If NVIDIA set out to fill a vacuum between the standard GeForce GTX 560 Ti and GeForce GTX 570, it more than achieved it with the new GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 cores. Cards based on this new SKU are priced somewhere in between the price-points of the two, but the performance measured shows it's tilting precariously close to the GTX 570. And why shouldn't it? The new GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores has everything the GTX 570 has - GF110 GPU, 1280 MB of memory over a 320 bit GDDR5 memory interface, 40 ROPs, and even the same reference clock speeds. It's just that the GTX 570 has about 7% more CUDA cores.
Is this all sounding too good to be true? Well, here's the catch. First, the GTX 560 Ti 448 cores is a "Limited Edition" product, meaning that limited quantities of it will be produced. We think North American and European markets should digest all cards made in this winter shopping season alone. Next, it's a "Limited Availability" product, meaning that it will be available only in select North American and European markets.
The ASUS GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores DirectCU II offers good performance that can handle all the latest titles extremely well. What makes the card unique is its triple slot cooler design which promises low temperatures, low noise and good overclocking capabilities. In our testing we saw low temperatures indeed, but it seems ASUS has been too greedy with low temperatures as fan noise is similar to dual-slot cards. In my opinion the biggest selling point of a triple slot cooler is the low noise potential it offers. My personal system has an ASUS GTX 580 DirectCU II, because low noise is paramount for me and I don't plan on using a multi GPU setup, so I have lots of space in my case anyway. Modern motherboards do offer PCIe slots that are spaced three slots apart, so the space issue might not apply to everyone.
What's also a bit dissapointing is that ASUS has chosen to stick with the NVIDIA standard clocks of 732 MHz. Considering the excellent cooling capabilities of the heatsink I see no reason why they didn't clock higher. Other cards we have tested today are running at up to 765 MHz out of the box, so the clock headroom on the GPU chips is certainly there.
The GTX 560 Ti 448 cores has slightly higher power draw compared to the standard GTX 560 Ti, it's based the larger GF110 silicon, though its performance per Watt warrants it. ASUS's implementation is solid, thanks to uncompromising power delivery circuitry, and good cooling. Overall, the GTX 560 Ti 448 cores is a great deal for its $289~$300 price range, but limited availability could be its downfall.