Recently, Swiftech has started production of a single-slot waterblock solution for NVIDIA reference design GeForce GTX 285 graphics cards named Komodo. This "full cover" waterblock cools the GPU, Voltage Regulators, I/O chip, and memory modules. Komodo represents Swiftech's latest achievements in water cooling. It uses embedded 0.6 mm pin matrix located directly above the GPU area and low restriction water channels across the whole block. The base is made of chrome plated C110 electrolytic copper, and the top is machined in black Delrin. High thermal conductivity grease pads are pre-applied in the memory and mosfet areas for user convenience. Short barb fittings are included with the block for 3/8" or 1/2" tubing. Since Swiftech Komdo occupies only one slot, it is compatible with dual and even triple SLI setups. Total weight of the block is 772 g. You can purchase it now, directly from Swiftech for $134.95.

NVIDIA is pushing forth a special variant of its high-end GeForce GTX 285 graphics accelerator. This one is specific for use in Apple Mac systems that support PCI-Express addon-cards. Its hardware specifications remain the same: 240 stream processors and 1 GB of 512-bit GDDR3 memory. Available in June, the accelerator will benefit the upcoming Mac OS X "Snow Leopard" that makes use of GPGPU. NVIDIA partner EVGA seems to be ready with one. Pictured below, the card resembles the reference design accelerator commonly available for PCs.

NVIDIA partners seem to be gaining interest in releasing GeForce GTX 200 series products with double the amount of memory. Several partners have announced 1792 MB variants for the GTX 260 and GTX 275, while GTX 285 with its lavish 512-bit memory interface is facilitating 2 GB of memory. Point of View now has one such model of its own.

The card uses reference clock speeds as far as the GPU goes: 648 MHz (core) and 1476 MHz (shader), while going light with its memory, 1161 MHz against the reference speed of 1242 MHz. The rest of the card is pretty standard: 240 shader processors, acceleration for NVIDIA CUDA, and support for PhysX technology, and 3-way SLI support.

Leader in graphics card cooling technology, MSI International is always inventing new, better thermal designs to give our customers the most efficient products. Launched today, the N285GTX SuperPipe 2G is not only powered by one of the most powerful GPU in the market - the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 - but also adds an amazing 2GB GDDR3 RAM, and utilizes MSI's exclusive SuperPipe and Twin Frozr thermal design. This card dominates the market with peak performance in both graphics and cooling efficiency.

The N285GTX SuperPipe 2G is one of the most powerful cards equipped MSI SuperPipe technology. The heatpipe on a graphics card is a very important component which is responsible for dissipating heat away from the GPU to the surrounding fins. The thicker the heatpipe, the faster the heat can flow to allow better cooling. MSI SuperPipe technology is using 8mm thick heatpipe that is 60% thicker than the traditional heatpipes, and improves the cooling by 90%. With such performance, there is no doubt that MSI SuperPipe technology is perfect thermal solution for high-end graphics cards.

MSI introduced its first line of graphics cards under the 'SuperPipe' branding the company came up with. The name is derived from the heatpipes employed in the cooler, which have varied thicknesses. The two cards on offer are identical, but for the clock speeds they come with. Based on the GeForce GTX 285, the cards feature 1 GB of GDDR3 memory and 3-way SLI support. The base-model features reference NVIDIA clock speeds: 648/2474 MHz (core/memory), while the overclocked variant comes with speeds of 680/2500 MHz (core/memory).

The characteristic feature of these cards is the MSI Twin Frozr cooler. Under the shroud is the central GPU block from which 6 mm thick copper heatpipes arise to the central portion, while thicker 8 mm heatpipes arise towards the periphery. The heat is conveyed to a dense block of aluminum fins on which two fans circulate air. The cards have started to get listings in Europe, where they are priced under 340 Euro.

The good souls at MVKTech have released a new version of NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor), the popular BIOS tweaking utility for NVIDIA graphics cards. Version 4.9 brings with it a set of feature additions, expanded hardware compatibility and some minor bug fixes. The most significant feature addition is the ability to change voltages beyond the standard ranges. GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 295 are now supported. Minor bug fixes make for the rest of the mix.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA BIOS Editor v4.9

Zotac has yet another GeForce GTX 285 SKU in the making. This time, it plans to use its own-designed GTX 285 PCB with an Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GPU cooler. Zotac isn't using the entire kit, as the NVIO2 and VRM heatsinks aren't compatible with this PCB design. Other manufacturers using this cooler for similar graphics cards include Galaxy, which uses it for its GTX 285 2 GB, and Inno3D, which uses the entire kit for its GTX 280 accelerator.

