ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix GeForce GTX 260 896MB Video Card Review
May 6, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
The current graphics card market is a little confusing and hard to keep up with what’s going on. Both ATI and nVidia are releasing modified versions of their successful GPUs from last year to fill in gaps between models and both have released beefed up versions of their top GPUs to create new top end models for their lineups. At the same time, some nVidia and ATI partners are adding new features to last year’s popular cards to generate new interest in them.
In light of the current global economic situation, I think that this is probably the best way for the two GPU manufacturers and their partners to go. In these uncertain times, releasing a new generation of VGA cards probably wouldn’t be in their best interest. I have no inside information whatsoever, I do watch what is going on in the financial world, and pay attention to the indicators such as unemployment statistics, and use a little common sense, I wouldn’t expect to see a new generation of GPUs from either company until maybe late this year, depending on what happens for the next couple of quarters.
Our friends at Asus have been at work improving some of last year’s popular cards with upgraded heatpipe coolers and intelligent hardware/software technology. Marketed under their Republic of Gamers line as the “Matrix” series, Asus calls them “The world’s most intelligent graphics cards.” With the ability of overclocking and overvolting GPU, memory, and shaders on the fly for 3D graphics, and underclocking for 2D mode, along with different cooling setups for each mode, they very well may be. Read on to find out about Asus’ Matrix version of the geForce GTX 260!
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 1024MB Review
April 21, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
Early in spring NVIDIA suddenly decided to make another announcement. According the new policy, this model was named GeForce GTS 250. In this case GTS stands for lower performance level than GTX, and 250 is a model number.
Judging by the graphics card characteristics, this article might have fit into this one picture or a single line: “GeForce GTS 250 = GeForce 9800 GTX+”. Or “GeForce GTS 250 = GeForce 9800 GTX+ + 1GB”, although this amendment changes nothing. However, being model journalists, we have published almost a full article. It’s “almost” because we skipped theoretical data, which haven’t changed for a long time, and synthetic tests, which make no sense in this case.
ASUS RADEON HD 4850/4870 and GeForce GTX 285/295 Review
April 20, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
More and more plain reference copies are released into the market, and it’s a sad situation for reviewers, as there is no point in presenting just another copy for the Nth time.
Fortunately, company’s R&D department still exists in its full strength, so we have an opportunity to see original ASUS products from time to time.
Still, there are some exceptions: e.g. NVIDIA GTX 2xx products have been represented only by reference designs so far. But those are special because of the complex PCB design with 512-bit and 448-bit buses. Engineers haven’t probably come up with their own cheaper design yet. And if it’s not cheaper, there is no point in it.
Let’s examine new cards from ASUS based on top NVIDIA GPUs as well as Mid-End GPUs from AMD.
GeForce GTX 275 shootout BFG | Inno3D | Palit | Sparkle
April 20, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
A week or two ago NVIDIA announced it’s latest graphics card positioned in the high-end region, called the GeForce GTX 275. The GeForce GTX 275 is a bit of a hybrid card in-between the GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 285.
The card is positioned directly against the new ATI Radeon HD 4890, yet is slightly cheaper. NVIDIA launched the GeForce GTX 275 in an allergic reaction to team red’s product to show and flex their rendering muscle. Now I know that some of you guys might frown a little about this GTX 275 release, but trust me when I say, this is a really interesting move.
The GeForce GTX 275 has the very same graphics processor as that GTX 285, yet the memory configuration of the GTX 260 (896 MB). Fitted on a new PCB and armed with a dandy cooler NVIDIA did another thing, they lowered prices significantly.
The GTX 275 is a card that is being introduced at a 239~249 USD price level. And though features and performance wise the product is not exactly the reinvention of the wheel, it definitely is a massive load of performance at a very fair price. At the time of writing this article it’s two weeks after the launch and the first retail products are now hitting the stores in reasonable volume.
As such we figured to cease the moment and show you a couple of retail boards. For this article, a total of five GeForce GTX 275 graphics cards will be put to the test. We take the NVIDIA reference sample, two reference clocked products and two pre-overclocked products to see where we are at in terms of performance, cooling and features among the difference AIB/AIC partners.
