Conclusion

Writing this conclusion is a bit tough because the XFX 8800GTS 512MB Alpha Dog Edition presented me with such varying results, it is hard to really gauge it in any kind of light. If this card would have been released into a marketplace which was devoid of the 8800GT 512MB, things would have been a lot more clear-cut in terms of the price you pay for performance. Since the 8800GT 512MB has been on the market for the better part of 6 weeks now (albeit in limited supply) comparisons can’t help but be drawn to it at every turn. If we are speaking of pure performance and price comparisons, the difference between the 8800GT 512MB and 8800GTS 512MB is about the same we saw between the 8800GTX and the 8800 Ultra.

With ATI seemingly content to release GPUs solely in the mid-range price category, Nvidia has been left with sole ownership of the high and ultra high-end performance crowns. Thus, we see another rehash of the 8800GTS moniker but this time in 512MB flavor. Say it with me: Competition good for the consumer. As usual, I have seen a mind-boggling amount of forum posts where ATI and Nvidia fanboys jealously stake out their territory while desperately hoping the other side will fail. It bears mentioning that without competition, the market begins to stagnate and we see snail’s-pace release schedules for high-end products. Without ATI making a concerted assault on the high-end market, Nvidia is able to release a succession of mid-priced cards without having to release a high-end card that will blow our eyeballs out through the back of our heads. While this may seem like it is benefiting the consumer (which it is to some extent) we are not really seeing any groundbreaking performance number here. Nvidia has now released one 8800-series card after another which has done nothing but confuses the customers and muddies the marketplace with their repetitive naming conventions.

That being said, I think that the XFX 8800GTS 512MB Alpha Dog is a success in terms of improving on a less expensive product and offering incredible performance per watt. Many people were expecting this card to be priced very close to or above $400CAD but XFX's card is priced at an appealing $375 and may go a tad lower as well. Not once does it falter and in many cases either beats or is a few frames per second slower than the almighty 8800GTX. This card also beats the 8800GT in every single test. It is also amazing to see the kind of performance Nvidia is getting out of these G92 cards considering they are somewhat hamstrung with their 256-bit wide memory bus. Indeed, the XFX 8800GTS 512MB is definitely one hell of a fast card but it shows that its 256-bit wide memory bus is an Achilles heel at higher resolutions. Another resounding quality of this card for the enthusiast community is how well the core responds to overclocking. Even though the memory is not all that cooperative when overclocking, the kind of performance the Alpha Dog Edition is able to output when pushed to its limits is simply mind blowing. It is also good to see that this kind of overclocking can be done on the stock cooler. Truthfully, XFX can only work with what they get from Nvidia and they did a bang-up job of making this card more attractive with the inclusion of their unique warranty and Company of Heroes.

While all these results are pretty impressive, those of you hoping for a $400 GTX-killer are going to have to wait a bit longer. The XFX 8800GTS 512MB Alpha Dog lags quite far behind the GTX when AA is turned on at higher resolutions and even suffers in some games when AA isn’t on at all. There is also the matter of an overly loud fan which will get on your nerves in pretty short order. The 8800GTS 512MB is positioned as more of a niche product for people who want the best performance possible outside of the power-hungry G80-based cards.

It would also be good to remember that while the 8800GT 512MB was beat in some tests by ATI's HD3780, the XFX 8800GTS 512MB Alpha Dog trounces the ATI card by a large margin again and again. That being said, I am sure many consumers will question the 8800GTS 512MB’s place in the market. They did the same thing with the 8800 Ultra when it was released but the same was true then as it is now: the card they are questioning is a hell of a performer, except this time it doesn't come with a stratospheric price.

Pros:

- Fast at stock speeds
- Overclocks like mad
- Runs very cool
- Double Lifetime Warranty
- Includes Company of Heroes

Cons:

- Not too different in performance from the 8800GT
- 256-bit memory bus
- Fan is quite loud