XFX 8800GTS Alpha Dog Edition Review

XFX 8800GTS Alpha Dog Edition detailed review

Pull Her Dog Tags Mate…



XFX’s “serious gamer” Alpha Dog Edition is here, featuring all the 128 shader units it’s supposed to. The only thing distinguishing it from the GTX / Ultra models is the 256-bit memory interface.

The card features a core factory overclocked to 678 MHz (the default Core is 650 MHz), and here’s where the fun begins—the core is now faster than an 8800GTX, and the scores show it. Shader clocks are also up to 1700 MHz from the default of 1625 MHz. Of course, the 8800GTS Alpha Dog still has the restriction of 16 ROPs (Raster Operations), as opposed to the 24 ROPs on the GTX / Ultra cards.

Nevertheless, this card has some serious horsepower, and runs noticeably cooler than the 8800GTX and Ultra cards; it’s a lot shorter, too—9.5 inches opposed to 11 inches on the older cards. Priced lower than its older sibling, running cooler and basically having less power requirements seems like the XFX 8800GTS 512 Alpha Dog Edition has all the accolades in its kitty.

Lost Planet is a sweet bundle. At Rs 25,000, the XFX is costly now. Yes, it’s around Rs 5,000 cheaper than the cheapest 8800GTX, but the new 8800GT core changes things considerably. Eighty-five per cent of the performance at nearly half the price! This card is a mite too expensive to be of any use to the discerning gamer who will likely buy two 8800GTs for a little more than the price of a single 8800GTS, and use them in an SLI setup.

Specifications
128 Shader Units; Core Speed: 678 MHz; Memory: 2,000 MHz; Memory Bus: 256 bits

Contact : Rashi Peripherals Pvt Ltd
Phone : 022-67090909
E-mail : xfx@rptechindia.com
Web site : www.xfxforce.com
Price : Rs 25,000