Final Words and Conclusion

Sparkle GTX 260
Sparkle might not have the most complete bundle of all the GTX 260s that we have seen however they do have one of the more attractive cards. The curved white cooler mixed with blue PCB looks great and overall the card feels very solid. One minor issue is present though, the use of a single slot bracket which is a less desirable option than competitors models which use two slots with the 2nd perforated to allow air out of the card/system.

The performance of this particular model is also a highlight, for £138/$175 we were able to play most of our games at 2560x1600 and 1920x1200 with no performance issues. It was also great to see the card handle all of the GPU computing and media tasks with ease.

Available from Tech365 - £138

Available from NewEgg - $175

XFX GTX 275 XXX
With their GTX 275 XXX XFX have created a product which should be very close to the top of everyone’s shopping list. It looks great due to the black PCB and green DVIs and has feels solid and well built. The bundle provided by XFX, although lacking HDMI components, adds real value to the package however the biggest benefit of this model is the factory overclock.

Through this overclock the 275 XXX is able to compete with the reference GTX 285 in many of our tested games and is near identical in media and GPU computing tasks. Add to this the unique support options XFX offer such as live chat and an impressive warranty and we have a very well rounded product.

Available from Scan - £168

Available from NewEgg - $209.99

Gigabyte GTX 285
In terms of performance Gigabyte’s GTX 285 provides framerates which are identical to other cards which follow Nvidia’s reference specifications. Gigabyte therefore try to make their product more attractive in other ways. The inclusion of Far Cry 2 may help sway some consumers but we were more impressed by the design and build quality of the card. Through use of 2oz copper PCB and high quality components Gigabyte have created a card which runs cooler and overclocks higher than other GTX 285s that we have tested. Two important aspects of any graphics card.

Unfortunately the price of this GTX 285 is an issue as the market for this model of card has become very competitive in the past couple of months. As a result a saving of up to £40 can be made in the UK through purchasing a competitors product. If Gigabyte can rectify that then the card becomes a very attractive purchase.

Available from OverClock - £264

Available from NewEgg - $329

Zotac GTX 295 Infinity
Zotac have created a very impressive product with the GTX 295 Infinity. It takes a very good base design from Nvidia and allows us to take it to levels which are not achievable on cards with reference cooling. The bundle provided by Zotac is great as it contains all of the extras we require, including a HDMI cable and the free game is one of the best racing titles around.

This bundle adds value to the overall product and although the addition of a water cooling block is something which adds cost it is clear from the retail price of the card that Zotac are charging a very reasonable amount for the kit.

Not everything is perfect with the card though; the card is not quite as sturdy as reference models at the end due to the lack of PCB cover and support it provides. Additionally the lack of an overclock is a little disappointing. The latter is easily fixed though by installing an application such as RivaTuner and through use of that application the Infinity becomes one of the best performing graphics cards that money can buy.

RRP £499 TBC

TBC