XFX’s revised 8800 GTS video card is a great value/performance mix for gamers.

I’m an American and as an American, I’ve bought into the “bigger is better” line hook, line and sinker, especially when it comes to computer hardware.  Why get one gig of RAM, for example, when I can get two?  Why not buy the most expensive processor, even if I’m not going to notice the performance increase?  Knowing this fact about me, you probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that I was a bit confused when I found out that manufacturers were releasing a version of the NVIDIA 8800 GTS video card with fifty percent less onboard RAM.  ‘How is that progress?’ I thought.  ‘There’s less!’  Taking a look at prices, I can see why the manufacturers would offer a new flavor of card, even if they risk confusing consumers with more variety – the new 320 MB versions of the 8800 GTS cost about $100 less than their 640 MB counterparts.  But is the loss of RAM worth the lower cost when it comes to performance?  Today, I’m going to find out by putting XFX’s XXX version of the 320 MB 8800 GTS through its paces.

Specifications

According to XFX’s site , there’s only one difference between the two versions of the 8800 GTS: the newer models have half the DDR3 RAM.  The XXX version, which is factory overclocked, boosts the GPU clock up 80 MHz to 580 MHz and the memory clock up 200 MHz to 1.8 GHz.  If you want more performance out of the box but you’re worried about overclocking your card on your own, or you want a guaranteed level of performance when you buy, the XXX or its little brother, the ExTreme, are both nice options.