Back in April, AMD unleashed its fastest graphics chip so far, dubbed as RV790. This chip will be cemented in history thanks to the fact that it was the first GPU to break these 1GHz barrier, and many AMD partners managed to hit 1GHz even with the reference air cooling. However, this reference cooler gets extremely loud while cooling GPU's at 1GHz so many partners just opted for their own coolers. PowerColor is one of the few companies that took to water cooling the RV790, which as you know is the ticker within the Radeon HD 4890 graphics cards. And PowerColor named this their LcS version, which is really about the liquid cooling solution that is far more superior and provide near noiseless operation. - FudZilla
Now this is an product from one of the godfathers of PC hardware manufacturers. Mushkin are a legend in the high performance memory business. Although here we have something that we hope will be rather special, as they are entering the graphics cards market with a bang. We have the new single PCB based GeForce GTX 295 Ultimate version, one of the very fastest graphics cards currently on the market. This is entirely new for Mushkin and although we don't know if they will last, since also OCZ tried it some time ago when the G80 chipset came out as a superior accelerator. So the good thing about it is that we once again get a brand with a name that has proven itself already with many products. - Vortez Hardware
As the name just suggests, MSI's new Radeon HD 4890 SOC Cyclone version is based on AMD's Radeon HD 4890 series featuring the RV790 graphics chipset. Even though a 40nm GPU has been announced in form of the RV740, AMD has chosen to produce these RV790 cores in their proven 55nm process which offers considerably better yields and uses readily available production facilities. So MSI has taken AMD's base design and heavily modified it for their purposes and as such released even three different Cyclone versions. The fastest of them all is the SOC edition which comes clocked at 1GHz which is using an rather big 100mm heatpipe cooler, though very much needed to keep running cool. - techPowerUp
So back in January of this year NVIDIA launched the latest high spec'ed graphics cards, being the single GPU based GeForce GTX 285 and the dual GPU based GeForce GTX 295. These GeForce GTX 285 gave us a die shrink on the GT200 core with increased speeds over the GeForce GTX 280 it replaced, the GeForce GTX 295 used the same 55nm core but with less memory and fewer operating units. And essentially the GeForce GTX 295 in single GPU mode sat somewhere between the GeForce GTX 275 and GeForce GTX 285 in performance. Since then we have seen the release of those 2GB strong GeForce GTX 285's but otherwise their calendar is just quiet as we wait for the DirectX 11 products. - DriverHeaven
Well we have has just released a new version of NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) software. NiBiTor is the original and definitive BIOS tweaker that supports the latest NVIDIA graphics cards, and which is updated on a regular basis. NiBiTor allows graphics card enthusiasts, or the hardcore overclockers to have full control over some advanced features and functionality found on firmware of supporting cards. And doing so users gain some extra performance, enable certain hidden features, tweaking memory latencies, provide extensive information, adapt bootup settings, changing fan speed options and/or get extra stability on their NVIDIA based graphics accelerators which will just give them that little extra value.
The GeForce GTX 285 has been released an long time ago and still remains one of the fastest single GPU cards around. Friend and foe were surprised that ASUS released yet another model in their GeForce GTX 285 lineup, since newer GPU's have been announced for the upcoming quarter. Being known for their Republic of Gamers mainboard lineup, where ASUS just blends looks with special features, components and adds extra overclocking ability. Now they seem to add graphics cards to that lineup too. With the release of the limited edition Mars card, which SLI'ed GeForce GTX 285 chips on one PCB, yet ASUS have still something else up their sleeves with the Matrix edition we are looking at today. - Madshrimps
MSI's Lightning series of graphics boards all started with the GeForce GTX 260 Lightning that built on a redesigned PCB with better components, custom cooling solution, overclocking software bundle and military theme. The second Lightning card is the GeForce GTX 275 Lightning that we have with us today. It features a new Twin Frozr cooler which uses two 80mm fans and five heatipes. The memory size has also been doubled up compared to the normal GeForce GTX 275. With this being an overclocker board it's to be expected that it doesn't come at stock clocks. What makes this board interesting is that it comes at an agressive price of $305 as well, while other manufacturers charge premiums. - techPowerUp
Yeps the bionic frog is back again, only this time with a few tricks up his metallic sleeve. And this new version of our Kermit commando features dual BIOS, which enables the smart switch to shift between Sonic and Turbo speeds. Also onboard are dual DVI heads, HDMI and an DisplayPort. We take not one, but two of these bad boys out for a spin in a nice CrossFireX setup and tell you whether or not the smart switch is really worth your time. It is certainly something different which we haven't seen that frequently, though such a dual fan cooling is becoming a more regular solution. And we will find out whether or not this graphics card has what it takes to leap forward to crush the various competition. - TechwareLabs
When NVIDIA announced the release of the GeForce GTS 250 series of graphics cards, quite a buzz was created. Now it wasn't because it offered unprecedented performance features, a whole new level of gaming realism or anything else that might be considered truly buzz worthy. The chatter was all about this being just a refined version of a graphics chipset that had already been reborn and that had seen numerous variations since its inception in the GeForce 8800 series. At this point even these GeForce GTS 250 have lost their new car smell, but it remains popular due to their balance of price to performance, and because simply many manufacturers continue to offer new versions with tweaks or extras. - BigBruin
Buying a video card can be a tricky thing. There are just so many on the market made by so many brands that it is very difficult to know which board is truly the best for your needs. Many cards are so similar to others that it can make your decision overwhelming. Add to that the fact that new cards are constantly being developed, making graphics devices one of the quickest computer components to become outdated. Most likely, the card you choose will already be outdated, unless you intend to spend hundreds of dollars on the current best thing. Though for most of us, a mid-level graphics card at a reasonable price will suit our needs just fine. And not very long ago, one of $150 was the best around. - TestFreaks
While the release of the GeForce GTX 295 card back in January regained NVIDIA the crown of fastest single graphics board. The GeForce GTX 295 hasn't been the success it perhaps could have been, with high production costs due to their dual PCB design keeping prices close to $500 and out of the reach for many. So with AMD's Radeon HD 4870 X2 priced around $125 cheaper and offering comparable performance in many games, it is hard to look beyond the red team. However, all isn't lost for NVIDIA's latest dual GPU monster, with the GeForce GTX 295 having just received an significant redesign six months into its life cycle which is aimed at slashing production costs and making it much more competitive. - Bit-Tech
NiBiTor v6.03
