Zotac Expands its GTX 285 Lineup, Uses Accelero Xtreme Cooler
March 13, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
Zotac has yet another GeForce GTX 285 SKU in the making. This time, it plans to use its own-designed GTX 285 PCB with an Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GPU cooler. Zotac isn’t using the entire kit, as the NVIO2 and VRM heatsinks aren’t compatible with this PCB design. Other manufacturers using this cooler for similar graphics cards include Galaxy, which uses it for its GTX 285 2 GB, and Inno3D, which uses the entire kit for its GTX 280 accelerator.
More interesting GPU moves coming from NVIDIA
March 13, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
After the release and rebranding of the GeForce GTS 250 graphics card this month, it appears that NVIDIA might have some more “new” products coming down the pipeline. And by “new” I mean “not really new at all.”
First up are reports of a GeForce GTX 275 product that would essentially be based on the GPU contained on the GeForce GTX 295 graphics card. The difference would be that the GTX 275 would only be a single GPU and would sell for somewhere between the $175 price on the GTX 260+ and the $330 price on the GTX 285. If the assertion that the GTX 275 would use the same 55nm GPU as the GTX 295 is true, then the card specs would be like this:
- 240 stream processors
- 576 MHz core clock
- 1242 MHz shader clock
- 1000 / 2000 MHz GDDR3 memory clock
- 896MB total frame buffer
- 448-bit memory interface per core
- 56 total ROPs (28 per core)
- 160 texture units (80 per core)
PNY & XFX GeForce GTX 285 Video Card Reviews
March 6, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 video card proves to be a step in the right direction for NVIDIA in taming power consumption. The 55nm revision has enabled higher efficiency and increased overclocking overhead while still keeping thermals in check. I suspect in the near future we’ll see a few GeForce GTX 285s with lighter coolers and 3rd party PCBs to cut costs. The two cards reviewed today, the PNY GeForce GTX 285 and the XFX GeForce GTX 285 Black Edition, both consistently beat the PNY GeForce GTX 280 used for testing…
Galaxy GeForce GTX 285 Overclocked Graphics Card
March 6, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
Just the other day we looked at the GTS 250 from Galaxy. But today we’re looking at something a bit more higher up in the market, NVIDIA’s number two card and the fastest single GPU graphics card on the market; the GTX 285. Galaxy has taken the time to get a bit down and dirty with the card and squeeze some extra MHz out of it. We’re going to find out just how these extra MHz affect overall performance when compared to a card that follows the reference clock speeds. Before we get into that, though, we’re going to take the time to have a closer look at the package and see what Galaxy has included inside. From there we will have a closer look at the card and and the clock rates Galaxy has chosen to use.
BFG GTX 285 OCX 1GB Video Card Review
January 19, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
About a week ago, Nvidia launched their newest bid for market dominance with the GTX 285. While the card itself is nothing more than a massaged GTX 280 with a 55nm core, its performance wowed us even though we reviewed a heavily overclocked version. At this point we all know that ATI doesn’t have a single GPU card that comes close to competing with Nvidia’s new monster but they are making a good show of it by reducing the price of their formidable HD 4870 X2 so it is within spitting distance of the higher-clocked GTX 285s. This in turn is a shot to the gut of Nvidia’s other new kid on the block -the GTX 295- since it currently sits all by its lonesome at the highest peak of the pricing index.
With the GTX 285 we will see the gradual phasing out of the GTX 280 and indeed, we are seeing the telltale signs of this with the outgoing cards retailing for significantly discounted prices. This in effect has been putting some major pressure on the GTX 285 launch since the cards are very similar spec-wise but you can find the GTX 280 for more than $100 less if you care to look around a bit. That $100 may not seem much to some of you but when you have the price of a brand new HD 4670 separating two very similar cards, not many people will look at the more expensive option. Indeed, we expect this situation of opposing prices to iron itself out in the coming weeks but until then the GTX 285 should still appeal to people who want the best performance possible out of a single GPU solution.
Speaking of single GPU solutions, it is due to this one fact that the GTX 285 will probably appeal to the majority of enthusiast customers. Both the GTX 295 and the HD 4870 X2 are limited by their classification as dual GPU cards since this means their performance is closely tied to the compatibility of SLI or Crossfire profiles within a certain game. We have seen from our first GTX 285 review that more than anything else, a dual GPU configuration can and will hold back performance in certain instances and it is usually those instances which you will find yourself stumbling upon during your gameplay sessions.
Today we bring you a review of BFG’s highest-clocked offering into the GTX 285 marketplace: the OCX Edition. Following in the footsteps of the stock, OC, OC+ and OC2 editions this high powered card will only be available at online retailers for the time being. BFG has always been at the forefront of customer service with full RMA service within Canada (yes, that’s right, no need to ship back the RMA to the States) and a full lifetime warranty on all of their cards. This means their cards should be of particular interest to us Canadians who have long been asking for home-grown RMA support and processing. Hopefully, BFG will be able to capitalize on the GTX 285’s performance and give us a card worthy of the OCX moniker.
EVGA GeForce GTX 285 1GB SSC Edition Review
January 14, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
Nvidia has had a tough time as of late with their GTX 200-series being thoroughly beaten in the price / performance area by the HD 4870 512MB and 1GB cards. What followed were drastic price reductions and the release of the GTX 260 with 216 SPs which contributed to allow the GTX 200-series to compete on a level footing with the best ATI had to offer. Meanwhile, the HD 4870 X2 was released and Nvidia didn’t have an answer to that monster until just last week when they officially unveiled their GTX 295 card. As we saw in the review, Nvidia has finally wrested the performance crown out of ATI’s hands and is on a track to success with a full lineup of 55nm cards.
We all know that one of the major limiting factors of the initial G200 products was the fact that they were built on a 65nm manufacturing process which essentially made their production costs high (hence the prices we saw at launch) and contributed to massive amounts of heat being generated by the core. The GTX 285 on the other hand is the next evolution of the G200 architecture and uses the newer 55nm manufacturing process which should hopefully allow for higher clocks, lower power consumption and decreased heat. However, not all is certain since as we saw with the GTX 260 216 55nm card, power consumption wasn’t affected much and the overclocking was identical to 65nm cards. That being said, as we will come to see the GTX 285 is a different beast altogether.
Other than the 55nm core, what makes a GTX 285 different from a GTX 280? Basically, they are the same card but the GTX 285 carries with it higher clocks much like the 9800 GTX+ did when compared to the vanilla 9800 GTX. Pricing will also be a deciding factor for many since at this point we are seeing a new low in GTX 280 pricing with some cards retailing for significantly less than $400 CAD. Considering that our sources tell us that the GTX 285 will be around $500 CAD before rebates, the GTX 285 could initially receive slow sales. It should also be noted that this is just below the price range where the HD 4870 X2 is currently sitting.
For this particular review, EVGA has sent us their GTX 285 SSC card which in typical fashion has overclocks for the shaders, core and memory. You will also get access to EVGA’s excellent customer service, Lifetime Warranty and Step Up programs. From what we hear, stock of this particular EVGA card should be very good and we have already come to know EVGA for having some of the lowest prices on the market today. All of these things should contribute to make the EVGA GTX 285 SSC Edition one of the most popular cards of this generation.
