BFG GTX 280 OCX 1GB Video Card Review

A Closer Look at the BFG GTX 280 OCX

The BFG GTX 280 keeps to the exact reference design as all of the other 280 cards which have been released. It is about 10.5” long which means it should fit into most ATX-sized cases and has a massive heatsink assembly covering the entire card. This heatsink design has been an Nvidia hallmark for some time now and it not only helps cool the card quite well but it also looks damn good.


The continuous monotonous black expanse of the heatsink shroud has been broken up somewhat by BFG’s sticker depicting one of their usual mascots pulling a little Human Torch number with flames shooting out of his hands. To us this is much better than seeing some sort Magna character totting an oversized gun but then again you might enjoy that type of stuff. They have also applied a small OCX sticker to the central fan hub.


The backside of every GTX 280 card is covered by a continuous piece of aluminum which is supposed to help dissipate the heat generated by the additional memory modules on this side. There is also a small pull-out tab which covers the SLI connector on the card. Unlike the lower-end Nvidia cards, the GTX 280 is Tri-SLI capable.


One side of the BFG GTX 280 OCX holds yet another sticker as well as a number of power and input connectors. This card requires you to use an 8-pin PCI-E power connector in addition to the 6-pin due to its high power requirements but luckily their positioning on the 280 is perfect. There is also an S/PDIF connector which is covered by a plastic tab which needs to be removed if you want to hook up the included audio cable.


The backplate holds the usual output connectors which includes a pair of DVI outputs as well as the TV-out connector. As we said in our original GTX 280 review, it would have been great to have seen a built-in HDMI connector but that was not meant to be.