Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 Reviewed

gtx 285

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 (about $400) was recently released. It is based on the GT200 Core Code, and with 55nm Manufacturing Process.

Key Features:

  • 240 Stream Processors
  • 80 Texture Address / 80 Filtering
  • 32 ROPs
  • 648MHz Core Clock
  • 1476MHz Shader Clock
  • 1242MHz Memory Clock
  • 512-bit Memory Bus Width
  • 1GB Frame Buffer
  • 55nm Manufacturing Process
  • GT200 Core Code

Guru of 3D reviewed the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC, Inno3D GeForce GTX 285 OC, and Point of View GeForce GTX 285 EXO. The eVGA was the Top Pick:

"... the GeForce GTX 280 was the fastest single GPU on the globe, the GeForce GTX 285 is now the fastest single GPU on the globe. On average it's roughly 10% faster than the reference GTX 280. So an upgrade towards the 55nm node did bring in some additional gaming performance." [Guru3D | GeForce GTX 285 review]

HotHardware tested an EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC and a GeForce GTX 285 reference card:

"The new GeForce GTX 285's performance falls right where you'd expect it to--just slightly ahead of the GeForce GTX 280, but behind the flagship GTX 295. Throughout our testing, the reference GeForce GTX 285 performed right about on par with, or barely faster than a GTX 280. However the higher core, shader, and memory clock frequencies of the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSE Edition gave it a larger edge in performance over the GTX 280. Overall, the dual-GPU powered Radeon HD 4870 X2 and GeForce GTX 295 are faster and more powerful than the GTX 285 in games that scale well with multi-GPU configurations, but the GeForce GTX 285 is the fastest single-GPU powered graphics card available today, hands down." [HotHardware | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 Unveiled]

PCPerspective tested the BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX 1GB and ASUS ENGTX285 TOP 1GB cards:

"... the GeForce GTX 285 is definitely using less power than the GTX 280 card all while running at higher clock speeds and performing better in our gaming tests. The 55nm process might not have paid off as much of a dividend as we were initially hoping on the GT200 design but financially this is a move NVIDIA needed to make. You really can't ask for much more than that! ... If you already own a GTX 280 or even at GTX 260 card, I don't think the GTX 285 is going to add enough performance to warrant the upgrade price but users of the 9-series cards or even 3000-series card from AMD should definitely perk up their ears a bit with the release." [PCPerspective | 55nm GT200: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 1GB Review]

HardwareZone tested the Zotac GeForce GTX 285 AMP! Edition 1GB GDDR3:

"... unlike the GeForce GTX 295, the GeForce GTX 285 is not as groundbreaking and its successes are no where near the scale of that achieved by its more powerful sibling. Sure, it does improve upon performance and efficiency, but it's not to the same extent as what the GeForce GTX 295 did. And without a Radeon HD 4850 X2 on hand, we cannot say with certainty if the GeForce GTX 285 is the best card in its price and performance segment. However, as far as single GPUs go, NVIDIA has clearly one-upped themselves here. The GeForce GTX 285 is certainly an improvement over the GTX 280." [HardwareZone | Cementing First Place - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285]

AnandTech tested the EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 in single and SLI configuration:

"In summary, despite its typical 10% performance advantage, the GeForce GTX 285 offers less price/performance than the GTX 280. The closest price competitor to the GTX 285, the Radeon HD 4870 X2, also offers better value, but at a higher price. At the same time, we have reservations about putting our weight behind the 4870 X2 with the driver issues we've experienced lately." [AnandTech | GeForce GTX 285: 55nm Enabling Higher Performance]

Do you want or need the fastest single GPU on the planet? The GTX 285 is it. If you already have a GTX 280, don't expect much of a performance upgrade. This would be good news for those targeting the GTX 280, since it would surely get more price cuts as the GTX 285 goes mainstream.

IceRocket :

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