT will far outperform the XL at stock speeds (16 pipelines, and higher clockspeeds), they also overclock way, way better on the core. These also often come with 1.667ns memory:
Brand New Retail-box AGP X800 XT AIW ($389, but with a $50 Mail in rebate making it $339): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102492
AGP X800 XT Refurbished ($324): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102507R
Brand new OEM AGP X800 XT ($392): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102423
X850 Pro - still slightly more expensive, and almost identical to the XL in performance at stock speeds (The X850 Pro has only 12 pipelines, but higher clockspeeds). However, these should overclock much better than an X800 XL (the X850 cores are known to clear ~600 MHz easily), making it a far better enthusiast card once overclocked. These almost always come with 1.667ns memory:
PCI-E X850 Pro Retail ($349): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102506
- Joined
- May 10, 2002
- Location
- Los Alamos, NM
felinusz, many thanks for taking the time to reply with the links! My next step will be into an nF4 so I'll look at the PCIe cards following your line of thought and suggestion.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2003
- Location
- Beer Sheva, Israel
meionm said:
According to the site I have given you the IGPU is a making sure you will not over-volt the GPU and you should only mod it if you are going 1.8V and up but nothing above 1.6V is reccomended if you are not on phase change.
Might be wrong about the 1.6V but thats the general idea.
My X800XL is about halfway over the atlantic now I think and I will be WCing it with a MCW50, we can compare the OC on your card and my El-Cheapo Rosewill.
Similar threads
