The GTX 260 chip has never been an exciting graphics chip. It is an affordable alternative to the GTX 280 chipset, but is overshadowed by the slightly cheaper and marginally faster HD 4870 alternative. BFG's GeForce GTX 260 OC Maxcore 55 take on the GTX 260 improves on the original, but it still finds itself put in its place by a twist on the 4870 chip. And it remains a little more expensive to boot.
However, for those on a budget, the BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC Maxcore 55 is a very solid and realistic counterpoint to the excesses of the GTX 285 and upwards. And in many respects, it's an extremely workable card. It doesn't generate the extreme levels of heat created by the steaming GTX 295. Neither is it particularly loud. Indeed, in normal operation, this was one of the quietest £151-plus cards we tested this month. Even when we were chugging through Crysis, it was barely audible and this is arguably the most discreet card in this section.
We were also pleased to find that the BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC Maxcore 55's two power supplementary connectors are 6-pin versions. If you're looking to link up two or even three (this card supports three-way SLI) of these beauties, you won't experience the same problems finding a compatible PSU that you would if one of the connectors was an 8pin version.
Get free games downloads. Visit PC Advisor's dedicated Games website to download hundreds of the latest titles, to read gaming news and game reviews and to pick up tips and discuss your favourite games in the popular PC Advisor Games forum
The BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC Maxcore 55 version of the 260 comes with 216 stream processors, and the 260's hardware is mostly very pleasing. 896MB of GDDR3 RAM is included, as is a 448bit memory interface. Indeed, since the GTX 295 works in a not dissimilar way to a pair of 260s stuck together, you can take satisfaction from the fact that you'll have much the same technology as those who've spent almost twice as much - even if they'll have considerably more of it than you.
Comments