Posted 04/08/09 at 08:21:12 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Taiwanese VGA card manufacturer Sparkle has introduced what it claims is the world’s most powerful single-GPU graphics card. According to Sparkle, its GeForce GTX 285 is the only single-GPU graphics card to feature up to 2GB GDDR3 memory. However, on closer inspection of its claim, we found another company with a similar offering.

Palit Microsystems began offering a custom-built GTX 285 with 2GB memory in February. From the face of it, Sparkle’s entire staff was probably marooned on a remote island – or away on an intergalactic excursion, and therefore had no idea what was going around.

The GTX 285 runs at a core clock frequency of 648MHz. Sparkle has also promised its card will deliver “30% faster performance than competing single GPU graphic card solutions.” But the company is mum on pricing.

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Posted 03/27/09 at 08:59:47 AM by Paul Lilly

Palit Microsystems, who makes and markets both ATI- and Nvidia-based videocards, is rumored to be leaving the US market. With headquarters located in Hong Kong, factories in China, and branch offices located in Germany and Taipei, the videocard partner apparently has been unable to duplicate its overseas success here in the US, says news and rumor site The Inquirer.

Too bad if the rumor turns out to be true, as we were hoping to see more innovative designs from Palit. Recent releases from the company include the world's first (and so far only) custom designed GeForce GTX 285 packed with 2GB of memory, two PWM fans, and four heatpipes, and a rare three-slot dual-GPU ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 called the Revolution 700 Deluxe.

Palit was established way back in 1988 but only recently has made a stronger push into the North American market. As of this writing, no formal announcement by the company has yet been made.

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Posted 02/25/09 at 11:00:11 AM by Paul Lilly

In what the company claims is a first (and as far as we can tell, they're right), Palit Microsystems has released a GeForce GTX 285 videocard outfitted with 2GB of memory. Every other GTX 285 currently ships with 1GB.

Whether or not the additional memory buffer proves a worthwhile investment remains to be seen, but it's worth noting the GTX 285 is Nvidia's fastest single-GPU solution available, second in speed only to the dual-GPU GTX  295. We've often seen graphics partners outfit lower end cards with additional memory, which is almost always of dubious value, but that isn't the case here.

Palit also lays claim to offering the first custom designed GTX 285. Deviating from the reference heatsink/fan assembly, Palit has outfitted its GTX 285 series with two PWM fans and four heat pipes.

"Conceived for two GPUs, the two PWM fans are able to provide sufficient air flow to cool GPU on the graphics quietly," Palit wrote in a press release. "The PWM fan created for both fans can adjust the fan speed depending on the GPU's temperature."

Palit also offers the GTX 285 in a more standard 1GB configuration. No word yet on pricing or availability for either model.

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Posted 11/06/08 at 02:10:50 PM by Paul Lilly

Who says thin is in? Not Palit, who has just introduced a massive three-slot graphics card based on AMD's dual-GPU ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2. Dubbed the Revolution 700 Deluxe, the new card owes its wide load to a giant heatsink consisting of a two-fan cooling solution outfitted with heatpipes and a plethora of connection options.

The Revolution 700 Deluxe comes equipped with DisplayPort, HDMI, Dual-Link DVI, and D-Sub (VGA) connections, so while you might have to worry about how you're going to cram this card inside your case, you at least won't  face any problems connecting it to nearly any type of display.

Other specs include 2GB of GDDR5 slightly overclocked at 3800MHz (compared to 3600MHz reference), 750MHz core clockspeed, DirectX 10.1 and Shader Model 4.1 support, and a 512-bit memory interface resulting in 2.4 teraFLOPS of graphics horsepower.

No price has yet been set for the mammoth videocard, but according to TGDaily, Palit spokesman Darren Polkowski said it sell in a similar price range as other 4870 X2 cards.

Is three slots too much? Hit the jump and post your thoughts.

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