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Old 10-04-2009
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Gigabyte Super Overclocked GTX260



You will notice I am running one of the newest GTX 260 cards from Gigabytes lineup.

The card I am using is model no. GV-N26SO-896I

Much like its motherboards It offers the 2oz copper PCB amongst other key features that make it what it is.



Some of the main key features are:
  • 2oz Copper PCB
  • Top tier Samsung and Hynix memory
  • Fully solid state capacitors
  • Hand picked, Binned top of the line GPU's



What all of this means to you is you have the best components built by some of the best technicians to ensure you not only get a card that meets the top specs but also will last you a long time and at a clock speed far over other offerings on the market.

These cards are actually the top picked cards that hold the highest clocks of each batch, they must pass what they call the “GPU Gauntlet” in order to ensure it would be a top performer when it reaches you.



Overclocking:

I was able to on the stock cooler get the card to a astounding 724 mhz core clock and it did complete a run of 3dmark 06 but it was quite unstable, the fact that such a high clocked card to start with clocked even that much further speaks volumes to Gigabyte's stringent, and very effective method of binning their cards appropriately. I would say such speeds such as those that were obtained should be reserved for benchmarking purposes only, and keep it more conservative when gaming.



Temps:

Even when pushed very hard I found that the GPU and pcb temps were a very respectable temperature and a bit below what I have seen on other cards. I decided to take a look under the cooler and found that even with an application of a aftermarket thermal material it did little to help the temps as apparently thermal control was a top priority when building this card, as I saw a difference of approximately less than 1C

Aesthetic appeal:

The cards look very nice, as they have a all black theme with just the words “SUPER OVER CLOCKED” across the front in a almost flaming text. I believe it will make a very good looking card in any system be it a case modders or an extreme gamer.



Outputs:

This card is very unique as it offers a DVI, VGA, and a native HDMI hookup, But do not dispair as they have you covered if you use dual DVI displays. It comes with a HDMI to DVI converter.



If you do happen to use hdmi, they also do include the SPDif cable to help pass sound through the card and to your HDMI displays speakers.

You will notice that they only include one molex to PCI-e adapter, I believe that is stricktly for the fact that most power supplies strong enough to push this card has at least one 6 pin pci-e plug, and if your running one that does not have one at least, it probably does not have enough amps to power the card to begin with.


Attached Images
File Type: jpg 260bx.jpg (195.7 KB, 23 views)
File Type: jpg 2oz.jpg (192.0 KB, 23 views)
File Type: jpg features.jpg (194.3 KB, 24 views)
File Type: jpg 21363 high clock card.jpg (200.9 KB, 24 views)
File Type: jpg 260cooler.jpg (187.7 KB, 24 views)
File Type: jpg 260output.jpg (197.3 KB, 23 views)
File Type: jpg 260access.jpg (196.8 KB, 24 views)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunslinger View Post
You mean you don't have one of the uber secret 6.6GHz Gulftown pots?

Last edited by punx223; 10-04-2009 at 10:12 AM.
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Old 10-04-2009
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Conclusion and final thoughts

The board was very impressive, and I must say it did live up to the expectations I have for a Gigabyte board. Not only did it live up to those but it smashed through them, and set a new record for me as for the ease of overclock and ease of usability.

Aside from the issue with tri SLI needing 8 expansion slots, the board is amazing and very powerful. Anyone looking to build a great gaming rig that also has all of the power features to allow for lower heat dissipation but also a much nicer power bill when doing standard desktop tasks, this would be an excellent choice for you.


Pros:
  • Excellent bios.
  • Great chipset cooling
  • Lots of onboard options
  • Excellent board layout


Cons:
  • Needs 8 expansion slots in case to run Tri SLI
  • occasional strange post cycle on cold boot on a 24/7 stable overclock.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunslinger View Post
You mean you don't have one of the uber secret 6.6GHz Gulftown pots?

Last edited by punx223; 10-04-2009 at 10:26 AM.
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Old 10-04-2009
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Very nicely done Shannon

Those graphics cards are pretty sweet and SLI is pretty darn good. Overall thats a killer setup

Did you get any DICE or Phase runs with that ?
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Old 10-04-2009
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punx223 punx223 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckeye View Post
Very nicely done Shannon

Those graphics cards are pretty sweet and SLI is pretty darn good. Overall thats a killer setup

Did you get any DICE or Phase runs with that ?
No dice or phase unit runs for the review as I told Gigabyte I wanted it to be more of a real world review, and as much as we love subzero, for every one like us they have a thousand customers buying these boards and cards for gaming machines.


Plus I know I7's do tend to coldbug easy, so i figure I would reserve subzero testing for when i finally get a pot that can hold an I7 load
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You mean you don't have one of the uber secret 6.6GHz Gulftown pots?
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