TWO MONTHS AGO, ATI demoed a Radeon X850 XT graphics card with 512MB of graphics memory. It was a technology preview rather than an actual product launch, but that didn't stop NVIDIA from following up with a 512MB version of the GeForce 6800 Ultra. In fact, a number of manufacturers have already signed on to produce the GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB, but at around $900 a pop, the card treads in Extreme Edition territory, beyond the budgets of most gamers and enthusiasts.

What if you could get a 512MB graphics card for half that price?

Today ATI is announcing a 512MB flavor of its Radeon X800 XL. The card packs dual DVI outputs, video in and out capabilities, and twice the memory of the standard X800 XL for only $450. But does the extra graphics memory actually improve performance? We've run the Radeon X800 XL 512MB through its paces in an array of games and benchmarks to find out.