Core Clock Speed

• When determining the best video card for your computer, first look to the core clock speed. The clock speed determines just how fast your GPU is when compared to other products. The GeForce GTX 280 has a core clock speed of approximately 600 MHz as compared to the 8800 GTS, which is slightly slower at 513 MHz. Unfortunately clock speed doesn't tell the entire story, and you also need to compare memory bandwidth.
  
  

Memory Bandwidth

• In the popular driving analogy for computer hardware, clock speed determines how quickly you may travel, while memory bandwidth determines how many lanes your data actually has to use. The GTX 280 has almost 142 GB/s as compared to the 8800 GTS, which has only 64 GB/s.
  
  

GeForce GTX 280 Features

• Code named the G200, the GTX 280 is NVIDIA SLI-ready with up to three connections for additional outputs. This card is certified for Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as Microsoft DirectX 10 compliant. Additional features include PureVideo for high definition graphics and enhanced Blu-ray technology. The GTX really shines with high-end video games because of its ability to process almost twice as much data at the 8800 GTS due to the enhanced bandwidth.
  
  

GeForce 8800 GTS Features

• The GeForce 8800 GTS was designed with power gamers in mind. Featuring Extreme High Definition that uses specialized software algorithms to improve the detail of HD output it is hard to compare to earlier generation video cards. The 8800 GTS also has all the same certifications and compliances as the GTX 280, as well as OpenGL 3.0 support.
  
  

Conclusions

• The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 has several advantages over its 8800 GTS cousin, not the least of which is its faster CPU and enhanced bandwidth. Both cards share the same high end NVIDIA drivers for gaming which enables many of the same features between them. The 8800 GTS is also a full-sized PCI Express card where the GTX 280 is a half-size card limited to PCI Express 2.0. Given the choice, it is well worth the additional $50 dollars to buy the GTX 280 if you plan on using many intensive applications, such as video games.