Radeon X800 GT was clearly launched to compete with GeForce 6600 GT, achieving a better performance than Radeon X700 Pro. In almost all tests Radeon X800 GT was faster than GeForce 6600 GT – in some cases up to 50% –, which is great news.

We think Radeon X800 GT brings a terrific cost/benefit ratio, costing almost the same thing as GeForce 6600 GT: both are in the USD 160 range, but you can find some places selling nVidia model a little bit cheaper.

On the other hand, you have to keep two things in mind. First, Doom 3, which is definitely a game for nVidia. If you are looking for a mid-range video card for playing this particular game, GeForce 6600 GT is our recommendation.

Second, GeForce 6600 GT supports SLI. If you have a motherboard with nForce 4 SLI you can buy a GeForce 6600 GT today and then another GeForce 6600 GT in the future to theoretically double your system gaming performance.

Yes, you can counter-argument that ATI has Crossfire. But so far Crossfire is still a dream. No motherboards available at the market, and you will need a “master” video card, which hasn’t been released yet. Also, since Crossfire is not available at the market yet, it is not clear if it will support Radeon X800 GT or not.

Regarding HIS model, its main advantage over other models we reviewed is its cooler, which helps to blow away hot air from inside the computer, and also its fan is really silent. The heatsink touches the memory chips, which can help achieving a better overclocking.

Costing almost the same thing as GeForce 6600 GT and achieving a performance up to 50% higher, depending on the game, Radeon X800 GT from HIS is perfect for the average user that wants good performance, good price and a video card that helps lower the internal temperature of your PC. That’s a guy buy!