PNY & XFX GeForce GTX 285 Video Card Reviews

The GeForce GTX 285 Graphics Card

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 graphics card was more or less brushed aside when Nvidia launched its GT200 55nm revision during the 2nd week of January, 2009. The GeForce GTX 295, which contains two of the 1.4 billion transistor GPUs, is a monstrous card but out of reach for most consumers. Here is where the GeForce GTX 285 steps in. This chip, on the TMSC 55nm process, is much cheaper to produce, clocks higher than the previous 65nm version, and runs cooler to boot.

Today, we’ve got two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285s for testing. PNY sent their GeForce GTX 285 with part number VCGGTX285XPB, while XFX sent their GeForce GTX 285 Black Edition baring the part number GX-285N-ZDBF. The PNY GeForce GTX 285 runs at the stock GeForce GTX 285 speeds of 648MHz core, 1476MHz shader, and 2484MHz memory. The XFX GeForce GTX 285 Black Edition on the other hand has an aggressive overclock pushing 690MHz core, 1552MHz shader, and 2600MHz memory. Both video cards are based on the NVIDIA reference PCB design with reference coolers, so the only difference between the two cards with 1GB GDDR3 frame buffer would be the box, bundle, and clock frequencies. It should also be noted that NVIDIA states that the GeForce GTX 285 video cards require a minimum 550W or greater power supply with a minimum +12V rating of 40 Amps. XFX on the other hand suggests at least a 630 Watt power supply for non-SLI and 680+ Watts if you plan on running a pair of these in SLI. so be sure your system is up to par before picking up one of these high-end performance cards.

Compared to the 65nm GeForce GTX 280, the stock GeForce GTX 285 is already blazing fast but the XFX GeForce GTX 285 Black Edition shows there is even more room for improvement. However, check out the overclocking for an even more intriguing surprise. First though, let’s take a look at the boxes, bundles, and the test system used today.