Following on from the recent release of the much acclaimed 8800GT 512MB video card, NVIDIA has released new details regarding the 256MB variation.
The 8800GT 256MB boards will be priced in the $179-$199 USD range and should be arriving in PC stores in the next two weeks. There will be offerings available from Asus, BFG, EVGA, Leadtek, PNY, XFX and a number of other partners.
The specs for the card are as follows:
| # of Stream Processors | 112 |
| Core Clock Speed | 600MHz |
| Shader Clock Speed | 1500MHz |
| Memory Clock Speed | 700-900MHz (memory speed varies, check with board partners) |
| Memory | 256MB GDDR3 |
| Power Connector | 6-pin |
| Length | 9 inches |
| Board Power | 105W |
| Cooling | single-slot fansink |
| Outputs | 2x dual-link DVI, HDTV-out |
The FAQ also contained some information pertaining to DirectX 10.1 and its use in future titles on the PC:
"DirectX 10.1 is a minor extension of DirectX 10 that makes a few optional features in DirectX 10 mandatory. Most DirectX 10.1 features are already supported by the GeForce 8800 GT. We do not expect most developers to move to DirectX 10.1."
They backed up this claim with a quote from Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, creators of the blockbuster first person shooter Crysis:
"We pride ourselves on being the first to adopt any important new technology that can improve our games so you would expect us to get with DX10.1 right away but we’ve looked at it and there’s just nothing in it important enough to make it needed. So we have no plans to use it at all, not even in the future."
With the success of the 8800GT 512MB card, the 256MB variation is looking to be a superb choice for PC gamers on a tight budget.
[via FiringSquad]
