I am very impressed by the XFX 7800GTX in both single and SLI mode. Feature-wise the 7800GTX supports Shader Model 3.0, and has no peer at the moment from the competition (ATI who is working feverishly to get their next-generation product, R520 supporting SM 3.0 out to market). Performance-wise, the 7800GTX has no peer in single either single card mode or SLI mode. 7800GTX cards are the fastest, most feature-rich video card period, and I'm proud to give the 7800GTX card an Editor's Choice award.
SLI brings the concept of performance to a whole new level with the 7800GTX. In most cases games are CPU limited with SLI 7800GTXs. If you want to spend $1200 on two video cards, you're assured you will have the highest performing video card solution on the market today. Further, with transparency antialiasing improving image quality in leaves, it's a whole new experience in image quality. Hopefully, a BIOS update is all that is required for Intel SLI to work in SLI mode.
One thing about NVIDIA cards that is inferior to the competition is the 2D. 2D image quality is important to me as a review writer. Going from an ATI card to an NVIDIA card, 2D is noticeably different especially at 1280x1024 75Hz and above. On an ATI card, the 2D at that resolution is readable. On the XFX card, it can be blurry, especially when reading text and looking at websites. The standard in 2D image quality is Matrox. The Parhelia I use in one of my AGP systems has the best 2D image quality bar none.
What about the aforementioned R520 and NVIDIA's response you might ask? Dave Orton indicated at ATI's last financial quarterly conference call that we should see their next generation card in time for late summer/fall due to delays. It's likely that the 7800GTX will remain the top dog until at least September. It's hard for me as a reviewer to recommend someone to wait for the next best thing. I was burned from the 5800 Ultra launch from NVIDIA for doing just that.
