Graphics Cards Guide

Compare This

Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP (896MB)

17 Mar 2009

Tags: (none)

Filter by Manufacturers

<div id="product-review" class="article">
			<h2 class="header-green">Custom Cooler at Last - Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP</h2>
		<span class="byline">Reviewed by Kenny Yeo on Tuesday, 17 Mar 2009</span>
		<div class="share">
	<div
		id="addthis_div_5197cd86c25d4" 
		class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style"
		addthis:url="http://www.hardwarezone.com/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp"		addthis:title="Custom Cooler at Last - Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP"	>
		<a class="addthis_button_google_plusone" g:plusone:count="false"></a>
		<a class="addthis_button_facebook"></a>
		<a class="addthis_button_twitter"></a>
		
		<a class="addthis_button_email"></a>
	</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 		//AddThis thing
		addthis_share = window.addthis_share || {};
		addthis_share.url_transforms = {
			add: {
				utm_source: 'addthis',
				utm_medium: 'referral',
				utm_campaign: 'addthis',
				utm_content: 'Custom%2BCooler%2Bat%2BLast%2B-%2BPalit%2BGeForce%2BGTX%2B260%2BSonic%2B216%2BSP'
			}
		}
		
		addthis_config = window.addthis_config || {};
		addthis_config.data_track_clickback = true;
		addthis_config.data_ga_property = 'UA-166763-1';
		//window.addthis && addthis.toolbox (".addthis_toolbox");
		 
	});
//]]>
</script>		<div class="content resizeable">
						<div id="page-1" class="page">
		 		<h2 class="page-title">Prayers Answered... At Last!</h2>
		 		<h3 class="page_title">Our Prayers Answered... At Last!</h3>
<p>Thanks to driver upgrades, NVIDIA's GTX 200 series of cards are looking competitive again and none more so than their GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 (hence forth known as GTX 260+). Armed with more stream processors, a reference GeForce GTX 260+ was more than a match of its rival, the Radeon HD 4870 from ATI. However, if there was anything the NVIDIA cards were lacking, it was custom cooling solutions.</p>
<p>ATI's Radeon HD 4870 cards had long had custom coolers. PowerColor's PCS+ HD 4870 was one of the earliest Radeon HD 4870 cards we tested, and even then it was already utilizing a PCS+ cooling solution customized by ZEROtherm. Sometime later, we tested Palit's HD 4870 Sonic, which had a dual-fan cooling solution that would later form the basis of the cooler found on the Revolution 700. While all this was happening, NVIDIA was completely out of action as far as customized coolers were concerned, much like a child who had brought nothing for show-and-tell in class. Until now, that is.</p>
<p>The new Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP (hence forth known as Palit GTX 260+ Sonic) is like a breath of fresh air in a stale warehouse or like an attractive lady in an army barrack full of men. Featuring a dual-fan cooling solution that closely resembles that of the one found on the triple-slot Revolution 700, the Palit GTX 260+ Sonic, is to our knowledge the first GTX 260+ card, or any GTX 200 series card for that matter, to employ the use of a customized cooler. At long last, we can finally say goodbye to boring and frankly quite ineffective NVIDIA reference coolers.</p>
<p>Before we reveal more about this exciting-looking card, here's a look at the card itself.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img src="http://images.hardwarezone.com/upload/files/2010/03/aee6292ab0.jpg" title="A quick first look at the Palit GeForce GTX 260+ Sonic. See, it has a customized cooler - no more big black bricks!" alt="" /></p>			</div>
		</div>
			<div class="pagination" >
		<span class="desc">Page 1 of 9</span>
		<ul>
			<li class="prevnext prev"><a href="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp" class="disabled">&lsaquo; Prev</a></li>
			<li class="skip">
				<form id="PageAddForm" method="post" action="/go"><fieldset style="display:none;"><input type="hidden" name="_method" value="POST" /></fieldset>					<select name="data[Page][url]" class="page-selector" id="PageUrl">
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp" selected="selected">Prayers Answered... At Last!</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp">The Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/test-setup-23">Test Setup</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/windows-vista-results-3dmark06-5">Windows Vista  Results - 3DMark06</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/windows-vista-results-3dmark06-6">Windows Vista Results - 3DMark06</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/windows-vista-results-crysis-warhead-far-cry-2-4">Windows Vista Results - Crysis Warhead &amp; Far Cry 2</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/windows-vista-results-unreal-tournament-3-3">Windows Vista Results - Unreal Tournament 3</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/temperature-power-consumption-overclocking-7">Temperature, Power Consumption &amp; Overclocking</option>
<option value="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/conclusion-84">Conclusion</option>
</select>					<input type="submit" class="submit" value="Go" />				</form>			</li>
			<li class="prevnext next"><a href="/review-custom-cooler-last-palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp/palit-geforce-gtx-260-sonic-216-sp" class="">Next &rsaquo;</a></li>
		</ul>
	</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 
		var container = document.getElement ('#product-review'),
			content = container && container.getElement ('.content'),
			pagination = container && container.getElement ('.pagination'),
			form = pagination && pagination.getElement ('form'),
			menu = form && form.getElement ('.page-selector'),
			links = {
				prev: pagination && pagination.getElement ('.prev a'),
				next: pagination && pagination.getElement ('.next a')
			},
			page = -1,
			desc = 'Page {curPage} of {lastPage}'
		;

