14 DAY TRIAL // Almost every graphics card maker on the market has a distinct lineup of mainstream graphics cards and another one of high-end such products, designed for enthusiasts. Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS is no stranger to the concept, providing its users with a wide range of graphics cards, based on either an NVIDIA or an ATI graphics processing unit. One of the company's latest products comes in the form of a new GeForce GTX 260 card, part of the Matrix series.
As fans of ASUS products already know, the Matrix lineup of graphics cards is targeted at the enthusiast market segment, providing users with high-end models that are featured with custom cooling solutions meant for increased performance and better overclocking. The new GeForce GTX 260 makes no exception to the rule and comes with the reference clock speeds of a GeForce GTX 260 card but with a dual-slot, dual-fan Hybrid Cooler+. According to ASUS, the two fans on the cooling solution work at different speeds, taking into consideration the temperature level of the GPU.
The card's clock levels are 576MHz, 1242MHz and 1998MHz for the GPU, Shaders and memory, but thanks to the integration of the dual-fan cooling solution, enthusiasts can easily take these speeds considerably higher, consequently boosting performance. The card can be taken to clock speeds of 700MHz, 1500MHz and 2300MHz for the GPU, the 216 Shaders and the 896MB of GDDR3 memory. This should significantly increase the performance level of the card.
ASUS did not provide any details regarding the pricing of the card, but the new GeForce GTX 260 Matrix Series should become available in stores in the near future. Currently, GeForce GTX 260 cards from other vendors sell between $200 and $260, depending on configuration and cooling solution. A water-cooled GTX 260 goes for about $430.