Conclusions

In most cases currently, there are few improvements to be had with the X800 XL 512MB when compared to the 256MB model. In some instances like Half-Life 2 and Far Cry, there are sizeable differences, but they are almost the exception rather than the rule. If there was no X800 XL 256MB, the X800 XL 512MB would be fairly compelling as it is competitive compared to the 6800GT, but with the street price of the X800 XL hovering around the $270 US mark, it is difficult to justify almost a 200$ premium for the extra memory that seems to be rarely used on current games. ATI does claim wide spread developer support for extra memory; id does take advantage of this in DOOM 3 already with the Ultra setting and upcoming products should also take advantage of this. Future proofing at this stage of the game is a double edged sword as speculation is rampant that next generation products are just over the horizon - we did bring this point up to ATI and they suggested that their next-gen parts may not necessarily come in 512MB models initially. Pressing further, ATI noted that this product would not have been possible a few months ago because of memory prices but to us, the release of the X800 XL 512MB still seems a bit ill-timed. While it is hard to argue against extra physical memory from an enthusiast point of view, ATI might be better served pursuing further developer support for 3Dc instead. Our recommendation for a higher end mid range card would still be ATI's X800 XL - the 256MB version.