ZOTAC GeForce GTX 295 1792MB
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Max Slowik
Kurtis
ZOTAC
Mar. 29, 2009
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Introduction
You would expect the most expensive gaming video card to also be the most powerful. Because you're not retarded and this is very much the case. And while it's an excellent pursuit, getting the best gaming hardware, this card surprised me.
ZOTAC made the card in question, a GTX 295. Although it's not factory-overclocked or anything, it doesn't have to be. This card just is unstoppable. I'm not even certain you'd get much from having a pair of them.
Of course, in a way, you are. The GTX 295 is, like ATI's HD 4870 X2, two cards in one. It has two GPUs, connected by an onboard PCI-Express bridge, in SLI fashion. The GPUs are modified GTX 260s, architecturally identical, clocked at the same frequencies, although slightly-cut improved memory bandwidth (the GPUs of the 295 have 589-bit memory interfaces unlike the 260-216s with 448-bit interfaces).
So there are two questions I have about this card: is it worth the price hike over two GTX 260s, and who is this card tailored for?
  
The Card & Bundle
The design has changed a fair amount compared to the previous 9800 GX2. This card isn't clad in heatspreaders, and the face shield is perforated. Much of the heatsink between the two halves is exposed, and the aperture for the intake fan is completely free from obstructions.
  
It has three video-out connectors, two DVI and one HDMI (no SD or component video options but I doubt anyone's looking to stick this in an HTPC) and two power connectors, one six-pin and one eight-pin. It's a lot leaner, both in style and mass. I did like the look of the GX2 but it's nice to see that I'm not the only one who thought it was a bit overkill.
In addition to the warranty card and manual, this GTX 295 comes with a copy of the popular game GRID as well as a copy of 3DMark Vantage, and the driver CD. Accessories are two power adapters, an HDMI cable, an audio cable for said HDMI, and a VGA adapter.
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MSNBC Jan. 25, 2010 - 10:54 pm
cnet Jan. 25, 2010 - 10:27 pm
CNN Jan. 18, 2010 - 11:47 pm
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