Overclocking

With the drastically improved cooling solution we were hoping some serious overclocking shenanigans were to be had with the revised GTX 295 and we were not disappointed in the slightest.

While the original GTX 295 is no slouch when it comes to some post-purchase performance tweaks, allowing us to increase the core clock by over 100MHz to 680MHz, the shader clock from 1.242GHz to 1.466Ghz and the memory speed from 999MHz (1,998MHz effective) to 1,100MHz (2,200MHz effective). The revised design went even faster, with the core and shader clocks topping out at 710MHz and 1,530MHz respectively on our review sample. The memory however, stood stubbornly at 1,100MHz (2,200MHz effective), although this is still a decent ten percent improvement over stock.

Of course, overclocking is always a little hit and miss when it comes to individual cards, but this certainly demonstrates that the new GTX 295 has a little bit extra in the tank to boost gaming performance, with average frame rates jumping almost twenty percent in Crysis at 1,680x1,050 with 4xAA!

Value

While the newly revised GTX 295 might perform the same as its predecessor out of the box and overclock a little better, it’s economics that have been the driving force in the GTX 295's re-release and we’re happy to see the new price sitting close to £350, a good £45 cheaper than the older revisions of the GTX 295 have been selling for. However, ATI’s Radeon HD 4870 X2 (after suffering a bizarre price yoyo in the last few months) can still be had for a good £35 cheaper at £315, although stock is becoming increasingly thin on the ground.

Final Thoughts

While the Gainward GTX 295 is certainly a major improvement over the original card in terms of cooling and pricing, Nvidia has perhaps missed a trick here in the opportunity to re-release the card with slightly higher clock speeds and combine the price cut with a performance boost. As it stands, the GTX 295 is still a ferociously fast card, albeit still dependent on driver support for its continued performance in newer titles. With its new lower price, it is now a more attractive choice in comparison to the cheaper, slightly slower Radeon HD 4870 X2, for those looking into the ultra high end graphics market.

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Score Guide