14 DAY TRIAL // You've all heard about the imminent launch of G80 based video cards. It's indeed latest Nvidia battleship aimed against Ati's new contenders. Well, at a first glance, things like DirectX 10 compatible and 384-bit memory interface seem pretty clear. However, it is not the same case with the availability and pricing of the new card. For example, in UK, several sources have already announced the clients that 8800 GTS card will be arriving in the next few days, being priced at a whopping ?500 Sterling. That's almost $1000 making it as expensive as 7950 GX2 cards. If you want even more power from a single card, you will have to wait for 8800 GTX to appear. Rumors suggest that although it is not available, when it will hit the stores it may as well cost up to $1400, making it - if not the most expensive - at least one of the priciest consumer end video cards ever built.
Not only will the G80 based cards be expensive, but they will also be very rare. UK customers will have to battle for the 200 cards available in the first days from the official launch. So, consider yourself lucky if such a card will end in your PC. It's expensive, yet quite exclusive. And some of you might even enjoy that more than the performance.
There is always a downside to launching a new product, especially when you look into you wallet for help. But not everything is bad about it. Prices on the GeForce 7x series will go down fast, making many occasional gamers happy. At least until a new generation of games will emerge, making older cards useless.