The X800XL would have been the highest performing card just two years ago. In point of fact, the 9800XT that was the fastest card of the time would have been beaten by up to twice the performance. The way the video card industry works is something is always coming that'll be faster. In that sense, buying a $500-$600 video card today can be daunting.
For the multimedia connoisseur in me, the A-I-W X800XL can't be beat at the moment. The X800XL is ATI's fastest A-I-W card for PCI Express bus. There is an A-I-W X800XT for the AGP bus, but that is unlikely to appear on the PCI Express bus, as ATI is moving to their next-generation architecture, the R520 within a month or so. For a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $399, the A-I-W X800XL has no peer. NVIDIA doesn't make high-end multimedia cards. The included bundle is excellent, allowing you to use the multimedia content you capture off the card and create movies and other presentations with.
