GTX 260 - 216 SP Review

[geoffry]

I did a quick search and didn't see any major site review of this so here you guys go

http://hothardware.com/Article...0-Core-216-EVGA-Zotac/

For those interested in second opinions FS has this http://firingsquad.com/hardwar...rce_gtx_260_216shader/

*edit* added FS article.

 

[ochadd]

Doesn't seem like a worthy step-up from the original 260. Is this going to be replacing the original or just another 8800 GTS scenario?

 

[scheibler1]

from the looks of it it will be replacing the original gtx 260...thats why they are cutting the prices on the originals so much...

 

[Lonyo]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3408
AT review in case anyone missed that it was out.

Any chance that this is just a cut down 280GTX and they are trying to recoup some costs by slightly increasing prices while clearing out inventory that they otherwise wouldn't be able to by selling these as GTX280's?
Almost makes sense that they would have a firesale on GTX280 chips by reducing th eprice a bit so they can clear out ready for the 55nm introduction, but depends on how much 65nm is hurting them and how much stock they have.

 

[geoffry]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3408
AT review in case anyone missed that it was out.

Any chance that this is just a cut down 280GTX and they are trying to recoup some costs by slightly increasing prices while clearing out inventory that they otherwise wouldn't be able to by selling these as GTX280's?
Almost makes sense that they would have a firesale on GTX280 chips by reducing th eprice a bit so they can clear out ready for the 55nm introduction, but depends on how much 65nm is hurting them and how much stock they have.

I think its definitely a cut down GTX 280, as the original GTX 260 was basically a GTX 280 with 2 banks of whatevers (I forget their name, so I called them whatevers, lol) disabled.

Now this one is a GTX 280 with only 1 bank disabled.

 

[Tempered81]

Probably best general representation of these card's speeds (relative to each other) are found in the Witcher graph. Looks like an average of all the reviews and benches I've seen.

http://images.anandtech.com/gr...091508220645/17388.png

 

[geoffry]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
Probably best general representation of these card's speeds (relative to each other) are found in the Witcher graph. Looks like an average of all the reviews and benches I've seen.

http://images.anandtech.com/gr...091508220645/17388.png

Ya, Anand was saying how the new 260 beats the 4870 in 3 games, loses in 3 games and ties the last (witcher).

Still a draw / buy for brand preference.

 

[Creig]

Originally posted by: geoffry

Originally posted by: jaredpace
Probably best general representation of these card's speeds (relative to each other) are found in the Witcher graph. Looks like an average of all the reviews and benches I've seen.

http://images.anandtech.com/gr...091508220645/17388.png

Ya, Anand was saying how the new 260 beats the 4870 in 3 games, loses in 3 games and ties the last (witcher).

Still a draw / buy for brand preference.

Except on pricing as the 4870 is obviously cheaper at this point in time. We'll have to see where the price of the new GTX260 Core 216 settles to after it has been out awhile.

Why in the world did they choose to slap "Core 216" on the end? Are they trying to imply that it is somehow related to the Intel Core 2 series of CPUs?

 

[taltamir]

remember they are now (edit: originally said not, as a typo) fighting with intel... what better way then to distingue it as having 216 cores of CPU like processing via cuda.... they are trying to create brand awareness, to push the idea that the GPU is equivalent to a massive array of multi core CPUs.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: geoffry

Originally posted by: Lonyo
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3408
AT review in case anyone missed that it was out.

Any chance that this is just a cut down 280GTX and they are trying to recoup some costs by slightly increasing prices while clearing out inventory that they otherwise wouldn't be able to by selling these as GTX280's?
Almost makes sense that they would have a firesale on GTX280 chips by reducing th eprice a bit so they can clear out ready for the 55nm introduction, but depends on how much 65nm is hurting them and how much stock they have.

I think its definitely a cut down GTX 280, as the original GTX 260 was basically a GTX 280 with 2 banks of whatevers (I forget their name, so I called them whatevers, lol) disabled.

Now this one is a GTX 280 with only 1 bank disabled.

I know. I meant they could be ones that were earmarked for being GTX280's which then got scrapped to get them shifted as cheaper chips., but still at a higher price than the regular 260's.