We’ll take the BFG GTX 275 OC edition, the Inno3D Overclock editions GTX 275, the Palit GTX 275 with custom cooling and the all reference based yet blue’ish colored GeForce GTX 275 from Sparkle.
We’ll compare each AIB card at it’s default clocks and compare it to the reference model. Of course, you are on guru3D.com .. we’ll also overclock all cards tested today to investigate and observe what the limit of each product really is. First we start off with a quick introduction of the GTX 275, the differences, the new, and the not so new ….
Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 896MB Review
April 1, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
When an unmarked box shows up at my door it is usually one of two things: my neighbour’s new copy of Debbie Does Dallas: The Ultimate Edition or a brand new computer component that hasn’t been released yet. While receiving either is usually a welcome surprise, we will have to put a discussion about Debbie’s exploits on the back burner since this time the box’s cargo was a new video card from Nvidia: the GTX 275.
The history behind Nvidia’s answer to the ATI HD 4890 hasn’t been receiving nearly as much rumour-mongering as past launches which is understandable. This is mostly due to the fact that this card seems to be mostly a knee-jerk reaction to an assault by ATI into the relatively under appreciated market between the $225 and $300 (USD) price brackets. With all of the price cutting of late, both the GTX 260 216 and the HD 4870 1GB have fallen below the $200 USD mark which means a substantial gap suddenly opened up between these cards and the $350 USD GTX 285. ATI chose to attack this market with what is essentially an overclocked version of their HD 4870 1GB which has been renamed the HD 4890. Meanwhile, Nvidia couldn’t be seen as resting on their backsides so the GTX 275 896MB was born.
What we have here is an engineering version of the GTX 275 but from what we have heard; Nvidia will promote their board partners to design their own cards from the ground up. This will probably result in quite a few variations when it comes to framebuffer size, clock speeds, power consumption and even thermal characteristics. Unfortunately, this can also lead to some corner cutting (read: penny pinching) so Nvidia will hopefully implement a certification system whereby these “custom” cards are checked to see if they meet specifications. According to various manufacturers we spoke to, they will also be releasing reference based cards with some (from EVGA, XFX and BFG) introducing overclocked versions as well. Stay tuned since we already have some of these in the review pipeline.
In a nutshell, the GTX 275 is basically half of a GTX 295 whose core, shaders and memory have slightly higher clocks. Performance-wise it is supposed to sit somewhere between the GTX 260 216 and the GTX 285 even though looking at the specifications on a later page will give you the distinct impression that framerates may be close to that of the GTX 285. If that turns out to be true, its price of around $260 USD could prove to be the undoing of Nvidia’s flagship single chip card.
Enough about marketing-speak, let’s talk reality here for a second or two. First of all, even though Nvidia will only announce their “official” price a day before launch, figures of $260 USD have been passed around. While that price is highly competitive against the HD 4890, we will be anxious to see if it holds any foundation in reality considering Canadian pricing seems to be between $360 and $380. This may change as cards become available so stay tuned for more news on that front. Also, contrary to some reports we have been told by both AIBs and various local retailers that they expect stock of these cards to be available at North American retail by the week of March 6th with smaller shipments trickling in ahead of that.
We hate paper launches as much as the next guy but it looks like the GTX 275 could be a serious contender against the ATI HD 4890. Let’s stop the intro now so we can dive into this review and have a good look at Nvidia’s new card.
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 285 Review
March 30, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
You know, I was thinking, if there’s one product series that is consistently in price-drop somehow .. it has to be the GeForce GTX 200 series GPUs. Even after the GPU update from GTX 280 towards the 55nm 285. This is what the GTX 285 is all about, not shocking ground breaking new graphics architecture, but a move to the 55nm fabrication process – making that chip (GT200b) die size smaller, aim for better yields, and in the end, a product that requires less voltage, performs better and is more affordable.
