The original models of the GeForce 8-series were so successful for Nvidia that it didn't need to release any new GPUs for almost a year. However, as ATI has finally released a range of competitive mid-range GPUs, the HD 3000-series, Nvidia has quickly released two new mid-range GPUs, the 8800 GT and 512MB 8800 GTS.
Unlike the 8600 GTS and 320MB 8800 GTS, which were simply scaled-down variants of the 8800 GTX, the 8800 GT is an entirely new GPU. However, it uses an element of the 8800 GTX architecture - a bank of stream processors that are clocked far higher than the rest of the GPU (1.5GHz compared to 600MHz) - but in all other respects, it's a new design. The 8800 GTX has a costly 384-bit memory controller, whereas the 8800 GT has a simpler 256-bit memory controller, which makes it cheaper to produce. The GPU is also made using 65nm, rather than 90nm transistors, so it's far smaller and more energy-efficient. This means that the 8800 GT manages to squeeze in a generous helping of 112 stream processors, 16 more than the original 320MB and 640MB versions of the 8800 GTS.
The 8800 GT supports PCI-E 2.0, but isn't compatible with Shader Model 4.1 and DirectX 10.1, although this shouldn't be a problem in the foreseeable future. Currently, there are two major versions of the 8800 GT - this one, paired with 512MB of GDDR3, and another model with 256MB of GDDR3. The 256MB model is also clocked considerably lower than the 512MB model, so we've reviewed it separately.
Thanks to its combination of super-fast stream processors and 512MB of RAM clocked at 900MHz (1.8GHz effective), the 512MB 8800 GT was more than a match for Call of Duty 4 and Need for Speed: Pro Street, being able to play both games smoothly at 1,680 x 1,050 with 2x AA. It was also the only card capable of playing Crysis smoothly, although only at 1,024 x 768.
Although there are more than ten different mid-range GPUs from which to choose at the moment, only two of these are worthy of serious consideration - the 256MB and 512MB versions of the 8800 GT, the latter of which is clearly the ideal choice if you have a 20 or 22in widescreen TFT monitor.
Author: James Gorbold
Nvidia GeForce 512MB 8800 GT