NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 240sp 1024MB Review

A while ago we examined the new dual-GPU graphics card NVIDIA GeForce 295, based on two 55nm GT200b chips. And today we are going to review a single-chip GeForce GTX 285 card that is to replace GTX 280, the previous single-GPU top card. First of all, it’s a usual upgrade to a better process technology that leads to corresponding improvements in power consumption, heat release, and a little performance gain.

GeForce GTX 280 hasn’t had a single-GPU competitor from AMD since its release. RADEON HD 4870 X2 is more expensive and reaches higher frame rates in popular applications, and HD 4850 X2 is not widely spread. However, the latter card is the best choice for comparison with the new GTX 285, if we consider their recommended prices. It conforms well with AMD’s concept of manufacturing High-End dual-GPU graphics cards. Unlike AMD, which already manufactures only multi-GPU solutions for the High-End segment, NVIDIA is not going to give up the idea of single-GPU top cards, and GeForce GTX 285 continues this good strategy.

Unlike GTX 295, our product under review is a very pragmatic solution for NVIDIA, designed to reduce manufacturing costs and to ensure large sales volumes. Together with the overhauled GTX 260 with its 216 stream processors based on GT200b, this model should improve financial situation of the company, which has not been doing very well of late. And that’s what NVIDIA got used to. Manufacturing costs of the new cards, which have come to replace GTX 260 and GTX 280, are significantly lower owing to 55nm GPUs and a simplified PCB design. Of course, the company should have launched the overhauled products before the beginning of 2009. But to all appearances, there were some problems with GT200b.

Theoretical part of our GeForce GTX 285 review will be very short, because we already examined the GT200 architecture (GT200b is not different) and even wrote several articles about the GT200b. And the only differences from GeForce GTX 280 that matter to common users are increased operating frequencies and reduced power consumption.

If you are not familiar with the architecture of GeForce GTX 200 (GT200), you can read about it in our baseline review. This architecture developed from G8x/G9x with some modifications. Before you read this article, you should study the baseline theoretical articles — DX Current, DX Next, and Longhorn. They describe various aspects of modern graphics cards and architectural peculiarities of products from NVIDIA and AMD.

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