Set against the backdrop of economic uncertainty, NVIDIA continues to plough ahead with new launches this year. Last week saw the introduction of the dual GPU based GeForce GTX 295 card, ostensibly a hybrid of the GeForce GTX 200 series GPU's, sandwiched together on to one card. Yesterday saw another GPU released, the GeForce GTX 285, which arguably, cemented NVIDIA's position as provider, via its partners of the fastest single GPU graphics card. Cutting through the hyperbole priced at around $399 for a stock clocked model, isn't much more than a faster clocked GeForce GTX 280, with the boost in clocks enabled by a move to a smaller, more efficient manufacturing process. - Hexus

Inno3D GeForce GTX 285 1GB OC Video Card Review

The lower power draw has enabled partners to release factory overclocked models right out of the gate, and Inno3D has been one of the first to take advantage with its overclock series. There's also a little core to core difference between the two, insofar as NVIDIA claims to have cleaned-up parts of the GPU to make it slightly faster on a per clock basis. Put simply, the GeForce GTX 285 is better in every way, being quicker and quieter, and that's why partners will reduce their GeForce GTX 280 inventory levels and ramp up distribution of the new part, based on a 55nm process and will see better overclocked versions.

Inno3D will retail a stock clocked part, but such is the frequency headroom on the new process, that a pre-overclocked model dubbed OverClock, is also being released immediately. Apart from some fancy graphics, there isn't much to differentiate this card from any other GeForce GTX 285, or indeed the GeForce GTX 280. However, Inno3D bumps up clocks to 700MHz core and 2560MHz for the memory, but annoyingly the shader speed is kept the same at 1476MHz. This very fact will just count against it when compared to other pre-overclocked GeForce GTX 285's with also the power draw lower as the previous version.

And as our stated before, the GeForce GTX 285 is the fastest single GPU board around, building on the erstwhile champ, the GeForce GTX 280, by clocking in faster on every front. The cooler's a touch quieter and the initial batch of cards overclock well. So why aren't we jumping up and down with uncontainable joy at the Inno3D GeForce GTX 285 OverClock, considering it fulfils all the statements made above? For a start, the Inno3D card, albeit well overclocked on the core and memory, ships with the default shader speed of 1476MHz, which is kind of surprising but no deal breaker thought it might play a role in your selection.

The achilles heel for the GeForce GTX 285 video card, on the day after launch, is pricing. Stock clocked cards are selling for around $399 and pre-overclocked models, like Inno3D's for around $329. Here's a case of good, solid technology, backed up by a decent ecosystem of supporting software, but that's really just too expensive to recommend. We know the pricing will come down in a week, just as it did for the range topping GeForce GTX 295, and the Inno3D card will make a lot more sense when and if, etailers chop the asking price to around $349. And that price tag or even lower would certainly play in favor.

And now we get a faster, better board than the GeForce GTX 280, in any flavour, Inno3D's is the first pre-overclocked effort we've seen, and it glides through the benchmarks in serene fashion. High on speed though relatively low on value, a situation it seems out of partners' control and we urge readers to wait until pricing drops significantly.