Introduction-
Mention "Republic of Gamers" or ROG and the first images conjured up in one's mind are of the top-of-the-line motherboards from ASUS. And it would be unfair to say that these motherboards are just well-dressed enough, similar to how super achievers do in any other walk of life. They are suited up in what could very well be called the "tuxedos" of product design, features and packaging, befitting the best in their field.
So when I received the ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix and saw that ROG mark on the box, it naturally evoked a lot of expectations from the product inside.
Not a graphics card dressed up literally in a tux obviously. :bleh:
But good packaging, innovative, appealing and effective cooling solution and last but not the least- very good overclocking headroom.
Many may rue the fact that the GTX260 has been a bit too long in the tooth now, with so many revisions and versions/models out there.
More so, considering the fact that new generation cards are upon us.
But it's also not untrue that most of the gaming masses in India have just moved to or are moving to a HD4870, HD4890, GTX260 or GTX 275.
And while we all like to drool over the latest and the best, fact is not many of the readers may move on from the GTX260s and GTX275s or HD4870s and HD4890s anytime soon.
So let's move on to the exploring the ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix.
[BREAK=Page 2: Features]
[BREAK=Page 3: Pictures]
Pictures:
[BREAK=Page 4: iTracker]
Pushed all the way!! See that VGPU??? This can be really good for one who likes to go subzero with their graphics like me
The iTracker provides four profiles that configure clock, voltage, and fan speed settings for your graphics card. You can also manually adjust these settings to create your own profiles.
Optimized Mode: 2D power savings and 3D performance boost
Gaming Mode: Extreme 3D performance for enthusiastic gamers
Default Mode: Back to original setting with one simple click
Power Saving Mode: Reducing unnecessary power consumption
User Defined Mode: Manually adjusting to meet individual need
a) Up to 3 settings can be created and saved
b) Fan Speed Auto Mode: the fan is automatically controlled according to advanced GPU loading detection providing users with more proactive cooling and power savings in the event of lower graphics utilization
c) Fan Speed Temperature Mode: Smartly cools down the GPU when its temperature is over the limit
[BREAK=Page 5: Setup]
Core i7 975 [provided by Intel]
ASUS P6T-Deluxe
A-data 3GB @ 1333 [7-7-7-24]
7200.10 250GB
ASUS ENGTX295 [190.62]
ASUS ENGTX260 MATRIX [190.62]
Dell 24"
Silverstone DA1000
TRUE-120 for Processor and stock cooling for Graphics Card.
OS: Windows 7 RC
All tests were conducted thrice and the average scores were recorded.
GPU Clock speed for ENGTX260 MATRIX:
Stock - 576/999/1242 [iTracker]
Game - 601/999/1296 [iTracker]
Max -700/1100/1509 [Manual]
Settings for Batman - Arkham Asylum:
I used the built in benchmark with these settings
[BREAK=Page 6: 3DMark Performance]
3DMarks are PC Benchmarks are designed to test the DirectX9 and DirectX10 performance of your graphics card.
3DMark®05 is best suited for the first generation of DirectX®9.0 graphics cards
3DMark®06 is the worldwide standard in advanced 3D game performance benchmarking
3DMark Vantage is the new industry standard PC gaming benchmark, designed for Windows Vista and DirectX10. Stunning 3D graphics generated in real-time push your system to the limit and beyond.
[BREAK=Page 7: Gaming Performance: Batman Arkham Asylum]
After a long time, here is a superhero game that does justice to the title and has enthralled gamers worldwide apart from just Batman fans
[BREAK=Page 8: Gaming Performance: Crysis]
One of the most awaited and visually stunning games of the present times. Crysis brings most gaming rigs down to their knees.
[BREAK=Page 9: Gaming Performance: Far Cry 2]
A hit or miss with gamers, Far Cry 2 still stands as one of the decent games to test the gaming performance of one's system.
[BREAK=Page 10: Gaming Perforamance: HAWX]
Hawx - One of the best aerial combat games ever made. This graphical treat also features DX10.1 support.
