GeForce GTX 260 type (TOP, Zotac, EVGA, gigabite OC...)

[Jamesqin]

Hi guys,
after quite a bit of trouble with choosing, comparing etc.. my next graphic card I decided to go with GeForce GTX 260 mainly because it seems a bit better than radeon HD 4870 and even though it doesnt have dx10.1 as radeon has it has PhysX which is an advatage since newer games will focus on dx11 and not 10.1.. but anyway, I'm now stuck on choosing the "type" of this graphic.
I sort of eliminated the basic one, because I dont really care about say 15-20 bucks for better performance and decided to go with ASUS TOP version.. but than I saw this Gigabite OC version and really can't tell which one is better (they're almost the same price).. or if there is better type..
here are the types I came across on my shop website with prices in USD:

-GigaByte GTX260 SO ​(GV​-N26SO​-896I​) 896MB, PCI​-E - 238 $
-GigaByte GTX 260 OC (GV-N26OC-896I) 896MB, PCI-E - 241 $
-Zotac GTX260 Synergy (ZT-X26E3KG-FDR) 896MB, PCI-E - 217 $
-Asus ENGTX260 Glacia​tor Plus​/HTDI​/896MD3 896MB, PCI​-EAsus ENGTX260 Glacia​tor Plus​/HTDI​/896MD3 896MB, PCI​-E - 210 $
-Gainward 0612​-Bliss GTX260 Golden Sample 896MB, PCI​-E - 232 $
- Zotac GeForce GTX260 GS AMP Editio​n ​(ZT​-X26E3KG​-FCP​) 896MB, - 240 $
- ASUS ENGTX260 TOP/HTDI/896M (from asus store) http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=wFbgFmfX5Zo4exlV&templete=2 - 232 $

and many other types (mainly Gigabite, Zotac, EVGA)... here is the link, site is in my native tongue (czech), but you will be able to clearly understand the types and prices they have ( 1USD - 18,525 czech crown):
http://www.czechcomputer.cz/fulltext.jsp?query=GTX+260&type=stockitem

what I'm looking for is obviosly the best-go (best performance) and I would like it to eventualy be able to go crossfire (when I upgrade my motherboard).. . And I would like to ask if it would be compatible with my PC
here are current specs:

1. Motherboard - ASUS M3A78
2. Graphic interface - ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics
3. Memory -2048mb (dual)
4. CPU -AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+
5. CPU Speed -3097 (overclock from 2900) / bus speed: 213,6 MHz
6. Power Supply Make/Model -
7. Watt output/Amperage - not important since I obviously need a new one for this graphic card
8. OS: Windows XP Prof. 32bit

thanks for any hints and help !

 

[dividebyzero]

The Gigabyte GV​-N26SO​-896I​ (Super overclock ) version is the best performer of the bunch. It is on par with the GTX 275 in performance and comes with the standard Gigabyte three year warranty.
Review here http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1686

 

[Jamesqin]

allright but what about those versions which has 1792MB video memory instead of 896MB ? like for example:
- EVGA GeForce GTX 260 SC 1792MB, PCI​-E - 308 $
- MSI N260GTX Lightni​ng Black Editio​n 1792MB, PCI​-E - 307 $
- Gainward 0186​-Bliss GTX 260 GS 1792MB, PCI​-E - 306 $
- EVGA GeForce GTX 260 1792MB, PCI​-E - 296 $

would it have sence to pay for those ? I mean they're almost in price range of other GTX cards which are, or should be, better..

 

[dividebyzero]

I prefer EVGA myself, but limited the selection to the cards the poster had listed for the simple fact that others may not be available in the Czech Republic (inferred from posters comment).EVGA carry only a one year warranty outside of the U.S. and I don't believe their trade-up program can be accessed either.
If the 1792Mb cards are available (if you could provide links for our poster) then they offer a good alternative to the 896 cards- the MSI Lightning BE would most likely offer the best out-of-the-box performance - although for the increase in price I'd probably opt for a GTX 275 instead.
Gigabyte GTX260 Super Overclock 896Mb $209.99
BFG GTX275 OC Edition $229.99
EVGA GTX260 1792Mb $309.99

I would also point out that an HD 5850 for $289 represents a better future proofing but the poster specifically pointed out that PhysX was a requirement for the new card.

 

[Jamesqin]