With the new PCB design, Zotac rearranged the card's VRM area. The design differs from another PCB design for the GTX 285 Zotac designed earlier (read here). The card uses 6 vGPU + 3 vMem power phases. Ferrite-core chokes are made use of, and an extra vGPU phase has been added for redundancy and stability (angled chokes next to the power connectors, pictured below). 1 GB memory across a 512-bit interface is present, with the company making use of Hynix N3C 0.77 ns GDDR3 chips. The clock speeds on this card adhere to NVIDIA's specifications: 648/1476/1242 MHz (core/shader/memory). The SKU is almost ready to be announced.

NVIDIA graphics partner GALAXY Microsystems is in preparation of a new custom designed GeForce GTX 285 video card with 2 GB of onboard GDDR3 (0.8ns) memory. The tricked out card will feature Arctic Cooling's Accelero EXTREME triple fan heatsink and stock clock speeds that can be changed at any time - 648 MHz core/ 1476 MHz shader/ 2484 MHz memory. The card comes with a digital PWM design whereas the reference design comes with 6 phase analog power. Two BIOS chips are also presented on the blue PCB of the card. It is also compatible with GALAXY's Xtreme Tuner Utility software, that allows users to manipulate things like BIOS recovery, fan speed, and clock settings.

BFG Technologies, the leading North American and European supplier of advanced NVIDIA-based 3D graphics cards, power supplies, and the Phobos High-Performance Gaming/Home Theater System, announced today the BFG GeForce GTX 285 H2O graphics card with ThermoIntelligence Water Cooling Solution.
The BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 H2O 1GB graphics card features a totally silent, exceptionally efficient BFG ThermoIntelligence copper water block. Co-developed by BFG and Danger Den, this single slot solution delivers up to a 42°C lower GPU operating temperature than reference cooling solutions, and is backed by BFG's lifetime warranty and 24/7/365 free technical support.

EVGA is proud to announce the availability of the EVGA Hydro Copper Waterblock for the GTX 285 graphics card. With this product, EVGA continues to show that it cares about its buyers and wants to offer them premium products only. The Hydro Copper design consists of a full cover copper water block with black acetal top that cools the card's core, memory chips and power regulators. Also included are 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch barbs for maximum compatibility with all water loops. The EVGA Hydro Copper is offered both as standalone water-block (Part Number: 200-CU-HC85-B1) or coupled with an EVGA GeForce GTX 285 graphics card (Part Number: 01G-P3-1290-AR). The combo variant comes with the card overclocked to 720 MHz/1620 MHz/2772 MHz core/shaders/memory. Both products are available for pre-order now. The card and the block are priced at $549.99, while the Hydro Copper waterblock alone costs $129.99.

ZOTAC International, an award-winning manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, today unleashes the latest addition to its water-cooling ready Infinity Edition graphics card lineup - the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition. The new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition pairs the world's fastest single graphics processor with a high-performance water-block for extreme performance and cooling. Cooled by a custom all-copper water-block, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition is able to operate at higher clock frequencies while maintaining lower operating temperatures than the existing award-winning ZOTAC GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition ships with a water-block preinstalled with standard fittings that enable users to integrate the card with existing or new water-cooling systems.

Pushing up the ante with innovation, Galaxy has come up with a new GeForce GTX 285 variant. No, it's not another cost-saving design, but rather the other way round: a mix of high-grade components. There are a few features which makes Galaxy's new card stand out:

• A 4+2 phase digital PWM power design as opposed to the 6-phase analog design on reference NVIDIA PCB. The VRM controller supports the necessary interface for software voltage control
• Redundant BIOS, two EEPROM chips on the PCB, possible BIOS profile switching feature
• Arctic Cooling Accelero XTREME GTX cooling

The listed features put this card a few notches above even the reference design. Galaxy may announce this card in the weeks to come.

Zotac has two new video cards in its labs, waiting to be released very soon. The first one is a GeForce 9600 GT Green Edition with clock speeds of 600 MHz for the core, 1500 MHz for the shaders and 1800 MHz for the 512MB GDDR3 memory. The card is shorter than a standard GeForce 9600 GT, and also has no 6-pin external power connector.
The second card is a water-cooled GeForce GTX 285. The card uses full-cover single slot GPU block, which is enough to cool core, shader and memory frequencies of 702 MHz, 1512 MHz and 2592 MHz respectively.
Both cards are most likely to be introduced at CeBIT 2009.

There's a new card being prepared by Gainward. Named after Cáo Cāo, a warlord in ancient China, Gainward GeForce GTX 285 Cao Cao Edition borrows the whole concept of Palit's custom GeForce GTX 285 card with 1 GB and 2 GB memory. Regardless of the mighty dual-slot cooler, the card is stock clocked at 648 MHz for the 55nm GPU, 1476 MHz for the 240 Processing Cores and 2484 MHz for the memory. In contrast to Palit cards, the Cao Cao Gainward will ship with "only" 1GB of GDDR3 memory. The card is also said to cost around $440 when released.

