GeForce GTX 285 Gets 2 GB: Gigabyte's GV-N285OC-2GI

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Conclusion

Going back to today’s original question “wasn’t a gig enough?” the answer is: usually a one gigabyte graphics card will have all the memory it can use. We did however find two games where a combination of the highest settings and enormous 2560x1600 resolutions overtaxed graphics memory: Tom Clancy’s HAWX and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky.

The damage from HAWX only occurred at 8x AA however, which is something most people probably don’t need at 2560x1600 resolution, and also something that isn’t even available in Clear Sky.

These problems only occurred at such high GPU loads that even our “winner” couldn’t produce smooth game play, but there's a silver lining here, and it might very well be SLI. We didn't have a second 2 GB board to test, but for the hardcore gamer looking for the highest resolutions and the super-demanding configurations we tested here, SLI could prove to be the perfect compliment to Gigabyte’s memory increase.

With only 896 MB per graphics processor, our GeForce GTX 295 proved the value of SLI in HAWX at everything but the highest test setting, where it simply ran out of memory. Tripling-up on 2 GB GeForce GTX 285 goodness should easily overcome that obstacle. With a little more overclocking effort, we wouldn’t be surprised to see smooth gaming happen using only two 2 GB GeForce GTX 285s.

As for the benefit of 2 GB in Clear Sky, we don’t believe even three graphics processors can take the game from 14.8 FPS to something that resembles fluidity.

Gigabyte produced a great product, but the overall value question appears to concern bragging rights. How much would you pay to be able to tell your friends you can play the latest titles with everything (including resolution) maxed? For those who'd answer "a lot," Gigabyte's GV-N285OC-2GI is a solid path to the best performance possible.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
70 Comments Comment from the forums
  • twisted politiks
    ive had EVGA's GTX 285 for about two months now, nothing new in the memory department
    Reply
  • rambo117
    wow... that was quite pointless, i was really expecting a good article but it was the same numbers basically, why not just have a single page with the average gains with 2gb vs 1gb (which was completely nonexistent anyways)
    Reply
  • astrodudepsu
    Well, all I can say is good try. Not some of your best work, but worth exploring nonetheless.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    astrodudepsuWell, all I can say is good try. Not some of your best work, but worth exploring nonetheless.
    Tom's Hardware was hoping to find more 2560x1600 scenarios where the 2GB advantage would play out. When very few advantages were found, Tom's did the honest thing and published the numbers anyway.

    I think you can take a lot from this article. I just spoke to a guy who asked "2GB or water cooling?" when looking at cards of the same price. He has a powerful water cooling loop, so the answer was easy.
    Reply
  • one-shot
    I think it is a great article. Too often people approach me thinking a larger frame buffer means extra performance. Actually, just recently a co-worker wanted to get a GTX 285 with 2GB of VRAM. Great article, keep it up!
    Reply
  • SpadeM
    Just a quick question: Since the GTX285 is a high range card, those the same "1GB is enough" rule apply to mid range/low end cards?

    PS: I'm thinking slower GPU might benefit from more memory
    Reply
  • astrodudepsu
    CrashmanTom's Hardware was hoping to find more 2560x1600 scenarios where the 2GB advantage would play out. When very few advantages were found, Tom's did the honest thing and published the numbers anyway.
    Which is why I said it was worth exploring. I realize you wouldn't do all this work and NOT publish your results, as mundane as they may be.
    Reply
  • rambo117
    it was quite informative and worth exploring like astrodude said. just wish that it was a little more 'exciting'.. idk, maybe an sli 2gb vs 1gb will prove to be possibley more interesting.
    Reply
  • Hellbound
    If a card is going to cost $350-$400, and perform as much as %50 less than the car that costs $500....get the $500 card. You are already spending an insane amount for a card, might as well go all the way. As for me, I'm waiting for the DX11 cards to come out.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    rambo117it was quite informative and worth exploring like astrodude said. just wish that it was a little more 'exciting'.. idk, maybe an sli 2gb vs 1gb will prove to be possibley more interesting.
    Three-way would have been best, but there's just not enough samples to go around.
    Reply