 

[geoffry]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: geoffry

Originally posted by: Lonyo
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3408
AT review in case anyone missed that it was out.

Any chance that this is just a cut down 280GTX and they are trying to recoup some costs by slightly increasing prices while clearing out inventory that they otherwise wouldn't be able to by selling these as GTX280's?
Almost makes sense that they would have a firesale on GTX280 chips by reducing th eprice a bit so they can clear out ready for the 55nm introduction, but depends on how much 65nm is hurting them and how much stock they have.

I think its definitely a cut down GTX 280, as the original GTX 260 was basically a GTX 280 with 2 banks of whatevers (I forget their name, so I called them whatevers, lol) disabled.

Now this one is a GTX 280 with only 1 bank disabled.

I know. I meant they could be ones that were earmarked for being GTX280's which then got scrapped to get them shifted as cheaper chips., but still at a higher price than the regular 260's.

I didn't think of it that way, thats a definite possibility especially if the 280's aren't selling well at all, I don't know how well they are selling though.

 

[woolfe9999]

Where are Nvidia's .55nm versions of its latest architecture? The first rumor I heard was August, then September. This new product looks like a stop-gap to cover the fact that the .55nm won't be out for perhaps a few more months. If they were coming out any time within say the next month, I fail to see the point in even releasing this product.

- woolfe

 

[Tempered81]

cod4
http://images.hardwarecanucks....CORE216/CORE216-58.JPG
crysis
http://images.hardwarecanucks....CORE216/CORE216-18.JPG
etqw
http://images.hardwarecanucks....CORE216/CORE216-33.JPG
prey
http://images.hardwarecanucks....CORE216/CORE216-36.JPG
DMC4
http://images.hardwarecanucks....CORE216/CORE216-31.JPG
WIC
http://images.hardwarecanucks....CORE216/CORE216-48.JPG

 

[cmdrdredd]

one thing I don't get. Everyone is using EVGA overclocked cards and then comparing a standard clocked 4870.

 

[Cookie Monster]

GTX265 would have been a better name.

 

[nismotigerwvu]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
one thing I don't get. Everyone is using EVGA overclocked cards and then comparing a standard clocked 4870.

I noticed that as well. In all reality, current pricing would make an OC vs. normal clocked 260gtx 216 a more even comparison. That or std. clocks for both assuming the prices level out.
Even if the OC cards were the ones most readily obtained, why not downclock them to show what kind of a boost they give as well as paint a clearer picture for the 4870/260 216 comparison.
Anyways, I'm glad to see things getting more competitive. That's the best way for us (the consumers) to win.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Why is there still no DirectX 10.1? Did ATI enable Havoc in their graphics cards yet. Too bad the ATI cards don't have a 512 mbit memory interface, they'd be much faster.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: woolfe9999
Where are Nvidia's .55nm versions of its latest architecture? The first rumor I heard was August, then September. This new product looks like a stop-gap to cover the fact that the .55nm won't be out for perhaps a few more months. If they were coming out any time within say the next month, I fail to see the point in even releasing this product.

- woolfe

there was a silent refresh of the 8800GTS 640MB with extra SP mere weeks before the 8800GTS 512MB came out.

The point? beats me. But they did it. I do hope the 55nm comes soon.

 

[geoffry]

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem
Why is there still no DirectX 10.1? Did ATI enable Havoc in their graphics cards yet. Too bad the ATI cards don't have a 512 mbit memory interface, they'd be much faster.

The 4870 uses GDDR 5 so they don't need a 512 mbit memory interface.

The memory bandwidth of the 4870 doesn't hold it back as far as I know.

 

[taltamir]

that was obviously not his point. He was countering the same "style" of pointless "accusations" about nvidia. It is a sarcastic remark in reply to woolfe9999, obviously all "why"s in both posts are ridiculous.

 

[shortstuff]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
one thing I don't get. Everyone is using EVGA overclocked cards and then comparing a standard clocked 4870.

The AnandTech review did downclock their card to stock speeds.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: shortstuff

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
one thing I don't get. Everyone is using EVGA overclocked cards and then comparing a standard clocked 4870.

