The Basics:
A front view of the card is provided below. The large black GPU cooler stands out against the bold red PCB. The fan on the cooler sports a total of eleven translucent blades, and the air generated is directed across the heatsink fins by a clear plastic cover. This should force the air to travel through the channels and provide better heat transfer than using the same cooler without the cover.
 
The backside of the card is shown in the above right image, and the first thing you may notice is that there are no RAM chips on this side. All eight DDR memory chips are found on the front of the card. What you may also notice is that the cooler is not held on by the usual plastic clips, but instead has two steel bolts passing through the PCB to hold it in place. I like this idea as it provides a more reliable means of securing the cooler, and it will make any future change to the cooler an easier process.
The two images below provide various looks at the memory chips onboard. The below left image reveals that three of the eight chips are obscured by the GPU cooler and will not be able to accept RAM chips or any other means of cooling. For extreme performance, being able to add RAM chips is always a nice option, but it won't happen here unless the GPU cooler is also upgraded.
 
Taking a closer look at the memory chips reveals that they are Samsung brand, and labeled as: Samsung 510, K4026323QG-GC2A. A Google search of this string leads to the following information from the Samsung website... 1.8V, 350MHz maximum frequency, 700Mbps/pin maximum data rate, SSTL_18 interafce, and 144-Ball FBGA package. Given the published specifications for the card, we now know that the memory is being run right up at the maximum specified on the chips, and I'm wondering what, if any, overclocking might be achieved.
The below left image shows an end view of the card, where we find the typical connections... DVI, analog, and TV-out. As we saw in the "accessories" section, the card comes bundled with a variety of cables to make this connection usable with component, composite, and s-video TV connections.
 
The above right image provides a closer look at the label on the back of the card, but of more interest may be the close up of the cooler mounting screw. As you can see, it is spring loaded to reduce the risk of overtightening, and all you need is a small Philips head screwdriver in order to remove the cooler.
Speaking of removing the cooler, why don't we. Removing the two screws discussed previous allows the cooler to be wiggled free from the thermal paste and completely removed rather easily. The below left image shows the state of the GPU immediately after removal of the cooler. What a mess! Far too much thermal paste was used, and a similarly large glob could be found on the heatsink base, too. Seeing the silver color of the paste had me moderately concerned that it might be conductive, and I was concerned about damage to the card since it was smeared all over the place and not just on the core.
 
The above right image shows the core cleaned up enough to reveal the markings. The ATI Radeon R430 core is what should be expected under the hood of 800 series Radeons, and the X800 GTO is no different. Once I was ready to reattach the cooler to the card, the balance of thermal paste left on the heatsink base was way more than enough to do it properly.
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