Palit Microsystems, leading graphics card manufacturer, announces the first own design GeForce GTX285 1 GB and 2 GB. Armed with NVIDIA PhysX and NVIDIA CUDA technology, the GeForce GTX 285 series are ready to enable a total new class of physical gaming interaction.
Palit GTX 285 2 GB is the first and the only one graphics card available in the market. The Palit GeForce GTX 285 1 GB and 2 GB feature a core speed of 648 MHz and 2.5 GHz on its GDDR3 memory with a 512-bit interface. It supports the latest NVIDIA PhysX technology providing real-time physics simulations in leading edge PC and console games. With up to 50% more performance than prior generation GPUs, GeForce GTX 285's GPUs tear through complex DirectX 10 environments and cinematic effects at blazing frame rates in extreme HD resolution.

ASUS is reportedly preparing a new variant in its GeForce GTX 285 lineup: the ENGTX285-UL/HTDI/1GD3 "Ultimate". ASUS seems to have done away with using the "TOP" branding to denote the fastest variant in a given graphics card series. ASUS stuck with the NVIDIA reference design for this variant, while looking to squeeze out the most factory overclocking the reference design has to offer.

The ASUS GeForce GTX 285 Ultimate boasts clock speeds of 712/1620/1380 MHz (core/shader/memory). The card finds competition in EVGA's GeForce GTX 285 FTW, which has similar, albeit slightly higher clock speeds. The rest of its specifications remain standard, having the 55 nm G200b core, 240 stream processors, 1 GB of GDDR3 memory across a 512-bit wide memory bus, and support for 3-way SLI. ASUS may look to price it in the US $449 price point.

Following reports of AMD's next flagship GPU, the RV790 being pushed to April, a fresh report from Hardware-Infos suggests that its sibling, the RV740 will join the league of the company's product launches slated for April. Company sources tell Hardware-Infos that the company has no product-launches scheduled for the upcoming CeBIT event held in Germany. The report suggests constraints of TSMC, a major foundry partner for AMD's graphics product group (GPG), with regards to its 40 nm bulk manufacturing process, as a likely cause although this bit wasn't endorsed by the source.

Another source shed some light on the specifications of the two graphics processors. It is suggested that the RV790 has expanded machinery at its disposal, with 960 stream processors and 48 texture memory units. Engineering samples based on the said GPU are known to carry faster memory chips. The specifications coupled with the suggested higher clock speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory) help explain how the RV790 could manage to pose competition to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 accelerator. The RV740 on the other hand, is said to carry 640 stream processors, 32 texture memory units, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface.

AMD has been working the ATI RV790 GPU for a while now. It appears to be like it will take a little longer for the company to release an SKU based on it. Contradicting earlier reports, it is known that the RV790-based SKUs stay within the Radeon HD 4800 series, and not form the HD 4900 series.

The flagship single-GPU product based on the RV790 is to be called Radeon HD 4890. Samples based on the RV790XT A11 are currently running at speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory). AMD is reportedly telling its partners that the RV790XT is expected to be around 20% faster than the RV770XT (HD 4870), and has NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 in its sights, for head-on competition. Additionally, AMD may force NVIDIA to reconsider its pricing, since the RV790XT is expected to be priced between US$199 to US$249, up to $150 cheaper than the GeForce GTX 285 in its current pricing. Unfortunately, one has to wait till April.

NVIDIA seems to have lifted restrictions over manufacturers coming up with their own designs for the GeForce GTX 285 accelerator, barely a month into its market introduction. Zotac, backed by the engineering prowess of PCPartner seems to have already designed their custom-PCB according to a finding by Expreview. The new PCB employs a decent bit of component rearrangement.

Perhaps the most significant part of that rearrangement comes from moving the vMem circuit that powers the card's 16 memory chips to its anterior end, in between the NVIO2 processor and the SLI connectors. The PCB uses a new MOSFET arrangement that groups them in a DPAK group. The vGPU circuit consists of 6 phases, and the vMem circuit 2. Zotac makes use of an aluminum support-brace around the G200b graphics processor, which serves as a safety measure for the GPU, minimizing the impact of PCB bending on the fragile ball-grid, especially with 55nm GeForce GTX 260 and GTX 285 lacking a back-plate that counters PCB bending. The orange-coloured DVI connectors make it distinctively Zotac. The SKU based on the new PCB may feature reference clock speeds of 648/2484/1476 MHz (core/memory/shader). Its cooler design remains unknown.

Expanding your water block options is Koolance, out with water blocks for NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 295 and GeForce GTX 285 graphics accelerators. The blocks by Koolance use nickel-plated copper, acrylic, the block for GTX 295 comes with built-in lighting for better aesthetics. Both blocks are monolithic, full-coverage by design.

