Things are looking up for high-end value graphics buyers, and getting optimal performance from a sub-$400 budget used to mean using technology that was over a year old. But the GeForce 8800 GTS that used to be nothing more than a crippled version of the enthusiast-level 8800 GTX is gone, replaced with faster and more efficient 65nm technology.

Speed and efficiency are nice, but how does the new GeForce 8800 GTS 512 stand up against the latest technology from ATI on the value front? What benefits can owners of less elaborate NVIDIA technology expect? And is MSI's overclocked version of the card worth the extra cash?