EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Graphics Card Review: Power, Efficiency and Performance

The EVGA GeForce GTX 260 is a 3D graphics card, and its latest version, the Core 216, was just released as a successor to the 192. The difference in those last numbers is actually one between the numbers of processing cores. Therefore, the newest EVGA GeForce GTX 260 is faster- and it's still power-efficient. The pinch with the newest EVGA GeForce GTX 260 is that it really isn't the fastest out there, even if it does improve on its predecessor. There are other 3D graphics cards, specifically those produced by ATI, that are a lot faster and cost just a bit more.

Two 6-pin PCI Express double-wide cards hook the EVGA GeForce GTX 260 to your PC's power supply. This card is not dual-chip like its competitor, the ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2. In fact, the sole Nvidia that achieves this feat is the very expensive GeForce GTX 295, and it's no good with a small monitor; some of its power would just go unused.

So speed is obviously not a strong point for the EVGA GeForce GTX 260, but it can still boast on its power efficiency. Both the ATI and the more powerful GeForce GTX used a lot more power on idle and while loading up. In fact, it uses 50 W less power when loading than the GTX 280, an Nvidia that isn't even much faster. Those who are trying to combat high electric bills and don't mind losing a couple of frames per second might find this especially appealing.

General purpose desktops, even those outfitted with some of the best, will make good use of the EVGA GeForce GTX 260. Particularly with quad- and dual-core CPUs, you will need a power supply of 550-600 W just to be sure you have enough to service the entire unit. Unfortunately, most budget PCs don't have that many watts in their PSUs; you could possibly slip it into a newer PC in the $1,000 price range. In comparison, the other cards I mentioned would need around 700 W of power.

Home entertainment can be improved significantly with the EVGA GeForce GTX 260, even though using it with a nongaming home PC is probably a bit much. Encrypted HD video will become Blu-ray with this card, and a DVI to HDMI cord comes with it. As far as sending the audio through the HDMI port, it will have to first be connected to the motherboard or PC sound chip. The EVGA GeForce GTX 260 supports two DVI monitors, while the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 does four.

All Nvidia's GPU-based computing software is supported- PhysX, SLI multi-card technology, CUDA-enabled software, etc. So far, none of these have been used in gaming/software, and by the time they are the EVGA GeForce GTX 260 will be old news.

Obviously, Nvidia needs to work on the power of this price range of 3D graphics cards. The only place where they really deserve applause with the EVGA GeForce GTX 260 is with its power efficiency.