The GTX 285 shares the same GPU as found in the GTX 295: the GT200b. The GT200b has one fundamental difference over the GT200, which powers the top-end GTX 280 and middle-road scrapper GTX 260. In an effort to improve efficiency, performance and yields, Nvidia has switched from a 65nm manufacturing process to a smaller scale, 55nm manufacturing process. The GT200b theoretically offers the same performance as the GT200, but is smaller, more efficient, and a bit cheaper to produce. While at this stage of the game the BFG GTX 285 OCX does not represent the best value out there, this card is a well built machine, featuring the world’s fastest GPU, BFG’s superior 24/7 tech support hotline and reputable full lifetime warranty, and no discernible shortcomings besides price. The GTX 280 has always been the quickest chip on the block, but that hasn’t helped it irrevocably dominate this high-end of this current generation of GPUs from Nvidia and ATI. While the GTX 280 was faster than any single GPU ATI had in their arsenal, ATI was not overly concerned because they let the dual-GPU HD 4870 X2 to do all the talking for them. And this situation has not changed too much — while last week’s dual-GPU GTX 295 is the fastest card out there, ATI is not having trouble competing against either the GTX 280, or GTX 295, in a bang-for-buck comparison, with their dual card stalwart the HD 4870 X2. Not to mention the more recently arrived — but somewhat harder to locate — $300 performer, the Sapphire HD 4850 X2.
But the GTX 285 from BFG has still the same array of features including some of the reference cooler still present in the board and a black PCB layout design and with the cards specifications going at the core frequency at 702 MHz and also in the memory district with a speed limit of about 2664 MHz able to transfer data in a maximum 170.MB/s a little low when you let this up against the ATI 4870 series and even the dual core graphics solutions. The most despicable arch-nemesis of the BFG GTX 285 OCX it today’s testing will probably be the HD 4870 X2, which benefits from an ever-falling price. Will those high clock speeds be enough to propel the GTX 285 above the competition? Benchmarks wait.
While just about tying the HD 4870 while fully engaged, at idle the BFG GTX 285 OCX requires a very low amount of power — even less than our HD 4850. Very impressive. In the power usage department, this video card shines. The BFG GTX 285 OCX will initially retail somewhere between $400, and $450 USD. Through pretty much all of the the benchmarks, superior performance is offered by the HD 4870 X2, which sells for between $400 and $500 USD. Meanwhile the HD 4850 X2 from Sapphire puts in a very comparable performance to the BFG GTX 285 OCX and sells for $300 USD — which unfortunately puts a damper on all the good things BFG has done with this video card.
