While there's no denying that anyone who is after maximum power will want the GeForce GTX 295, for many people the GeForce GTX 285 is going to be fine for the plain fact that most users don't have the monitor to really make use of such a powerful graphics card. We've always been pretty happy with this GeForce GTX 285, it costs a good chunk less than the GeForce GTX 295 and still offers some serious performance, which for most people is more than they need. Today we're going to check out the GeForce GTX 285 from ASUS and while we have seen the TOP version before, we'll have a closer look to see what happens when we want to save a few dollars by moving back to a stock clocked card. - TweakTown

ASUS GeForce GTX 285 1GB Gamer Graphics Review

Looking at the package we see there isn't anything new going on with the design that's been present for quite a while now, apart from the courier sticker that was sitting in the middle of the box that is. To the right we have a picture of a knight on its horse, while to the left we have mention of a discount on some games. Across the top we have the ASUS logo, while working from the bottom we have the model, in this case the GeForce GTX 285. Above that we have mention of some of the main features the card offers which include 1GB of GDDR3 memory and some exclusive software that ASUS includes like SmartDoctor and other.

With the package looked at it's now time to have a closer look at the card itself. It doesn't come as much of a surprise that ASUS has opted for the reference cooler. While a bit boring due to the fact that we see it on a regular basis, it does do a good job of keeping temperatures down while having noise levels kept to a dull roar. ASUS has of course mixed it up with a bit of color; to the right we have the ASUS logo on the fan while the left is taken up by a picture that is similar to the one we saw on the front of the box. We again see the ASUS logo in the bottom corner. Closer to the front of the card we have our SLI connectors.

Now a lot of people argue that the GeForce GTX 285 doesn't offer the best value for money due to the fact that there isn't a huge performance increase for the card over the GeForce GTX 275, while the price is a good chunk higher. The thing is that we find the extra performance on offer from the GeForce GTX 285 and manages to give us the numbers we need to game at ultra widescreen resolution. For people who own a big monitor, want to game at native resolution but don't want to fork out the money needed for a GeForce GTX 295, this is a good option. Some argue that overclocking the GeForce GTX 275 warrant the same benefits.

But there are two things to consider. First, your numbers are guaranteed and you don't have to worry about achieving certain clocks. And the second is that if you overclock the GeForce GTX 285 you're going to get even more power, which is always a good thing. The ASUS version of the card is pretty good with everything we need in the package, we also have those exclusive ASUS applications that are included in the bundle. So if you can overclock yourself or just want to save a few dollars this is also a better option than the TOP model that we've looked at in the past and comes at a premiuml price tag.