On top of its regular GTX, XFX has now launched a couple of GeForce 8800 GTX SKUs that are pre-overclocked right out of the box. The chaps over at Hexus.net take a look at the fastest - a 630/2000-clocked version. Read on to find out if it's £460 well spent.

ll XFX cards are backed up by a 2-year warranty that begins on the date of purchase and is limited to the original purchaser of the product. XFX urges its customers to register their products on its website for efficient validation should things go awry. Registering also opens up XFX's first line of support; web-based technical help where you receive an e-ticket and a response within 24 hours (assuming you can connect to the net if your card is not working). Inexperienced users may incorrectly diagnose a card as faulty and this initial contact determines whether extra support is required. If so, the customer contacts the retailer they purchased the card from and can use the e-ticket as supporting evidence. Customers who look for initial resolution and have no access to XFX's website can call a U.K-based call centre for support. This, currently, incurs a charge of 60p/m.

Our HEXUS.bang4buck graph illustrates that the XFX GeForce 8800 GTX XXX Edition, priced at around £460, doesn't offer particularly impressive value for money, but that would be missing the point somewhat. This SKU has been designed for technology leadership and is the fastest single card we've ever tested. Its target market, then, is a small band of enthusiasts where performance is the primary criterion.  The very fact that XFX has released a reference-cooled GeForce 8800 GTX card with such impressive frequencies shows that G80 yields are good and a super-clocked SKU - direct from NVIDIA - is just around the corner. We reckon the bundle could do with a revamp to include, say, a game and the correct hardware. Looking at the bigger picture, we'd like XFX to review its policy on not including warranty cover on cards which are sold on, but our gripes finish there.

The conclusion for the XFX GeForce 8800 GTX XXX Edition is a pretty simple one. It's recommended to the enthusiast who wants cutting-edge performance from a regular card. For everyone else, a stock-clocked GeForce 8800 GTX is more than fast enough, and it's cheaper, as well. We could go on to say how a couple of SLI'd GeForce 8800 GTSs might be better and list any number of possible alternatives, but those that want this card - and you know who you are - will have already got their credit card out by the time they read this sentence.