Ok so I was going through EVGA's site to check on MSRP prices of their cards including the new GTS 512. I looked at the benchmarks on Anandtech (sorry, no link) and the GTS 512 was just a hair faster than the GT. I assume they used a vanilla GT and a vanilla GTS, so you could say that the performance difference is largely due to the clock speeds. While the GTS does have 12 more shaders than the GT, I don't think that would make a HUGE difference in performance. So I decided to check on the price difference between an overclocked GT, and the GTS.

On EVGA, they have their 8800GT KO 512 marked with an MSRP price of $289.99. This card has 675mhz on the core, and 1,950 on the RAM. The stock GT has 600mhz and 1,800mhz. The GTS has 650 and 1,940, respectively, and has an MSRP of $359.99. That's a whopping $70 difference!

Considering that the GT KO 512 has 25mhz on the core and 10mhz on the RAM while the GTS has more pixel shaders and a couple other minor tweaks, I'm willing to bet that the 8800GT KO 512 is just as fast as the 8800GTS 512. Then there is the 8800GT SSC 512, which has a core speed of 700mhz and RAM at 2GHz, and I bet this card would be a tiny bit faster than the GTS 512 for $60 less!



So, why spend $70 more for a GTS when an overclocked GT will perform the same, or even $60 more for a card that might actually perform slower? Is the convenience of getting one TODAY, overclockability, and a better cooler really worth it?

Some people will buy it just to have the second fastest card out right now. If i was looking to buy a new card right now i would probably buy the 512 GTS but since i already have a GT i cant see any justification in spending that much money for hardly any gain.

Right, but what about paying $60-70 more for a card that performs the same, or even potentially less than an SSC? You're paying $70 more for probably no gains, or $60 more for a potential loss. To me it doesn't make sense, even if you have immediate availability and maybe some more overclockability.

whenever you compare factory OCs to stock, you forget that the stock card can be OC'd as well.

After taxes and shipping my card came out to $333. I could easily see my self spending about 50-60 more for those extra features and a larger heatsink/fan. But only if i was shopping for a new card which im not right now. Actually i will not be getting another card until the real next gen of both Nvidia and ATI come out.

Right now thing's seem to be standing still, you know Nvidia could release a monster if they wanted to..

"So, why spend $70 more for a GTS when an overclocked GT will perform the same, or even $60 more for a card that might actually perform slower? Is the convenience of getting one TODAY, overclockability, and a better cooler really worth it?"

So no, I didn't forget But that's a big chunk of change.

It does not make sense to me that you state:

"...an overclocked GT will perform the same..."

and then ask:

"Is the convenience of getting one TODAY, overclockability, and a better cooler really worth it?"

...

$70 is nothing!
did any of you build a fast computer 2 or 3 years ago? overall system cost on a cutting edge system has been halfed, so buy the newest, best card you can find, after all that what you see, the results of the video card, not the ram, or your motherboards, but the video, if $70 is the differance between 3-7 frames over the 8800T then its well worth it. because 5 frames is a huge just when you are only pulling 30 frames from a game to start with.

Because you're paying $70 more for an un-overclocked GTS which probably performs the same as an overclocked GT. Overclocked GTS cards will easily top $400+. So you're saying that you would drop another $60 or $70 for a card that performs exactly the same, or even less than, an overclocked GT? Wouldn't it make MORE sense to just put that $$ in a better PSU, or case, or CPU, and buy the GT and get the same (or better) performance?

That's assuming you are buying the vanilla GT or GTS. If you get the OVERCLOCKED GT, which is $60 or $70 CHEAPER, you can get equal or better performance than the only GTS that's available right now. You aren't losing 3-7fps buying the GT KO. You are equaling it. You may be gaining FPS with a GT SSC and still saving $60.

Except the GTS can be easily overclocked to beat the GT SSC.

Honestly guys after spending some time floping around the web and reading review's i wish i would have waited on buying my 8800gt. Now im in every way satisfied with it but dang for just $70 more i could of had been on the heals of the fastest card out right now.