While a bit uncommon to have two graphics cards which are ready at the same time, yet choose to release them a week apart, this is the path NVIDIA has decided to take. We actually ended up with a GeForce GTX 285 sample a few days before the GeForce GTX 295 came. The main reason for this plan though, is probably due to the fact that NVIDIA didn't want to take focus away from either card. The plan probably worked to a degree. While last week everyone was in awe of what this GeForce GTX 295 was offering, there was plenty of questions regarding what's going on with the cheaper GeForce GTX 285 as well. While we would all no doubt love to own the latest top dual GPU bad boy. - TweakTown

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 285 1GB Card Version Review

For many it's simply not a purchase that can be swallowed by their partner, bank account or even themselves. The GeForce GTX 285 on the other hand, should offer excellent performance while not hitting the bank account as hard. The key words there though is as hard, because don't think for a second that the GeForce GTX 285 is going to be cheap. And looking at the package, it wouldn't be hard to mistake it for the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 295 card we looked at last week. Both boxes look almost identical with just a few minor changes in place. Across the top of the box we have the Gigabyte logo and to the right we have a NVIDIA one.

Moving down the box, we see the PhysX logo, while most of the box is taken up with a picture of a female character. Towards the bottom of the box we see mention of the model, in this case the GeForce GTX 285. To the right we also have the amount of memory that is present on the card which is 1GB of GDDR3 memory. Turning the box over, we have a bit of a blurb on the card and below that there's some more NVIDIA logos and the model number mentioned again. Moving further down the box we have some information on some of the features that are present and we also have some information on SLI operation and usage.

Moving onto the video card, there isn't a whole lot to see when compared to the GeForce GTX 280. We see the same design on the card with the right side giving us a fan that pushes air out the back of the case. We can also see that Gigabyte has placed a sticker in the middle. The other half of the card gives us a giant sticker that lets us again know once again the model of the card and also the brand. We also again see the same female character that was on the front of the box. Looking around the card, we see a lot of points that are very similar to the GeForce GTX 280, but paying closer attention gives us a small difference.

The biggest change that comes to the GeForce GTX 285 card is the move to the 55nm fabrication. And the smaller die size also brings with it much lower power consumption and less heat. What this results in is the card being able to be over clocked higher than the GeForce GTX 280. What we have is a core at 648MHz, shader clock of 1476MHz and the 1GB of GDDR3 carrying a 2484MHz effective clock. The aim from NVIDIA was to get an extra ten percent performance out of the card. The GeForce GTX 285 video card is really nothing more than a nicely overclocked GeForce GTX 280 based on 55nm technology.

Now, if NVIDIA didn't have a new product like the GeForce GTX 295 coming out along side it, this would probably annoy us like the whole GeForce 9800 GTX+ release. The name change this time around isn't really that confusing and not only is the performance increase seen across the board, but the drop in power used along with the move to dual 6-pin PCI Express connectors does warrant it. Upgrading from a GeForce GTX 280 is pretty much pointless and it's going to be a hard decision to make. If you can get a good price for your GeForce GTX 280, the move to a GeForce GTX 295 would be nice, thanks to the extra performance.

Looking closer at the Gigabyte card, there isn't a whole lot to say. The package is light, but with most newly released boards this isn't really uncommon. The cooler is standard which is again of no surprise and the clocks are reference. Ultimately, Gigabyte let the card do the talking. We have a great card that is going to be a nice upgrade for people with a Radeon HD 4870 or anything lower. For the most part it sits behind the Radeon HD 4870 X2, but this isn't a surprise thanks to the extra GPU present on the ATI offering. Ultimately we have a good card which is great practice for NVIDIA to enter the 55nm market.