[BREAK=Page 11: Gaming Performance: Resident Evil 5]
Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as Biohazard 5 , is a survival horror video game and was preceded by a benchmark tool, that was released for both system performance evaluation as well as to test the new 3D technology which is implemented in all the cutscenes within the game.
[BREAK=Page 12: Personal Take]
Personal take:
This card has everything most enthusiasts want in theirs.
- A beautifully designed and aesthetically appealing card with the “we-all-so-love†black PCB.
- Excellent build quality, good power management design and components
- Great cooling with less noise and almost the next best thing to passive im my opinion.
- a good software utility to control like iTracker
- Very good Overclocking headroom, that takes it almost into GTX275 performance levels.
Not being able to exhaust all the hot air out is one compromise with the design. But that shouldn't be a major issue for those with good case ventilation.
Agreed that it is a bit late into the game maybe but almost GTX275-like performance when overclocked for GTX260 pricing is a tempting proposition.
This thing may still be worth investing in if priced appropriately and ASUS doesn't charge GTX275-like price for the achievable GTX275-like performance.
UPDATE: Got the price from Asus India. ENGTX260 MT/HTDP/896MD3/A costs 13850/- (Excluding taxes).
Mention "Republic of Gamers" or ROG and the first images conjured up in one's mind are of the top-of-the-line motherboards from ASUS. And it would be unfair to say that these motherboards are just well-dressed enough, similar to how super achievers do in any other walk of life. They are suited up in what could very well be called the "tuxedos" of product design, features and packaging, befitting the best in their field.
So when I received the ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix and saw that ROG mark on the box, it naturally evoked a lot of expectations from the product inside.
Not a graphics card dressed up literally in a tux obviously. :bleh:
But good packaging, innovative, appealing and effective cooling solution and last but not the least- very good overclocking headroom.
Many may rue the fact that the GTX260 has been a bit too long in the tooth now, with so many revisions and versions/models out there.
More so, considering the fact that new generation cards are upon us.
But it's also not untrue that most of the gaming masses in India have just moved to or are moving to a HD4870, HD4890, GTX260 or GTX 275.
And while we all like to drool over the latest and the best, fact is not many of the readers may move on from the GTX260s and GTX275s or HD4870s and HD4890s anytime soon.
So let's move on to the exploring the ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix.
[BREAK=Page 2: Features]
ASUS said:Super Hybrid Engine:
Multi-level GPU and Memory voltage adjustment for extreme power save and performance boost!
Hybrid Cooler+:
Innovative Hybrid Cooler offering 2D silent cooling and 3D extreme cooling
iTracker:
Intelligent hardware monitoring and adjustment application with preset profiles for easy user selection
Auto Phase Switch:
Optimizing power supplied from Power Phase to provide maximum power efficiency!
Advanced Dynamic GPU loading Detection:
More active protection against overheating by automatic fan speed adjustment via GPU loading when temperature increases
I/O Specifications
PCI-Express 2.0
HDTV-out
DVI
D-Sub
HDMI
HDCP compliant
Specifications
Graphics Engine
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Bus Standard
PCI Express 2.0
Video Memory
DDR3 896MB
Engine Clock
576 MHz
Shader Clock
1.242 GHz
Memory Clock
2.0 GHz ( 1.0 GHz DDR3 )
RAMDAC
400MHz
Memory Interface
448-bit
CRT Max Resolution
2048 x 1536
DVI Max Resolution
2560 x 1600
D-Sub Output
Yes x 1 (via DVI to D-Sub adaptor x 1 )
DVI Output
Yes x 2 (DVI-I)
HDMI Output
Yes x 1 (via DVI to HDMI adaptor x 1 )
HDTV Output (YPbPr)
Yes
HDCP Support
Yes
TV Output
Yes (YPbPr to S-Video and Composite)
Adapter/Cable Bundled
1 x DVI to D-Sub adaptor
1 x DVI to HDMI adaptor
1 x HDTV-out cable
1 x Power cable
1 x S/PDIF cable
Software Bundled
ASUS Utilities & Driver
ASUS Features
Matrix Series
[BREAK=Page 3: Pictures]
Pictures:
[BREAK=Page 4: iTracker]
Pushed all the way!! See that VGPU??? This can be really good for one who likes to go subzero with their graphics like me
The iTracker provides four profiles that configure clock, voltage, and fan speed settings for your graphics card. You can also manually adjust these settings to create your own profiles.