The GTX 295 block (model: VID-NX295) measures 20cm x 12cm x 3cm and weighs around 1 kg (2.25 lbs). As with other blocks in its class, the block remains sandwiched between the business-ends of the two PCBs holding a GPU system each. The block for the GTX 285 (model: VID-NX285) measures 15.9cm x 14.6cm x 1.6cm and weighs 680g (around 1.5 lbs). Both blocks come with standard fittings, with fittings for SLI systems being optional and compatible. The Koolance VID-NX295 has started selling for US $159.99 a piece, with the VID-NX285 being priced at $99.99 at the Koolance store.

NVIDIA's 55nm GeForce GTX 200 series cards seem to be doing well at the markets. Cashing in on their success, EVGA plans to release GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 295 accelerators which are ready for water-cooling. While not much is known about the specifics of water cooling the GTX 295 part comes with, the GTX 285 SKU comes in the form of cards with factory-fitted water blocks.

NVIDIA made several changes to the PCB of its single-GPU G200 PCB, making GeForce GTX 280 water blocks incompatible with the GTX 285 PCB. The new PCB has a rearranged memory layout, with all its memory chips positioned on the business-area of the PCB, and a re-arranged VRM area. The new EVGA Hydro Copper block is designed to be a monolithic full-coverage block with a copper base. The SKU most likely to be carved out using this block could be the EVGA e-GeForce GTX 285 Hydro Copper. The company could take advantage of this superior cooling to set extremely high factory-overclocked parameters to the GPU and memory. This is the same company that released the GeForce GTX 285 FTW with audacious clock speeds of 720/1,620/2,772 MHz (core/shader/memory) using the NVIDIA reference design cooler. As with all water block-fitted graphics cards from EVGA in the past, the company could charge a premium over all its air-cooled GeForce GTX 285 models.

NVIDIA made its latest version of the PhysX system software available today, version 9.09.0121. The update aims to fix several issues with the older 9.09.0010, relating to its installation, runtime environment, game-specific and graphics accelerator-specific. To begin with, this version of the software resolves issues noted during installation on some non-English versions of Windows. It resolves issues relating to the PhysX SDK runtime with multi-GPU configurations. It fixes an issue with the game Mirror's Edge where occasional crashes were seen. Performance increments are in store for users of GeForce GTX 285 and GeForce GTX 295 accelerators.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA PhysX System Software 9.09.0121 WHQL

EVGA Corporation, the leading-edge 3D processor graphics cards and motherboard manufacturer, announces the fastest single GPU graphics card on the market today, the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 FTW. The powerful 3D processor features the NVIDIA GeForce 285 GPU and 1GB of the fastest 0.8ns DDR 3 memory. Running at an impressive 720MHz core clock, 2,772MHz memory clock and 1620MHz shader clock, the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 FTW outperforms all other competitive products in all the three clock setting resulting in impressive performance advantages. The EVGA GeForce GTX 285 FTW will be immediately available in e-tail and retail at a recommended end user price of $449.99.

Overclocking video cards has become a child's play these days, thanks to helpful software utilities that feature simple sliders to adjust clock speeds, test and apply overclocked parameters. Those serious about overclocking take to high-end cooling, and volt-modding. EVGA picked on a gray-area, where users should be given a level of control over the GPU's voltage. The company is known for taking initiatives in making performance control accessible to most users by providing easy to use utilities such as the EVGA Precision.

Now, the company is coming up with a nifty utility called the EVGA Voltage Tuner. Exclusive for registered users of EVGA GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards, the utility allows a decent level of control over the GPU's voltage settings, within a range permissible by the GPU's BIOS. While this utility isn't an all out substitute to volt-modding, it allows for all the voltage tuning the default state of the graphics card's electrical components allow. A simple slider allows for adjusting the GPU core voltage with a resolution of milli-Volts. The results of using this utility are impressive, with a small voltage adjustment sending the maximum core overclock up by 100 MHz, a significant amount when it comes to GPUs. The first version of this utility is said to support GeForce GTX 260 (65nm), GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 295. Suceeding versions may expand the compatibility list to include some important graphics cards, namely GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 260 (55nm). The second and third screenshots below show a before&after scene of adjusting voltages using this utility.

AMD started its marketing offensive against NVIDIA's new dual-GPU GeForce GTX 295, and single-GPU GeForce GTX 285 accelerators, in an attempt to put the Radeon HD 4800 X2 series accelerators ahead of its competition in terms of performance on a "broad scale", and used the cards' availability in non-reference designs as a USP against NVIDIA's offerings using a uniform company-specified design. All this, in an internal presentation leaked to Donanim Haber. As for those wondering why, ATI and NVIDIA have a history of picking on each others' flagship products by means of such presentations, with which they intend to influence OEMs and channel vendors, though it always happens so, that these presentations reach public domains. Viral marketing or something plausible? Find out for yourself: