NVIDIA's new video cards using the G80 core are coming soon.  The first two varieties will be available at launch and are called the GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS.  Interesting, it's like NVIDIA refuses to use the same lettering scheme for two different generations of cards.  Now we have a GTS instead of just a GT?  Anyway, both cards will be compatible with the DirectX 10 specification and feature Shader Model 4.0, which should definitely bring some improvements to the gaming experience.

Both cards are HDCP-compliant and can support DVI, VIVO, and HDTV outputs.  They are expected to launch in the second week of November.  Pricing doesn't seem to be available yet, but don't expect them to be cheap.

The 8800GTX will of course be the top model.  It comes factory-clocked at 575MHz, with 768MB of DDR3 memory clocked at 900MHz.  (These speeds will differ based on who you buy your card from, but that's what NVIDIA's specifications are.)  With a 384-bit memory interface, the 8800GTX has a memory bandwidth of 86GB/s, which is just over twice that of the 7900GT and about 60% more than the 7900GTX.  128 shaders (yes, you read that right) give the 8800GTX a theoretical fill rate of 38.4 billion pixels/second.

The 8800GTS is a trimmed version of the 8800GTX, with a 500MHz clock, 640MB of memory (clocked the same) with a 320-bit bandwidth, and only 96 shaders (I use the word "only" because it's less than the 8800GTX, but it's got twice the pipelines of ATI's flagship card, the Radeon X1900XTX).

Power requirements should be significantly higher; expect to possibly need a power supply upgrade.  (Note in particular that there are two 6-pin power connecters in the upper right corner of the picture of an 8800GTX above.)

Original article here.

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