Introduction

At the beginning of each new product line from chip makers like ATI or NVIDIA, there is almost always a homogeneous look to all the graphics cards across manufacturers. From their appearances to their performance, every other card is practically a clone of the reference card except for superficial customizations like logos and bundled software/accessories. In this fast-paced market, manufacturers are forced to rely on the reference design, restricting themselves to testing and feedback for the sake of being able to be the earliest to market. Any innovation that follows usually occur later in the product life-cycle, when manufacturers have had sufficient time to test their own innovations. How is any such vendor going to distinguish itself from the countless others in the market?

The tried and true answers: building up a distinct branding, price competition or catering to a select but profitable niche market. These are but some of the common strategies used in the industry. Motherboards vendors for example, face the same dilemma and companies like ABIT concentrate heavily on the enthusiast segment with more adventurous products. For graphics, we find parallels in HIS and BFG, which offer overclocked versions out of the box. XFX is another vendor that has taken this path, with almost all their products overclocked by default. This strategy has put it firmly into the enthusiast camp. Today, we shall examine their newest product based on the recently introduced GeForce 6800 GS, the XFX GeForce 6800 GS 256MB XXX Edition.

With such a mouthful of a name, the XFX GeForce 6800 GS 256MB XXX Edition is the ultimate version of the GeForce 6800 GS. The XXX logo on the box reminds us of a certain Hollywood movie but we are more concerned with what is inside the X-shaped package. To avoid over-using the name, we will henceforth refer to this card simply as 'XXX Edition' throughout this article. XFX also has a less powerful version of the GeForce 6800 GS known as the Extreme Edition, so try not to be confused between the two when shopping. They are both overclocked, but the XXX Edition is the most powerful in the family. Here then is a glimpse of its distinctive packaging and the technical specifications:

XFX graphics cards are typically overclocked to give that xtra edge over the competition.