oh thanks again for your posts, but just to be sure that I understand it corectly..
1) if we take the first price range: 200-220 (respectivly in our country 240) the best go would be Gigabyte GTX260 Super Overclock 896Mb which can be bought here for about 4 416kč ->(4416/18,525) $238
http://www.czechcomputer.cz/product.jsp?artno=69115
BUT: when I was browsing i came across this product: Asus ENGTX260 Matrix which sales for 4625 ->(4625/18,525) $249 and acording to this article: (just have a look at graph with overclock) http://pctuning.tyden.cz/hardware/graficke-karty/13397?start=5 could be overclocked easily and safely (the system runs stable on those specs) using iTracker to: 794/1628/2500 MHz which is even better than 735/1570/2500 MHz where you can push, acording to that review, Gigabyte GTX260 SO... well that would be a better go than wouldn't it ? I mean it doesn't matter if you overclock it yourself and if you have it overclocked already (of course the waranty question but.. ) right ?
2) if we aim a bit higher than this BFG GTX275 OC Edition would be a way to (I understand that it is best price/perf in such class and 275line). I found one for 4938kč -->(4938/18,525) $266 - that is still reasonable price, but is it really worth it ? I mean is it really better than that SO 260 ?
link: http://www.compos.cz/bfg-gf275-gtx-pci-e-896mb-oc-ddr3-2-dual-link-dvi_d150237.html
3)this would be a bit to much price range, I mean the cheapest here is EVGA GeForce GTX 260 1792MB, PCI​-E which goes for 5 484kč ->(5484/18,525) $296 ( http://www.czechcomputer.cz/product.jsp?artno=65332 ) and I dont think that there would be so much difference.. I think that even those core/shader/memory clocks could be lower than with Gigabyte GTX260 Super Overclock..
The MSI N260GTX Lightni​ng Black Editio​n 1792MB, PCI​-E goes for $307 ( http://www.czechcomputer.cz/product.jsp?artno=64927 ) and without overclock (which I think it has an option to) has only 680Mhz core speed (similiar to Gigabyte GTX260 SO) and 2100 memory clock which is less than Gigabytes 2500.. but as I mentioned, it could be overdriven probably..
the question stays, is it really worth to spend another $69 (307-238) for this ?
I know Im being really punctual with this, but Im just not sure if its worth it.. . What would you go with ?

btw all prices are already with aditional assessment (19%)

 

[Jamesqin]

+ one more thing.. would it be possible to run this Gigabyte GTX260 Super Overclock 896Mb in SLI ? like to have 2 of them in crossfire later on if I upgraded my PC and needed to boost the graphics ?

 

[dividebyzero]

You can SLI any of the GTX's. The Gigabyte uses a stock shroud and blower fan so if SLI'ing you may not have much room for air intake for the card in the 1st PCIex16 slot -I have a similar setup (using GTX280's) and the top card runs about 5-10C hotter than the bottom card- using the MSI card would even out the tempreture but dump more hot air into the case.
Here's a review of the MSI Black Edition as to whether it's worth the extra money...that depends on if spending the extra makes much difference to you. For me -maybe not if you plan to SLI as the game framerates will be very good anyway, and if you're not planning on SLI straight away then I'd look at saving the extra cash and buying a GTX360 or GTX380 when they arrive and use the GTX 260 as an awesome PhysX card.

 

[Jamesqin]

I know, I meant if I bought a new pc and wanted to go for SLI. Well the question is if, when you overclock Asus ENGTX260 Matrix to those 794/1628/2500 MHz (making 12326 GPU points in 3DMark Ventage) and have it for $249, or go with pre-overclocked Gigabyte GTX260 Super Overclock having up to 735/1570/2500 MHz (making 11308 GPU points in 3DMark Ventage) for $238 is MSI Black Edition worth buying for $307... which un-overdriven makes 10512 GPU points.. and with overdrive (as stated in review) has "only" 750/1575/2200 MHz which makes less than those 2 previous and therefore gives the advatage of only having more memory (which doesnt make much) and newer core 216 (is that really that much of an improvement ?) which those 2 doesnt have right ?
again, sorry to dig in so much, but just would like to know your opinion on that and it will be enough for me, thanks!

 

[dividebyzero]

All three cards are 216SP parts.
The max overclock you are likely to get depends on luck of the draw. Pre-overclocked cards just give you a higher starting point.

Gigabyte SOC 735/1570/1265, Bjorn3D
Asus Matrix 728/1625/1221Bjorn 3D
Asus Matrix 761/1605/1235, Neoseeker
Gigabyte SOC 716/????/1300, Neoseeker
Gigabyte SOC 722/1593/1330, Hardware Canucks
Gigabyte SOC 720/1563/1300, Anandtech
Gigabyte SOC 734/1587/1316 , Legit Reviews
Gigabyte SOC 720/1600/1350, Techgage
Gigabyte SOC 735/1597/1257, Guru3D
Asus Matrix 688/1376/1013, Think Computers
Asus Matrix 756/???/1242, Hexus

Looking at those numbers then it's obvious that the Matrix and SOC are pretty close in ability.
Either would be a good buy in comparison with the MSI card.

 

[Jamesqin]

right.. they do look a lot alike, but one thing, the overclocking will surely make the lifetime of my graphic card shorter right ? So Gigabyte should be a bit ahead here since he is pre-overclocked and 'used' to that whereas Asus will have hard time since he's being overclocked for like 20-30% right ? ASUS ofers a 3 year waranty which is a year longer than Gigabyte but since he is again pre-overclocked, running at that speed should be covered in waranty, but runing, even same speed with Asus wouldn't right ?

 

[dividebyzero]

Both cards have been speedbinned (handpicked) so are guaranteed to run at the clocks they ship with. Personally I don't overclock cards past that point-it's generally not worth the extra heat and stress it puts the card under for what amounts to a few fps. It's very seldom that an overclock of an already overclocked card will give such a boost as to be able to play at a higher resolution or level of AA / eye candy.
As far as I know Gigabyte offer three year warranty's on both graphics cards and motherboards, but that is probably a moot point as you'll most likely upgrade the card before the warranty expires anyway. I'm sure you'll be happy with either card.