Test: Zotac GeForce GTX285 AMP!

Konklusion

I dette, min første, anmeldelse af et grafikkort - et GeForce GTX285 AMP! Edition fra Zotac - har det været en fornøjelse, at lege med det nye single-GPU kort. Ingen tvivl om, at GTX285 yder meget godt, men dog stadig ikke i niveau med dobbelt-GPU kortene. Som standard GTX285 er den klart et bedre køb end GTX280, hvilket tests også tydeligt viste - og DKK 500,- ekstra for en godt fabriksoverclocket løsning er heller ikke helt i skoven.
 

Innovation/Teknologi - 3
Som sagt, er der intet overraskende nyt ved kortet - udover at der er tale om et betragteligt fabriksoverclock. Nvidia har blot valgt at skyde de sidste opgraderede printkort af, før de lancerer et nyt topkort om nogle måneder. I skrivende stund findes der ikke andre GTX285'ere herhjemme, der er clocket tilsvarende højt. Derimod er der muligheden for SLI og Tri-SLI, PhysX og Cuda. Jeg synes dog, det er møghamrende ærgeligt, at der mangler nytænkning i form af HDMI.

Bundle/Tilbehør - 4
Zotac kvitterer her med et forventeligt, om end en tand for skrabet for min smag, bundle med kun de allermest fornødne strømstik og drivers. Ganske vist finder jeg bundlen tilstrækkelig, men ikke direkte spændende. Det trækker dog op fra middelkarakteren, at der er en licenseret udgave af 3DMark og en fuld udgave af et spil med.

Design/Layout - 4
Det nye printkort, sikrer sammen med den gamle køler nogle tilpas gode temperaturer. Og den gør det godt. Den kunne holde et GTX280 kørende, og var dermed mere eller mindre selvskrevet til at blive valgt for GTX285. Støjmæssigt lægger man ikke mærke til kortet, før det bliver presset udover Zotac's fabriksoverclockede hastighed eller flere timers torturerende gaming. At man nu kan holde kortet kørende med to 6-pins PCIe strømstik, gør dog, at jeg føler Zotac's AMP! her, er et 4-tal værd.

Software - 3
Nvidia løber her afsted med et 3-tal for deres driver og medfølgende software. Vi føler ikke, at hverken ATI eller Nvidia overgår hinanden på dette punkt, hvilket udløser denne karakter. Jeg savner at se noget overclockingsoftware fra Zotac, som jeg ved de ligger inde med til f.eks. deres Nitro boks.

Ydelse - 4
Ydelsesmæssigt sparker GTX285 alt pånær de noget dyrere 4870X2 og GTX295. Som det gjorde sig gældende for det gamle GTX280, er der dog hehe SLI-aspektet at tage med i betragtningen. For GTX280 kunne skalere ganske fortræffeligt med to eller tre kort, så derfor tør jeg godt påstå det samme som storebror GTX285. Der er tilmed ganske solid ydelse i blot et enkeltstående kort.

Pris - 4
OPDATERET 17/2: Topkort, hvad enten det nu er single- eller multi-GPU, koster jo altid kassen og her er Zotac's GTX285 AMP! ved at blive en undtagelse. Den er set på EDBpriser til DKK 2644,- på udgivelsesdagen og det er faktisk en meget favorabel pris når vi tager det fabriksoverclock i betragtning. Jeg synes derfor kan det kan retfærdiggøres, at give et lille 4-tal for den gode pris. Læg dertil, at der oftest er tale om udvalgte modeller, som også kan klare at blive presset endnu højere, hvilket også var afspejlet i testen.

Test: Zotac GeForce GTX285 AMP!

Innovation / Teknologi	3
Bundle - Tilbehør	4
Design - Layout	4
Software - BIOS	3
Ydelse	4
Pris	4
Samlet	73%

UK summary

In this, my first review of a graphics card - the GeForce GTX285 AMP! Edition from Zotac - it has been a pleasure to play with the newest and fastest of the single-GPU cards. There is no doubt that the GTX285 provides very good performance levels, although not on-par with dual-GPU cards. By default, the GTX285 is clearly a better buy than the GTX280, which our tests also showed - and the extra DKK 500,- for a nice factory overclocked solution is not bad at all.


Innovation / Technology - 3
As previously stated, there is nothing surprisingly new in the card - other than the sizeable factory overclock. Nvidia just decided to get rid of the last upgraded PCB's before starting a new top of the line card series in a few months. At the time of writing there are no other GTX285's in Denmark with an equivalent factory overclock. However, there is the possibility of SLI and Tri-SLI, PhysX and Cuda. I do however consider the lack of innovation in the form of HDMI a pity.

Bundle / Accessories - 4
Zotac delivers an expected, though a bit shabby for my taste, bundle with only the most necessary power cables and drivers. While I certainly find the bundle sufficient, it is not directly exciting. I do however reward plus points for the licensed version of 3DMark, and a full version of a current game.

Design / Layout - 4
The new circuit boards, together with the old cooling solution, provides some good temperatures. And it performs well. It could take a GTX280 for a serious ride, and was thus more or less self-written to be selected for the GTX285. In terms of noise, the card is not calling for attention before it is pushed beyond Zotac's factory overclocked speeds or through several hours of brutal gaming. The fact, that we now can keep this type of card running with two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, makes for the above average grade for me.

Software - 3
Nvidia themselves get a mediocre score of three for their driver and bundled software. We feel that neither ATI or Nvidia have outdone each other at this point, which triggers this grade. I miss seeing some overclocking software from Zotac, which I know they have: For example from their Nitro box.

Performance - 4
Performance-wise, the GTX285 is alive and kicking everything except the somewhat more expensive 4870X2 and GTX295. As was true to be said of the old GTX280, there is also the entire SLI aspect to consider. The GTX280's could scale quite excellent with two or three cards, which is why I'm quite confident the same can be stated for the new big brother, the GTX285. There is also quite robust performance in just a single card though.

Price - 4
UPDATED 17/2: Top of the line cards, whether they are single- or multi-GPU cards, always costs more and here the Zotac's GTX285 AMP! is starting to look like an exception. It's seen on EDBpriser at DKK 2644,- and I truly feel that price is not all that bad. Especially considering the factory overclock, which is why I've upgraded the price rating to a 4. Add to that fact, that these special models often can also cope with being pushed even higher, as I feel was also reflected in the test.