XFX 8800 GT 256MB XXX Alpha Dog Edition

Performance Summary: Overall, the XFX 8800 GT 256MB XXX Alpha Dog Edition's performance was quite good. The card outperformed the Radeon HD 3850 in most cases and was only slightly behind the 8800 GT 512MB in many cases.

XFX has a solid offering with its 8800 GT 256MB XXX Alpha Dog Edition. For the most part, it outperforms the 256MB Radeon HD 3850, and it manages to stay within striking distance of the 512MB 8800 GT in many cases. The only thing that makes us pause before recommending this card is the current retail pricing situation for mid-range cards. It's kind of confusing and hard to keep it all straight at the moment.

At the beginning of this article, we spoke about the price of GeForce 8800 GTs, Radeon HD 3850s and 3870s. If we check current price levels of 512MB 8800 GTs, they can be found for around $250-280 or so. The Radeon HD 3870s, which also have 512MB of memory, are running between $230 and $280. The 256MB Radeon HD 3850 is on sale for as little as $170, while nicer, overclocked versions easily push $200 or so. The XFX 8800 GT 256MB XXX Alpha Dog Edition, on the other hand, is available from $230. We do not envy anyone with a $170-250 video card budget right now. While we suspect prices on the 256MB will continue to come down, we're not sure how soon that will be.  Regardless, we do think you should at least take a closer look at the XFX 8800 GT 256MB XXX Alpha Dog Edition if it is within your budget, and you are shopping for a new card.

If you want to game at resolutions higher than 1600x1200 and/or love to crank up the eye candy, especially with newer games like Crysis, then we think you'll want to save up for a 512MB card, like one of XFX's 512MB 8800 GTs. Otherwise, if your budget can't stretch any further than $230, the XFX 8800 GT 256MB XXX Alpha Dog Edition is definitely worthy of your consideration. With its practical bundle, excellent performance, and Double Lifetime Warranty, the 8800 GT 256MB XXX Alpha Dog Edition is not likely to disappoint.

•  Excellent performance •  Fairly Quiet •  Double Lifetime Warranty •  Good bundle •  DirectX 10 support	•  Not much more for a 512MB 8800 GT right now