Since I have looked at a few of these cards, I will jump right into the performance aspects today. I tested this card on the same test machine I have been using for my other video card reviews based on an XFX 790i Ultra mainboard and running an Intel QX9770 CPU.

The first test I ran on the PNY GTX 280 was 3DMark06. At default, settings on the video card and in the NVIDIA control panel the card turned in a 3DMark score of 16102. That score is a virtual deadlock with the stock clocked XFX GTX 280 I tested last year, which is to be expected considering that the two cards carry the same specifications.

To put the score in a bit more perspective, the PNY GTX 260 I reviewed last year scored 14367 3DMarks and the factory overclocked GTX 280 XXX from XFX scored 16287 3DMarks. These scores were at the same settings and on the same test machine.

The gaming tests are always my favorite and the one that most gamers appreciate the most. The first test was with Quake Wars, this game is still one of my favorites and many gamers enjoy it despite having been on the market for a while now. I used Fraps to get frame rate data while playing Quake Wars on high with 2x AA, ultra shaders and all options turned on. V Sync was turned off and the map used was the Africa Refinery map. Fraps recorded an average frame rate of 59 fps and the minimum frame rate was slightly under 40 fps.

The next game test was Call of Duty 4 ran at 1920 x 1200 with 4x AA, shadows, specular maps, depth of field, glow, soft smoke and all other features on save V sync. Dynamic lights, model and water detail were set to normal. Fraps was again used to record frame rate data. The average frame rate on the game at these settings was right at 120 fps and even the minimum frame rate was nearly double the golden 30 fps mark.

The final game test was with Crysis, still punishing video cards after being on the market for a long time. Trusty Fraps recorded frame rate data again with Crysis at 1920 x 1200 and advanced video options on medium. Fraps recorded an average frame rate of 58 fps with a minimum frame rate of 38 fps. Things ran fine with the single PNY GTX 280 at these settings.