Conclusion
It would be easy to just leave the comments out and let the numbers stand on their own. The Gigabyte GTX 260 Core 216 Super Overclock flat out rocks! It was easily the best of the bunch in every single test. I only regret that I do not have something faster to compare it to, like a Radeon HD 5850 or GTX 285 as I¡¯m sure it would be right on the heels of either of those two cards. At $195.50, this is a great performing card and very worthy of every dollar of its asking price.
The heat sink and fan are tried and true, working their magic without causing too much of a buzz while keeping temperatures under control. On such a highly overclocked card I fully expected the noise to be a problem, but that wasn't the case here.
While we didn't get huge numbers overclocking like we would a stock clocked GTX 260, we still got a decent increase out of our card. It's important to note that not every GTX 260 core 216 will reach the default speeds of our Gigabyte GTX 260 core 216 Super Overclock and run with complete stability. This is one assurance that Gigabyte has given and backs up the card with a one year warranty.
While this card is not incredibly significant as far as launches goes, it is one very fast card that would compete well against more expensive cards. The only card that we could really recommend over our Gigabyte GTX 260 core 216 Super Overclock would be the Radeon 5850 which features DirectX11. However, with it being in such short supply and carrying a $70 premium it really may be out of the running for those looking to stay around or under $200.
All in all, this is an excellent performing card for the price. If you don't feel compelled to jump onto the DirectX11 bandwagon, then the Gigabyte GTX 260 core 216 Super Overclock is an excellent value, and is the value leader at the $200 price point.
Legit Bottom Line: Gigabyte has launched the fastest ever GTX 260 Core 216 video card. With a relatively low cost of entry and a high level of performance that rivals the fastest DirectX10 cards, it's a bang for the buck leader!
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