Okay boys and girls, it's time once again for the introduction of a new video card, a happy ritual performed multiple times each year during the lead-up to Christm... err, Holiday. The video card making its debut today is the GeForce 8800 GTS 512, a brand-new big brother to the GeForce 8800 GT, which is selling like a Nintendo Wii infused with the essence of Cabbage Patch Kids, or something like that.

The 8800 GTS 512 looks to supplant older versions of the GeForce 8800 GTS by offering a more attractive mix of price, performance, capabilities, and power consumption. So, you know, it's the same old boring story in the world of GPUs. The 8800 GTS 512 is interesting in that it has, more or less, no direct competition from the Radeon camp, and its most potent competitor may be its little brother, the 8800 GT. Is there any reason to spend the extra to reach up to the new GTS? Let's take a look.