With the new SKU in mind, we were interested to see what we could save in terms of money if we just did not opt for an overclocked, xxx, OC, SSC and what not editions. It’s interesting to see how well AIBs monetized the passion we all share; overclocking. So from that point of view it should be interesting to test the reference based product with no whistles and bells, and see if we can tweak it a little ourselves.
Luckily there are a number of manufacturers out there which sometimes do not infiltrate the channel with special overclocked editions, and whenever that happens, chances are good that their product have not been pre tested and qualified for higher clock frequencies. And that is making the chance for manual overclocks much better … while you pay the lowest price possible.
Gigabyte is such a company. They only offer a non-overclocked GTX 285 and when you purchase their GeForce GTX 285, you can not choose between six different models. It’s the GTX 285, and whatever you decide to do with it is your call. As such we picked up a retail Gigabyte GeForce GTX 285 with ironically … a gigabyte of graphics memory (yeah lame puns, I like em a lot 
.
So today we have a slightly different focus. How would a reference based high-end product perform, how would it overclock and can we save some money by purchasing such a regular product opposed to all the pre-overclocked models while boosting that clock frequency ourselves ?
It makes an interesting thesis, so we’ll find out … Of course we’ll make a full blown review out of the product as well. But not before you have had a peek at the product we are testing today. Next page you guys
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 240sp 1024MB Review
March 30, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
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.
GTX 275 factory overclocking speeds
March 30, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
We have already reported that Geforce GTX 275 ends up with a 633MHz core, 1404MHz shader clock and 2268 MHz memory speed. The card uses 448-bit memory interface and GDDR3 memory, so no surprises here.
In addition, some partners will release an overclocked version of the card that will work at close to or more than 670MHz, while the shader speed, suggested by Nvidia should stay at 1404MHz and memory can be overclocked to 2350MHz.
We are sure that some of the usual suspects will try to overclock these numbers at least a bit more higher but this is what Nvidia is recommending for the overclocked card.
Geforce GTX 275 should launch this week and if so, it should launch on the April 2nd, while it is also possible to launch in week 15, that starts on April 6.
Source: fudzilla
Sphere: Related ContentGeforce GTX 275 Gets Listed
March 30, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
European retailer DollarShops is the first to have a listing for the upcoming Geforce GTX 275 from the vendor Sparkle. Sparse on details, the listing is set at a price of €249 and promises stock in 10 days from now which would be the 6th of April. The Geforce GTX 275 is supposed to combat ATI’s RV790 based refresh the Radeon HD 4890 but the difference lies in the strategy to the market. The GTX 275 design is left up to the AIB partners to implement with Nvidia just outlining the basic spec.
In case you didnt know, the GTX 275 is a “half” GTX 295. A “full” GT200b (240 cuda processor ASIC) coupled with a missing memory block (448-bit memory). This would position the product some where in between the GTX 285 & the GTX 260. It will only a matter of time before we see if this strategy is going to pay off for Nvidia and will the reviewing press make sure to point this out to their readers or not?
Source: gpucafe
Sphere: Related ContentGeForce GTX 275 Catches Early Flight, Launch Brought Forward to April 2
March 30, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
As reviewers world-over unbox their Radeon HD 4890 samples, NVIDIA, in a last-bid attempt not to give ATI a fortnight’s headstart over GeForce GTX 275, has pulled its launch forward to April 2, the day Radeon HD 4890 hits shelves. Our sources however, indicate that this will be merely a paper-launch for NVIDIA, meaning that the actual product doesn’t exist in retail channels, only that its SKU officially exists, get listed, perhaps gets open to pre-orders by retailers, and what’s more, even previewed.
It will be mid-April by the time retailers actually start to sell GeForce GTX 275 accelerators. The accelerators will be of non-reference designs, with the specifications we know so far: 55 nm G200b GPU, 240 stream processors, 448-bit GDDR3 memory interface, and 896 or 1792 MB of memory. The clock speeds the card will run at are known to be 633/1404/1161 MHz (core/shader/memory). Its price will be very competitive with that of the Radeon HD 4890, around the US $250 mark.
Source: techpowerup
Sphere: Related Content