Features & Specifications

Specifications for the XFX GTX 285 Black Edition are as follows:

As you can see, the card is bundled with one of the coolest video games to hit the market recently, Far Cry 2. To compare clock speeds for the core on a standard GTX 285 is 648MHz with a memory clock of 2480MHz.

Test Machine

The test machine I am using for this review is the same system I have been using on my other video card reviews. The system has an Intel QX9770 CPU, XFX 790i Ultra mainboard, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1.2KW PSU and uses a Dell 30-inch LCD.

Benchmarks
I will be testing the XFX GTX 285 Black Edition video card with 3DMark06, Crysis, Quake Wars, and Call of Duty: World at War. The first test up is 3DMark.

3DMark06

The XFX GTX 285 Black Edition was set at all default settings in the NVIDIA control panel and was using the latest publically available drivers from the NVIDIA website. I ran 3Dmark06 at default settings for the test as well. The XFX GTX 285 Black Edition scored a total of 16170 3DMarks. The details broke down like this; the SM2 score was 6593, the HDR score was 7375, and the CPU score was 4559.

To compare the last video card I reviewed was the PNY GTX 280 that ran stock clock speeds. That video card scored 16287 3DMarks at default settings. That is slightly higher than the overclocked GTX 285 we are looking at here, but these overclocked cards really start to shine when the resolution is pushed up. I don't have a stock GTX 280 in hand to run a 2560 x 1600 comparison, but moving forward with video card reviews I will begin adding a score at that resolution to my test regime. For now, the GTX 285 Black Edition scored 13340 3DMarks with the same settings and the resolution for the benchmark bumped up to 2560 x 1600.

Crysis
The next test up was Crysis. This is still one of the slickest looking video games on the market and a big challenge for even the mightiest video card. When testing with Crysis I use the same level for each video card tested starting from the beach insertion to the point of the battle with the first enemies on the beach. Fraps records frame rate data with the game set at a resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 4x AA, shadows, specular maps, depth of field, glow, soft smoke, and other features on. V-synch is turned off for testing. Fraps recorded a minimum frame rate of 46 fps, an average frame rate of 69.585 fps, and a maximum frame rate of 98 fps.

Quake Wars
The next game test was Quake Wars and was run at ultra settings with a screen resolution of 2560 x 1600 with 2x AA and all options on except V-sync. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data on a single player game using the Africa Refinery level: minimum 46 fps, average frame rate was, 60.312 and the max frame rate was 62 fps.

Call of Duty: World at War
The final game test for the XFX GTX 285 Black Edition was Call of Duty: World at War. This game replaced COD4 in my test regime with this review. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player game from the very first mission with recording started right after the character was set free and the firefight starts on the beach. Settings for the game were as follows: resolution was 2560 x 1600 with 4x AA, shadows, specular maps, dynamic foliage, bullet impacts, and ocean simulation were all on. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data: Min- 41 fps, Average- 66.153 fps, Max- 94 fps.

Final Thoughts
In the end, the XFX GTX 285 Black performed very well. The 3DMark06 results are a bit misleading thanks to no comparisons of other cards at 2560 x 1600 resolution where the high-end overclocked video cards shine. In real world, game test the video card shines and performs very well. With this single video card, you can play the most demanding video games out there at high levels of detail without any issue. The XFX GTX 285 Black Edition also comes with a great bundle including Far Cry 2.