// Tag as Javascript-enabled
		pagination.addClass ('js');

menu.addEvent ('change', function (e)
		{
			var curPage = this.selectedIndex + 1,
				lastPage = this.length,
				url = this.get ('value'),
				pageContent = container && container.getElement ('.page')
			;

// Disable controls
			menu.set ('disabled', 'disabled').blur ();
			if (pageContent) pageContent.setStyle ('opacity', .5);

new Request.HTML ({
				'url': url,
				'method': 'get',
				'link': 'cancel',
				'update': content,
				'onSuccess': function ()
				{
					// Update controls
					menu.erase ('disabled');
					links.prev
						.set ('href', menu.getChildren ('option')[(curPage > 1)? curPage - 2: curPage - 1].get ('value'))
						[(curPage > 1)? 'removeClass': 'addClass'] ('disabled')
					;
					links.next
						.set ('href', menu.getChildren ('option')[(curPage < lastPage)? curPage: curPage - 1].get ('value'))
						[(curPage < lastPage)? 'removeClass': 'addClass'] ('disabled')
					;
					pagination.getElement ('.desc').set ('text', desc.substitute ({ curPage: curPage, lastPage: lastPage}));

captureIntraLinks ();
					new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement (container);
				},
				'onFailure': function ()
				{
					// Restore controls
					menu.erase ('disabled');
					if (pageContent) pageContent.setStyle ('opacity', 1);
				}
			}).send ();
		});
		$$([links.prev, links.next]).addEvent ('click', function (e)
		{
			e.stop (); this.blur ();
			if (!this.hasClass ('disabled'))
				menu.set ('value', this.get ('href')).fireEvent ('change');
		});
		form.addEvent ('submit', function (e)
		{
			e.stop (); this.blur ();
			menu.fireEvent ('change');
		})

// Capture all intra-page links and hook to js
		function captureIntraLinks ()
		{
			content.getElements ('a[href^="#"]').flatten().each (function (link)
			{
				var target = link.get ('href').substr (6).trim ();
				if (target && target.match (/^\d+$/) && target <= menu.length)
					link.addEvent ('click', function (e)
					{
						e.stop (); this.blur ();
						menu.selectedIndex = target - 1;
						menu.fireEvent ('change');
					});
			});
		}
		captureIntraLinks ();

// Trigger initial pagination state
		var target = location.hash && location.hash.substr (6).trim ();
		if (target && target.match (/^\d+$/) && target <= menu.length && target != page)
		{
			menu.selectedIndex = target - 1;
			menu.fireEvent ('change');
		}
 
	});
//]]>
</script>
				</div>

<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 
		var section = $('tab-product-content-review'),
			dropdown = section.getElement ('#reviews-list'),
			tId = 0
		;

if (section && dropdown)
		{
			var list = dropdown.getElement ('ul'),
				links = list.getElements ('li a')
			;

dropdown.addClass ('js');
			list.set ('morph', { 'link': 'cancel' });

$$(dropdown, list).addEvents ({
				'mousemove': function ()
				{
					$clear (tId);
				},
				'mouseenter': function ()
				{
					list.set ('morph', {'duration': 'short'}).morph ({ 'opacity': 1 });
				},
				'mouseleave': function ()
				{
					tId = function () { list.set ('morph', {'duration': 'short'}).morph ({ 'opacity': 0}); }.delay (1000);
				}
			}).fireEvent ('mouseleave');

links.addEvent ('click', function (e)
			{
				e.stop ();
				//unescape the 'alt' prooperty
				var o = new Element('i', { 'html': this.get ('alt')});
				new Request.HTML ({
					'url': o.get('text') + '&as=ajax',
					'method': 'get',
					'link': 'cancel',
					'update': section.empty().grab(new Element('div')
						.addClass ('waiter')
						.grab (new Element ('span', {
							text: 'Please wait while we load your article ...'
						}))
					)
				}).send ();
			})

section.getElements ('.footer .comments a').addEvent ('click', function (e)
			{
				e.stop ();
				new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement ($('tab-product-details'));

var href = this.get ('href').match (/#.+$/), target = href && href[0];
				if (target)
					(function () { new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement ($(target.substr (1))); })
						.delay (3000);

$('tab-product-comments').getChildren ('a')[0].fireEvent ('click');
			})
		}
		if( $$('.image-caption-container').length < 1 )
		{	
			$$('.article .content img[title]').each (function (img)
			{
				// skip if title is empty
				if (!img.get ('title')) return;
			
				new Element ('span', {'class': 'image-caption-container'})
					.addClass (['left', 'right'].contains (img.get ('align'))? img.get ('align'): '')
					.set ('width', img.get ('width'))
					.replaces (img)
					.grab (img)
					.grab (new Element ('div', {
						'class': 'image-caption',
						'html': img.get ('title').trim ()
					}))
				;
				img.erase ('align');
			
				var link = img.getParents ('a');
				if (link) link.addClass ('captioned');
			});
		}
 
	});
//]]>
</script>

Graphics Cards Guide

Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP (896MB)

Filter by Manufacturers

You may also be interested in...