EVGA GeForce GTX 285 1GB SSC Edition Review

A Closer Look at the EVGA GTX 285 SSC

The new heatsink sticker design for EVGA’s 55nm cards has drawn some sharp criticism for being a bit too bland but we happen to like understated around here. All in all, the overall design of the GTX 285’s heatsink is nearly identical to that of the GTX 280 but there are some differences as we will see a bit later. It is still about 10.5” long and takes up two slots.


The SLI connector is still located in the same place but lacks the cover seen on the GTX 280 due to the fact that the GTX 285 doesn’t have a sandwich-style heatsink design.

Meanwhile, the side of the card is where things start to get really interesting. Gone is the 8-pin power connector and in its place is a much more mundane 6-pin connector. This change is a direct reflection of the decrease in power consumption this card offers when compared to the outgoing GTX 280. The other connector you see here is the SPDIF input.


The backplate of the GTX 285 is a clone of what we have seen on every reference card for the last few years with a pair of DVI connectors and a single HDTV output. There is also a small LED to the left of the grille which glows green when the card is functioning within normal parameters.


As we can see that aesthetically, there really isn’t any difference between the GTX 280 and GTX 285 other than the obvious progression of EVGA graphics. That is, until you see the back of the card…


Yes, that is right: the GTX 285 has all of its memory ICs located on the front of the card so a backplate is not needed. This can also be considered a cost saving method even though we were sort of attached to the rugged good looks of a fully-enclosed GTX 280 card.