Guess what, there's a new kid on the block. And although this new kid has the same name as that old one you may have known as the GeForce 8800 GTS, this newcomer's bringing a whole new level of firepower to town. The fine folks at ASUS have provided us with our first look at this new arrival, the overclocked Extreme N8800 GTS 512MB TOP version. This reborn GeForce 8800 GTS is based on the same G92 GPU that powers the explosive GeForce 8800 GT, and with an additional increase in the number of stream processors, this new kid might just have what it takes to raise to the top of the class. Being PCI Express 2.0 compliant, and renewed PureVideo HD decoding engine. - NeoSeeker

ASUS Extreme N8800 GTS (G92) 512MB TOP Review

If all goes according to plan, and there are enough cards to go around, the new GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is expected to retail for somewhere between $300 and $350 dollars. And as a case of out with the old and in with the new, this updated GTS marks the effective end of the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB line. While the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB cards will still be produced for a little while longer yet, the arguably most popular series of cards in 2007, the cost effective GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB, has had its day in the sun, and will soon disappear off of store shelves and e-tailer's websites, as remaining stock is sold off.

The G92, the codename for NVIDIA's latest, 65nm GPU was faster than a cheetah strapped to a rocket for the GeForce 8800 GT, so, many undoubtedly have very high expectations for the ASUS Extreme N8800 GTS TOP version. At first glance, the ASUS Extreme N8800 GTS 512MB looks very similar to a typical old GeForce 8800 GTS that you are probably familiar with. And at second glance, the fan on the Extreme N8800 GTS 512MB might look like it was installed on some sort of horrible slant. But, rest assured, the new GeForce 8800 GTS's cooler has the same dips and curves as the old GTS's cooler.

If you spend a bit more time appraising the new GTS, you might notice that it actually shares a great deal more in common with the GeForce 8800 GT. The printed circuit board is actually pretty much the same. The GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB looks like a GeForce 8800 GT with twice the cooler. Under the plastic shell, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB has a serious aluminum heatsink that spans half the length of the PCB, and is assisted by three heatpipes. The Extreme N8800 GTS 512MB utilizes the reference board design cooler. The cooler seems to do a very good job at pushing air out of of your case.

The GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB fits nicely into the current video card landscape. For between $300 and $400 you can get some awesome performance. The performance of the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is so high that it will probably render the GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra less attractive in the eyes of many gamers. So where does that leave the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB? Is the new kid on the block the best deal of the GeForce 8800 class? Some would say yes, but it all depends on what your after. Both the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB and GTS 512MB cards are good deals.

Perspective buyers will have to look at the framerate differences between the G92 GT and GTS at their target gaming resolution, and then, with their budgets in mind, judge for themselves how much those extra frames are worth. At a suggested retail price of $379, the Extreme N8800 GTS 512MB TOP delivers. Any gamer purchasing one can expect to have the raw graphics processing power to see them into 2009. While both ATI and NVIDIA undoubtedly have new record busting cards in the works, it will certainly be some time before the horsepower of the ASUS Extreme N8800 GTS TOP does not fail to impress.