XFX first to release overclocked GeForce 8800 cards

Board manufacturer XFX said late Friday that it will be the first video card producer to release factory-overclocked GeForce 8800 models. Both the range-topping 8800 GTX XXX and more mainstream 8800 GTS XXX have received NVIDIA's blessing to run at core and memory speeds well above default, boosting performance without requiring improved cooling. The former model sees its core increase from 575MHz to 630MHz, while its memory is increased to an effective 2GHz; the GTS variant, in turn, steps up from 500MHz to 550MHz for the main processor and from 1.6GHz to 1.8GHz for memory.

The company says it has tuned the BIOS of each card for enhanced performance, although it doesn't elaborate on improvements beyond the recognition of the cards' higher stock speeds. Other aspects of the hardware remain untouched and include dual, dual-link DVI connectors with HDCP encryption support. The XXX-series cards will ship soon, XFX says, at premium prices of $650 for the flagship GTX model and $500 for the GTS.