When NVIDIA launched its frankly awesome GeForce 8800 GT graphics card back in October, we got an inkling that there was more to G92 than NVIDIA wanted to disclose at the time of launch. A lot of our questions were dodged and the company's representatives avoided disclosing many of the G92's technical details. Everything pointed to G92 being a more complex chip than NVIDIA wanted to let on and guess what, there is more to the G92 than NVIDIA disclosed at the GeForce 8800 GT launch. So, before we head off for Christmas, we should probably tell you about what NVIDIA is announcing today, its latest GeForce 8800 GTS model. - Bit-Tech

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB Video Card Review

Normally one wouldn't get too locked into the ridiculous naming conventions that the two graphics manufacturers have used, but we find it hard to ignore this one because we can't help but feel that it doesn't do NVIDIA any favours. NVIDIA couldn't have given this product a more confusing name if it had tried, because in my opinion the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is anything but a GeForce 8800 GTS. What makes it even more confusing is the fact that there are already three different GeForce 8800 GTS models on the market without adding this one into the mix, which just adds more questions towards the GTS series.

Two of them feature 96 stream processors, the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB and 640MB and there's another 640MB version with 112 stream processors which was released in limited quantities by BFG and EVGA. So, we guess you are wondering why the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is anything but a GeForce 8800 GTS? Anyone that follows technology even remotely will understand that the two GPU's are different. We could point straight away to the fact that the G92 is manufactured on a 65nm process at TSMC, whilst the G80 was manufactured on a 90nm process, but we are not going to.

NVIDIA's new G92 based GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB features a 256-bit memory interface which backs out onto 512MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 1940MHz effective, which results in a memory bandwidth of 62.08GB/sec, just three percent less than the original GeForce 8800 GTS. As a result of the reduced memory bus width, the number of raster operation partitions is down to four. However, because NVIDIA has increased the core clock quite significantly, the result is a net gain in pixel fillrate. The shader portion of the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is where the card has changed quite significantly.

NVIDIA has impressed us again with this launch, delivering performance that's very similar to the GeForce 8800 GTX in scenarios where the GeFoce 8800 GTS 512MB is not starved of memory bandwidth. It does this while fitting right in between the GeForce 8800 GT's and GTX's price points and from what NVIDIA and its partners have told us, the cards should retail for around $330. The reason we are saying should is because retailers are still expecting customers to pay a bit more than the price for NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GT with the cheapest we've found the card at being $269.

Despite its horribly confusing naming scheme, NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is a good product at face value, as it delivers unprecedented performance at the price point NVIDIA is trying to hit. However, the problem NVIDIA has is that if it doesn't manage to hit the price point it's given to us and the price edges up towards the $400 mark, it brings the GeForce 8800 GTX back into play. That said, if the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB hits the $330 price, it will hit a spot that will make it a viable alternative to a stock GeForce 8800 GT and should make it much better value than most of the pre-overclocked GeForce 8800 GT's.

It's worth making it clear that the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is not a GeForce 8800 GTX killer and the GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra will still continue to rule the roost at high resolutions with anti-aliasing enabled. However, what NNVIDIA has done is made a similar level of performance available to those with monitors around 1680x1050 at a much lower price point. If you're looking at playing games on HD widescreen, we would still recommend the GeForce 8800 GTX. Ultimately the decision of whether to buy the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB will come down to how much retailers want to charge for it.