Palit GTX280 Review

ccokeman - July 28, 2008
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GPU	GTX 280
Fabrication Process	65 nm
Number of Transistors	1.4 Billion
Graphics Clock (Including dispatch, texture units, and ROP units)	602 MHz
Processor Clock (Processor Cores)	1,296 MHz
Processor Cores	240
Memory Clock (Clock rate / Data rate)	1,107 MHz / 2,214 MHz
Memory Interface	512 bit
Total Memory Bandwidth	171.5 GB/s
Memory Size	1 GB
ROPs	32
Texture Filtering Units	80
Texture Filtering Rate	51.8 GigaTexels/sec
HDCP Support	Yes
HDMI Support	Yes (Using DVI-to-HDMI adaptor)
Connectors	2 x Dual-Link DVI-I 1 x 7-pin HDTV Out
RAMDACs	400 MHz
Bus Technology	PCI Express 2.0
Form Factor	Dual Slot
Power Connectors	2 x 6-pin
Max Board Power	183 watts
GPU Thermal Threshold¹	105° C

Features:

Second Generation NVIDIA Unified Architecture:i Second-generation architecture delivers 50% more gaming performance over the first generation through 240 enhanced processing cores that provide incredible shading horsepower.
NVIDIA PhysX-Ready: ii GeForce GPU support for NVIDIA PhysX technology enables a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with GeForce.
NVIDIA SLI and 3-way SLI Technology:® iii Industry-leading, 3-way SLI technology offers amazing performance scaling by implementing 3-way alternate frame rendering (AFR) for the world’s fastest gaming solution under Windows Vista.
Microsoft DirectX 10 Support: DirectX 10 with full Shader Model 4.0 support delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects for today’s hottest games.
NVIDIA CUDA™ Technology: iv CUDA technology unlocks the power of the GPU’s processing cores to accelerate the most demanding system tasks—such as video transcoding—delivering up to 18× the performance of traditional CPUs.
PCI Express 2.0 Support: Designed for the PCI Express 2.0 bus architecture offering the highest data transfer speeds for the most bandwidth-hungry games and 3D applications, while maintaining backwards compatibility with existing PCI Express motherboards for the broadest support.
GigaThread™ Technology: Massively multi-threaded architecture supports thousands of independent, simultaneous threads, providing extreme processing efficiency in advanced, next-generation shader programs.
NVIDIA Lumenex™ Engine: Delivers stunning image quality and floating-point accuracy at ultra-fast frame rates.
16× Anti-Aliasing Technology: Lightning fast, high-quality anti-aliasing at up to 16× sample rates obliterates jagged edges.
128-bit Floating Point High Dynamic-Range (HDR) Lighting: Twice the precision of prior generations for incredibly realistic lighting effects—now with support for anti-aliasing.
OpenGL 2.1 Optimization and Support: Provides top-notch compatibility and performance for OpenGL applications.
Dual Dual-link DVI Support: Able to drive the industry’s largest and highest resolution flat-panel displays up to 2560 x 1600 and with support for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).v
NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology:® vi The combination of high-definition video decode acceleration and post-processing that delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for movies and video.
Discrete, Programmable Video Processor: NVIDIA PureVideo is a discrete programmable processing core in NVIDIA GPUs that provides superb picture quality and ultra-smooth movies with 100% offload of H.264 video decoding from the CPU and significantly reduced power consumption.
Dual-Stream Hardware Acceleration: Supports picture-in-picture content for the ultimate interactive Blu-ray movie experience.
Dynamic Contrast Enhancement & Color Stretch: Dynamically provides post-processing and optimization of high definition movies for spectacular picture clarity.
NVIDIA HybridPower Technology: Lets you switch from the GeForce GTX 280/260 graphics card to the motherboard GeForce GPU when running non graphically-intensive applications for a quiet, low-power, PC experience.
i. The number of processing cores varies by model. GeForce GTX 280 has 240 processing cores. GeForce GTX 260 has 192 processing cores.
ii. GeForce GTX 280/260 GPUs ship with hardware support for NVIDIA PhysX technology. NVIDIA PhysX drivers are required to experience in-game GPU PhysX acceleration. Refer to www.nvidia.com/PhysX for more information.
iii. NVIDIA SLI certified versions of GeForce PCI Express GPUs only. A GeForce GTX 280 GPU must be paired with another GeForce GTX 280 GPU (the graphics card manufacturer can be different). SLI requires sufficient system cooling and a compatible power supply. Visit www.slizone.com for more information and a listing of SLI-Certified components.
iv. Requires application support for CUDA technology.
v. Playback of HDCP protected content requires other HDCP-compatible components
vi. Feature requires supported video software. Features may vary by product.
vii. Requires an NVIDIA HybridPower-enabled motherboard.