The AnandTech review did downclock their card to stock speeds.

Where? I looked and didn't see them say it or note it in graphs.

edit: nvm I see it. Still, why not crank up the 4870 a bit and compare both overclocks?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: geoffry

Originally posted by: Lonyo
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3408
AT review in case anyone missed that it was out.

Any chance that this is just a cut down 280GTX and they are trying to recoup some costs by slightly increasing prices while clearing out inventory that they otherwise wouldn't be able to by selling these as GTX280's?
Almost makes sense that they would have a firesale on GTX280 chips by reducing th eprice a bit so they can clear out ready for the 55nm introduction, but depends on how much 65nm is hurting them and how much stock they have.

I think its definitely a cut down GTX 280, as the original GTX 260 was basically a GTX 280 with 2 banks of whatevers (I forget their name, so I called them whatevers, lol) disabled.

Now this one is a GTX 280 with only 1 bank disabled.

I know. I meant they could be ones that were earmarked for being GTX280's which then got scrapped to get them shifted as cheaper chips., but still at a higher price than the regular 260's.

Could be .. think back to the last Nvidia conference call where Jensen spoke of controlling "waste" better

what better way to get rid of slightly slow GTX280 65nm *excess*?

- rhetorical question

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: shortstuff

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
one thing I don't get. Everyone is using EVGA overclocked cards and then comparing a standard clocked 4870.

The AnandTech review did downclock their card to stock speeds.

Where? I looked and didn't see them say it or note it in graphs.

edit: nvm I see it. Still, why not crank up the 4870 a bit and compare both overclocks?

How much should you crank it up? the SC version is not OCed to the max, only a minor oc. And most people operate their video cards at stock. It makes more sense to compare the two at stock, which is what anand did.

Originally posted by: apoppin
Could be .. think back to the last Nvidia conference call where Jensen spoke of controlling "waste" better

what better way to get rid of slightly slow GTX280 65nm *excess*?

- rhetorical question

Take it a step further, nvidia and AMD are limited on their TSMC fab time, and the GTX260 is already a GTX280 with parts disabled (not just SP blocks, but also memory bandwidth sections). this is just one with less things defective, and thus less items disabled. It would have made sense to come up with it to begin with, and call it a GTX270

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: taltamir

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: shortstuff

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
one thing I don't get. Everyone is using EVGA overclocked cards and then comparing a standard clocked 4870.

The AnandTech review did downclock their card to stock speeds.

Where? I looked and didn't see them say it or note it in graphs.

edit: nvm I see it. Still, why not crank up the 4870 a bit and compare both overclocks?

How much should you crank it up? the SC version is not OCed to the max, only a minor oc. And most people operate their video cards at stock. It makes more sense to compare the two at stock, which is what anand did.

Originally posted by: apoppin
Could be .. think back to the last Nvidia conference call where Jensen spoke of controlling "waste" better

what better way to get rid of slightly slow GTX280 65nm *excess*?

- rhetorical question

Take it a step further, nvidia and AMD are limited on their TSMC fab time, and the GTX260 is already a GTX280 with parts disabled (not just SP blocks, but also memory bandwidth sections). this is just one with less things defective, and thus less items disabled. It would have made sense to come up with it to begin with, and call it a GTX270

Jensen spoke about 20/20 hindsight

if they were *smart* - like i suggested for the Tesla launch - they would have launched GT260 Overclocked in the first frigging place .. but, no! - they thought 4xx0 was a dog.
Nvdia held back to make the GTX look better; clearly they had tons of headroom for GT260 the HD4870 lacks

. . . and it should have been launched at $299 instead of the rip-off $399; and that damn $650 for the GTX280 was gouging in a slow economy; they would have made more "friends" in our little world at $550 and it would not look like a defeat to drop their MSRP by $250 - in a month.

. . .not to mention Nvidia really screwed up Tesla's launch imo - not a single gamer had a *clue* wtf "tesla" and CUDA were really for; a huge die devoted to something other than gaming
:roll:

Nvidia even had an awful time explaining their vision at first - even Anand apparently still doesn't like it or get it as real


.. but does Jensen ever listen to me ?
--nope, not really