Test Setup:

     We installed the X700 onto a Soltek SL-NF4Pro-939 running 1 gig of Xerox PC2700 with an Athlon 64 3000+.  The build was rounded out by a XION PowerReal 500w PS, a WD 120 and a HP 16x DVD-RW installed in an XION Gamer II case.  The AMD is slightly overclocked at 2034MHz 9x 226 HTT.

     Using Riva Tuner we can see the Connect 3D is running over the advertised 420 mhz Engine / 432 mhz right out of the box.  The 425/432 is actually the correct reference number provided by ATI for the 860 DDR.  The little hash marks under the sliders show the suggested clock range for the chipset as suggested by Riva Tuner and based on other cards running this spec.

Testing:

     For our test comparison I will use the BFG 6600GT OC.  Both cards were used in the same overclocked environment using the latest drivers and identical settings.  To see how the Connect 3D X800XL compares, check out our review here.

In 3dMark 03 the ATI clocks in at 7225 with the BFG 6600 clocking a score of 8560.

In PCMark 04 the advantages of the 256MB GDDR III start to show.  The BFG clock in at 3698.

In the latest version of 3DMark 05 the BFG edges ahead with a score of 3659.