DailyTech's hands-on with the GeForce 8800 series continues with more information about the GPU and the retail boards. The new NVIDIA graphics architecture will be fully compatible with Microsoft’s upcoming DirectX 10 API with support for shader model 4.0, and represents the company's 8th generation GPU in the GeForce family.

NVIDIA has code-named G80 based products as the GeForce 8800 series. While the 7900 and 7800 series launched with GT and GTX suffixes, G80 will do away with the GT suffix. Instead, NVIDIA has revived the GTS suffix for its second fastest graphics product—a suffix that hasn’t been used since the GeForce 2 days.

NVIDIA’s GeForce 8800GTX will be the flagship product. The core clock will be factory clocked at 575 MHz. All GeForce 8800GTX cards will be equipped with 768MB of GDDR3 memory, to be clocked at 900 MHz. The GeForce 8800GTX will also have a 384-bit memory interface and deliver 86GB/second of memory bandwidth. GeForce 8800GTX graphics cards are equipped with 128 unified shaders clocked at 1350 MHz. The theoretical texture fill-rate is around 38.4 billion pixels per second.

Slotted right below the GeForce 8800GTX is the slightly cut-down GeForce 8800GTS. These graphics cards will have a G80 GPU clocked at a slower 500 MHz. The memory configuration for GeForce 8800GTS cards slightly differ from the GeForce 8800GTX. GeForce 8800GTS cards will be equipped with 640MB of GDDR3 graphics memory clocked at 900 MHz. The memory interface is reduced to 320-bit and overall memory bandwidth is 64GB/second. There will be fewer unified shaders with GeForce 8800GTS graphics cards. 96 unified shaders clocked at 1200 MHz are available on GeForce 8800GTS graphics cards.

Additionally GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS products are HDCP compliant with support for dual dual-link DVI, VIVO and HDTV outputs. All cards will have dual-slot coolers too. Expect GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS products to launch the second week of November 2006. This will be a hard launch as most manufacturers should have boards ready now.

and I don't really think it will be hard times for ATi, they'll most likely just work a little harder, a litle longer to get something to beat nVidia. but then again nVidia will have market share for DX10 cards.... for a little while.

I'm not sure why "nVidia fanbots" would downrate your post, given that the last two lines of the quote, if read carefully, imply that the G80 design is superior and will scale better going forward. Or didn't you notice that?

Because they're fanboys and are too stupid to read and comprehend logic. Instead of thinking for themselves, they have their head stuck up someone else's rear end. This goes for all fanboys and not just nVidia fanboys.

I actually think the Geforce 8800 is intrigueing and I will likely purchase the 8800GTS even though I have used ATI for the past few years. That's assuming it's in the $300-350 range of course. I'm staying away from super expensive video cards now. Lately, while the power of GPU's have risen, it seems we get smaller and smaller steps forward in terms of how much graphics help in furthering gameplay.

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