Optimized Mode: 2D power savings and 3D performance boost
Gaming Mode: Extreme 3D performance for enthusiastic gamers
Default Mode: Back to original setting with one simple click
Power Saving Mode: Reducing unnecessary power consumption
User Defined Mode: Manually adjusting to meet individual need
a) Up to 3 settings can be created and saved
b) Fan Speed Auto Mode: the fan is automatically controlled according to advanced GPU loading detection providing users with more proactive cooling and power savings in the event of lower graphics utilization
c) Fan Speed Temperature Mode: Smartly cools down the GPU when its temperature is over the limit
[BREAK=Page 5: Setup]
Core i7 975 [provided by Intel]
ASUS P6T-Deluxe
A-data 3GB @ 1333 [7-7-7-24]
7200.10 250GB
ASUS ENGTX295 [190.62]
ASUS ENGTX260 MATRIX [190.62]
Dell 24"
Silverstone DA1000
TRUE-120 for Processor and stock cooling for Graphics Card.
OS: Windows 7 RC
All tests were conducted thrice and the average scores were recorded.
GPU Clock speed for ENGTX260 MATRIX:
Stock - 576/999/1242 [iTracker]
Game - 601/999/1296 [iTracker]
Max -700/1100/1509 [Manual]
Settings for Batman - Arkham Asylum:
I used the built in benchmark with these settings
[BREAK=Page 6: 3DMark Performance]
3DMarks are PC Benchmarks are designed to test the DirectX9 and DirectX10 performance of your graphics card.
3DMark®05 is best suited for the first generation of DirectX®9.0 graphics cards
3DMark®06 is the worldwide standard in advanced 3D game performance benchmarking
3DMark Vantage is the new industry standard PC gaming benchmark, designed for Windows Vista and DirectX10. Stunning 3D graphics generated in real-time push your system to the limit and beyond.
[BREAK=Page 7: Gaming Performance: Batman Arkham Asylum]
After a long time, here is a superhero game that does justice to the title and has enthralled gamers worldwide apart from just Batman fans
[BREAK=Page 8: Gaming Performance: Crysis]
One of the most awaited and visually stunning games of the present times. Crysis brings most gaming rigs down to their knees.
[BREAK=Page 9: Gaming Performance: Far Cry 2]
A hit or miss with gamers, Far Cry 2 still stands as one of the decent games to test the gaming performance of one's system.
[BREAK=Page 10: Gaming Perforamance: HAWX]
Hawx - One of the best aerial combat games ever made. This graphical treat also features DX10.1 support.
[BREAK=Page 11: Gaming Performance: Resident Evil 5]
Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as Biohazard 5 , is a survival horror video game and was preceded by a benchmark tool, that was released for both system performance evaluation as well as to test the new 3D technology which is implemented in all the cutscenes within the game.
[BREAK=Page 12: Personal Take]
Personal take:
This card has everything most enthusiasts want in theirs.
- A beautifully designed and aesthetically appealing card with the “we-all-so-love†black PCB.
- Excellent build quality, good power management design and components
- Great cooling with less noise and almost the next best thing to passive im my opinion.
- a good software utility to control like iTracker
- Very good Overclocking headroom, that takes it almost into GTX275 performance levels.
Not being able to exhaust all the hot air out is one compromise with the design. But that shouldn't be a major issue for those with good case ventilation.
Agreed that it is a bit late into the game maybe but almost GTX275-like performance when overclocked for GTX260 pricing is a tempting proposition.
This thing may still be worth investing in if priced appropriately and ASUS doesn't charge GTX275-like price for the achievable GTX275-like performance.
UPDATE: Got the price from Asus India. ENGTX260 MT/HTDP/896MD3/A costs 13850/- (Excluding taxes).
