| Leadtek Limited WinFast GTX260 EXTREME+ Video Card
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Configuration:
A system with the following components was used to test the Leadtek Limited WinFast GTX260 EXTREME+ video card:
» ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution X48 ATX motherboard
» Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 dual core processor (at 3.2GHz)
» G.Skill 4GB DDR3-1600 Pi Series dual channel memory kit (at 1600MHz and 7-7-7-18)
» OCZ Technology Vendetta CPU cooler
» Maxtor MaxLine III 250GB SATA 3Gbps hard drive
» TSST Super WriteMaster optical drive
» Nesteq EECS 700 Watt ultra quiet power supply
All tests were conducted in the 32-Bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, and the latest drivers were downloaded from the Nvidia website (GeForce 181.22) in lieu of the drivers provided on the card. This leads to the first, and perhaps only issue in the review. I generally test video cards using Windows Vista 64-Bit, and intended to do so with this one, too. While Windows Vista 64-Bit allowed a variety of GeForce drivers to be installed for the GTX260 EXTREME+, none of them allowed me to completed any benchmarks or play any 3D games. Each and every attempt to do something 3D was met with a crash to the desktop where Windows would indicate that the video driver had stopped working. After a few days of fighting this problem, I simply went to Windows Vista 32-Bit and everything worked just fine for the rest of the review. Leadtek was able to get a in-house test system to pass 3DMark Vantage with 64-Bit Windows Vista, but I was not as fortunate. This could be an isolated incident, but it is not one I have seen before, and I will surely revisit it soon.
The screenshot below provides details on the Leadtek Limited WinFast GTX260 EXTREME+, as provided by Techpowerup.com's GPU-Z.
For comparison purposes the following two other video cards were tested head-to-head with the Leadtek Limited WinFast GTX260 EXTREME+:
» Sapphire 2048MB Radeon HD4850X2
» Sapphire Toxic 512MB Radeon HD4850
These two cards represent some of the higher end performers in the ATI Radeon family that might be comparable to the Nvidia GTX260 series. None of the cards are the absolute top of the line, but they have strong specifications made even more appealing with special touches applied at the factory (special coolers, factory overclocks, or even dual GPUs).
The table below summarizes the key features and specifications of the three cards. While many of the items appear to be similar between the three cards, it is important to remember that some of the values need to be doubled when considering the HD4850X2, since the values provided are per GPU.
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