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NVIDIA's 55nm GeForce GTX 285 Launched

Posted by timothy on from the so-powerful-it-includes-three-links dept.

Visceralini writes "NVIDIA is launching yet another high-end 3D graphics offering, an optimized version of their top shelf GeForce GTX 280 single GPU card, dubbed the GeForce GTX 285. This new GeForce is a 55nm die-shrunk version of the legacy GTX 280 with lower power consumption characteristics that don't require an 8-pin PCI Express connector, rather just a pair of more standard 6-pin plugs. Performance metrics are shown here in a number of the latest game titles including Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Far Cry 2 and Mirror's Edge. The new GTX 285 is about on par or slightly faster than a GTX 280 but with less power draw and some room for overclocking over the reference design."

15 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Power Savings!! by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 5, Funny

    The new GTX 285 is about on par or slightly faster than a GTX 280 but with less power draw and some room for overclocking over the reference design.

    40W less while idle (vs. 280), @ $0.12 kWh, means if I can pick one up for $400 (I can dream, can't I?), it will have paid for itself - through power savings - in less than 10 years!! I know what I'm spending my tax refund on!!

    --
    Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
    1. Re:Power Savings!! by CDMA_Demo · · Score: 2, Informative

      in less than 10 years!! I know what I'm spending my tax refund on!!

      You can also use it to crack passwords even Faster!

    2. Re:Power Savings!! by isBandGeek() · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What enthusiast that spends big dollars on the latest cards uses their card for more than a year?

      Most people that rush out to buy these type of cutting-edge hardware replace them every few months or so. The savings realized by power conservation will never cover the difference between the two with the crowd these new cards (indeed, all new cards) are targeted at.

    3. Re:Power Savings!! by Creepy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The PSU requirement is apparently 550 Watts, and you can usually save a lot of money when you drop from 700 Watts to 550-600, however, I remember seeing a 700 Watt PSU at NewEgg for $50 after rebate, which is about what I paid for my 500 Watt at Christmas (after rebate - I'd planned for 600+, but PSU and a few other things fell to budget axe).

      If you're building a system from scratch you may be able to save additional money with a lower power draw card. Also, waste heat from the PSU is lower with smaller PSUs.

    4. Re:Power Savings!! by db10 · · Score: 2, Funny

      .. and if it's whack, is it wiggidy whack or the regular kind?

  2. State of the Market by youknowjack · · Score: 4, Informative

    - The current best performing single card is the GeForce GTX 295
    - The best performance setup was (before this card) a tossup between dual GeForce GTX 295s (quad SLI) and three GeForce GTX 280s (three-way SLI).
    - The overclocking potential of the GeForce GTX 285 & reduced power consumption might make a three-way 285 setup preferrable to a dual 295 setup (for enthusiasts)

    1. Re:State of the Market by youknowjack · · Score: 2, Informative

      All I care about is best performance under 50W and under $100. Is there anything out there better than the 8600GT?

      The Radeon HD 3870 is extremely similar in terms of price and performance. I guess it depends on what you can get the best deal on.

    2. Re:State of the Market by jdb2 · · Score: 3, Informative

      The overclocking potential of the GeForce GTX 285 & reduced power consumption might make a three-way 285 setup preferrable to a dual 295 setup (for enthusiasts)

      You do know that the GeForce GTX 295 has the same overclocking potential and reduced power consumption as the 285 because both use the same chip(s)?.

      jdb2

    3. Re:State of the Market by DigiShaman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Unless you live way up north or play games only in the winter, dealing with 840 Watts of heat is going to be problematic for a dual GTX295 setup. Summer is worse in that you now have to pump out that heat through the AC system.

      People often will bitch about their cable/DSL bill, but have they ever tried to calculate the monthly cost of electricity their gaming rig racks up alone?

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    4. Re:State of the Market by Flentil · · Score: 3, Informative

      By brand new drivers, do you mean the beta drivers? Just curious because a lot of people do that and don't get why they don't work 100%. They're beta, that's why. Still being tested to iron out the bugs.

    5. Re:State of the Market by afidel · · Score: 2, Informative

      http://archive.atomicmpc.com.au/forums.asp?s=2&c=7&t=9354
      This lists it at 46W which is much more in line with my experience. The TDP might be 105W for some crazy reason, but my system with Athlon 64x2 4200+EE, 2x7,200rpm HDD and a 9600GSO uses about 150W when gaming so there is no way in hell the GPU is pulling down 100W by itself.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    6. Re:State of the Market by afidel · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Hate to reply to myself but I just figured out what they did, they pulled the specs from an OC 8800GT G92. The 9600GSO has a single 6pin PCIe power header which means absolute power draw is limited to 75W(cable)+17W(slot) or 92W, and it would likely be unstable well before hitting that since power lines don't like to be pulled to their limit.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    7. Re:State of the Market by NekoXP · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I wonder if he has tried NOT overclocking the card or changing the fan speed? :D

      Overclocking is the stupidest, stupidest thing people can do on modern hardware. By designing a graphics card or CPU that overclocks you're pandering to the statistics freaks who want to get that extra 1% performance increase and therefore "more bang for their buck".

      What a f**king ridiculous market. Processors and graphics chips go through sorts and testing for a good reason; they're not rated to go any higher because there is a very good chance they WON'T. Depending on the exact chip you get, at which time in production it was made, and the quality of the PCB it's soldered to (especially if you're overclocking a memory bus, which also relies on the quality of the memory) every card can and will be WILDLY different. Sometimes overclocking by 20MHz is going to completely screw things even though some guy said he got it past 200MHz on some review site.

      Simply stop doing it and guess what, the chip won't overheat, and the graphics card will get broadly the same performance give or take a frame per second in some game that your monitor is not fast enough to even display anyway :)

      Sometimes you have to put down your money, be happy with what you've got, and enjoy your 1-year statutory warranty which clicking ANY of those overclocking buttons automatically voids.

  3. And for real people... by caitsith01 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...who lack unlimited funds, the best buy at the moment are the ATi HD 48x0 series cards, which have ridiculously good price/performance and will run any current or near-future game easily at high detail.

    --
    Read Pynchon.
  4. Re:Obligatory by jo42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Barely.