Fatal1ty is the pseudonym for Jonathan Wendel. Born in 1981, Wendel has been able to create a remarkable reputation for himself as a professional gamer, mainly through participating in the CyberAthlete Professional League (CPL). His reputation has grown even higher through victories in international competitions and his participation in video gaming events around the world.

Due to his popularity as a reputable gamer, the Fatal1ty brand has grown to be popular among manufacturers for representing their PC gaming hardware and equipment. The brand is driven by skillful marketing and focuses primarily on enthusiasts. Abit was first to see the potential of the name, and developed a number of high-end motherboards under the Fatal1ty brand. Recently, Zalman, Creative, and XFX have also followed suit and signed agreements with Fatal1ty hoping to attract PC gamers.

XFX has decided on developing a series of video cards, based on the NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT, marketed under the Fatal1ty brand name. These video cards are targeted at midrange PC gamers. To fit this market segment, XFX has designed its video card with different technical and aesthetic features compared to other cards based on the same GPU.

To make sure its product differs from competitors, XFX is shipping the Fatal1ty 7600GT with the GPU and memory both factory overclocked. The core is shipped at a frequency of 650 MHz, compared to the 560 MHz of NVIDIA’s default speeds. The 256 MB of memory is clocked at 1,600 MHz, 200 MHz faster than the default 1,400 MHz.

It is important to note that there is another version of the XFX Fatal1ty based on the same 7600GT GPU. This version, however, runs at the default core/memory frequencies of the NVIDIA 7600GT reference boards. The XFX website lists both cards under the same exact name, so the only way to distinguish between the two is through the product box which lists the technical specification sof the card. Be sure to check this before buying to prevent receiving the wrong version.

As an NVIDIA, partner, XFX is among the most active in overclocking its products. The overclocked Fatal1ty 7600GT comes guaranteed by XFX for correct operation at the elevated frequencies, representing an added value to the product in regards to other competing solutions. The card itself is a completely silent solution with no fan, so before trying to further overclock it, it is strongly suggested to equip it with an active cooling solution. To the least, it is essential to make sure that the video card is receiving adequate airflow.