gtx 285 vs 295
 

Is the GTX 295 really worth the extra $150 over the GTX285? The last time i upgraded was in 2004 so i probably wont upgrade again for another 4 to 5 years so would the 295 have better staying power over the 285? Or would i be best with gtx 280 and upgrade gpu in 3 years?

Thanks
MSF

GTX295 is 2xGTX280 chips, with GTX260 ram size and GTX260 speeds. You bet the extra cost is worth it...It's against my religion to support nVidia, seeing as how I've always been an ATI fanboy, but nVidia did come up with some good products with decent prices this time around...I really cannot say anything bad about any of thier products...everything is pretty good, jsut soem of thier business practices in the past turn me off...but even then, it seem J.S. has turned a new leaf...

I am pretty sure the GTX 285 is still the fastest single processor GPU. But like Cadaveca said, the 295 is a dual processor GPU, you will get a lot more bang for the buck. I went for the 285 but I was flip flopping between the 260 vs. 285.

It all depends upon:
1. Your Resolution
2. Speed of your Processor

In all honesty, with the the failures of nVidias previous dual PCB solutions, as in both the 7 Series and the 9800GX2 I personally stay as far away from these cards as possible. Go with your 285....Step up to a 3 Series when they come out if you're within that window or go with 2 x GTX 285's.
Actually that BFG GTX 280 for $329 is a great deal, you could almost get two of these for the price of a 295 and wind up with better performance than the 295.

if you said 150+ than gtx 285 is a better choice to buy over two gtx 285....

honestly... gtx 285 is very powerful...

Well I have 2x295s, they are awesome if you are willing to live with a few little quirks, there is micro stutter sometimes but not always, that maybe a problem of the quad thing, but still it can be annoying sometimes.

In a single-GPU setup, I would personally go with an eVGA or BFG 285. Good power, doesn't cost too much, and leaves you the chance to use either company's step-up program, if, say, you bought the card and not a month later they come out with something even better, for nearly the same price. They both have good warranties, too. If you want to try your hand at OC'ing, go with EVGA, in my humble opinion.

+1

I like EVGA! Step up program is a major + in my eyes.

And the ...what....about $1400 price tag delivered to the door...no thanks!
The Micro-stutter has always been an issue with nVidia Quad SLI.....

get the gtx 295 no question. I just bought one about a month ago and love it.
it gets around 65C and is not noisy at all on the default fan setup. I have gamed at least 50 hours with it and have not seen any micro stepping at all from any games.
my resoultion is 1600 x 1050 and this is what I get on my games
far cry max out complete - 60fps
crysis very high with 16AA - 50fps
crysis wars very high 2 AA - 45 fps
UT3 max out complete - 90 fps
cod5 max out complete - have not tested yet

my other system parts are a q6600 @2.4ghz and 4gb of 800ddr2 ram

I hope this info helps you make the right decision