XFX GeForce GTX 260 (216) Black Edition
The XFX GeForce GTX 260 (216) Black Edition Up Close
The most notable characteristic of the XFX GeForce GTX 260 (216) Black Edition, aside from its Black Edition graphic, is its size. While the GTX 2xx series may be powerful, they are huge as well. The dual slot design measures 10.5" inches in length, which may be an issue for some. Even when installed into a premium case such as the Thermaltake Tai Chi case, the card came precariously close to the hard drive connections, but it did ultimately clear them.
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With respect to clock speeds, XFX pushes the GeForce GTX 260 (216) Black Edition to its upper limits. The GPU is clocked at 666MHz, 90MHz over stock, while the 896MB of DDR3 memory runs at 1150MHz (2300DDR), whereas reference design is spec'd at 999MHz (1998DDR). The Shader clock is also set measurably higher, at 1404MHz, whereas reference models typically run at 1242MHz. While it's not uncommon for a manufacturer to offer an overclocked version of a graphics card, the XFX GeForce GTX 260 (216) Black Edition appears to be clocked fairly aggressively in our opinion.
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From a features standpoint, the XFX GeForce GTX 260 (216) Black Edition supports everything you would expect from a GTX 260. This model is equipped with two DVI ports which support a maximum resolution of 2560x1600 simultaneously across two monitors through Dual-Link Technology. The card also supports PhysX and CUDA technology as well as HybridPower for pairing with integrated graphics. The XFX GeForce GTX 260 (216) Black Edition is naturally SLI ready and requires two PCI-Express power supplies for proper operation.
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For HDTV connectivity, the card can be connected through its HDTV port when married with the included HDTV component adapter or the card can connect via HDMI when using the DVI-to-HDMI adapter included in the bundle.
