It seems like it was just yesterday that Nvidia launched their second generation DX10 architecture with the GTX 200-series of GPUs. Back then, hopeful enthusiasts had to pay big bucks if they wanted a piece of the action. Now with increased pressure from a resurgent ATI, prices have gradually crept down to the point where many gamers with a half decent budget can afford a card that will give them performance which was unheard of less than a year ago. Into this melting pot, two cards were released: the GTX 275 from Nvidia and the HD 4890 from ATI. Both offer a ton of horsepower for their price and as such have become the current favorites among gamers and enthusiasts alike.

While the HD 4890 benefited from widespread availability from the day it was launched, the GTX 275 had a bit slower start with stock trickling into retailers. Luckily for consumers, stock eventually evened out and GTX 275 cards can now be found for under $300CAD / $250USD when on sale. Manufacturers have also started releasing overclocked versions of this card which means that there is plenty of variety out there while the cards themselves are reaching different price points.

Variety, falling prices on some cards and general enthusiast interest led us to push manufacturers to send us whatever they could scrounge up that had a GTX 275 sticker on it. They came through and today we are looking at a total of six GTX 275 cards that come from all walks of life; from overclocked to custom cooled, they are all here. We mentioned in our original GTX 275 review that with a bit of overclocking, this is one card that could give the beastly GTX 285 a run for its money. If anything, this roundup should tell us if this statement turns out to be true as we have one of the highest-clocked GTX 275 cards on the market featured here.

Some of the manufacturers here like BFG and EVGA are usually the gold standard when it comes to choosing a high-end card due to their warranty lengths and exposure in the North American market. However, there are plenty of other Nvidia board partners out there that (while not having the same warranty length) still can offer a customer very interesting options. As such, MSI, Gigabyte and Sparkle GTX 275 cards will also be around so we can show what the GTX 275 scene has to offer in a broad a sense as possible.

Like all of our other GPU roundups, since every one of these cards has something different to offer we will not be judging them on a “best to worst” basis. Rather, we will be treating this article almost like six separate reviews where each card will be judged upon its own merits. With that being said, sit back and enjoy the show.