Review-Palit GeForce GTX 560 Sonic Platinum: NVIDIA’s New “Sweet-Spot” Graphics Card

Conclusions

NVIDIA GTX 560

With pre-overclocked versions of GeForce GTX 460 1 GB reaching speeds beyond 800 MHz, the GTX 560 might appear to have nothing special at all. Moreover, because the GF114 chip on the GTX 560 is similar to the GF104 on the GTX 460 1 GB in terms of technical specification, the performance of these two cards should be identical to one another when clocked at the same frequency. However, it’s worth remembering that, in order to reach higher operating frequencies, the GTX 460 1 GB requires additional power supplied to it, which also means that the corresponding graphics card will operate at higher temperature levels.
On the other hand, the GTX 560 can easily reach 800 MHz or more. Judging from the GTX 560 Sonic Edition currently in our possession, it’s likely that GTX 560 will be clocked above 800 MHZ by default. Palit’s sonic platinum needs 1 volt to operate at 900 MHz, so, presumably, those other cards that operate at lower frequencies should require less voltage. Seems like the GTX 560 is a possible replacement for the venerable GTX 460 1 GB.

Palit GTX 560 Sonic Platinum

Palit combines the new “GF114 junior” GPU with custom PCB design, non-reference cooler, and higher operating frequencies to create the GTX 560 Sonic Platinum. This card has proven itself to be a newcomer worthy of your attention. The “Sonic Platinum” designation indicates that it is the fastest GTX 560 variant from Palit. Users can enjoy an improved performance right out of the box, without having to resort to manual overclocking.
With its 900 MHz/ 4200 MHz frequencies, Palit GTX 560 Sonic Edition easily runs our benchmark with reasonable frame rates at 1920×1080. It has no problem rendering tessellation-intensive, DirectX 11 titles. Performance wise, Palit GTX 560 Sonic Platinum is just a little behind the GTX 560 Ti.
Interestingly enough, we found out that the new Forceware 275.20 beta driver improves GTX 560’s PhysX performance. Palit GTX 560 Sonic Platinum even surpasses its bigger brother, the GTX 570 in some PhsyX tests. It seems like the new driver is optimized for that particular feature in anticipation for the coming PhysX-enabled game releases. Is this also a sign that PhysX-enabled games will grow in numbers?
Finally, we can say that the GTX 560 is an interesting new product for the US$ 200 price tag it carries. (overclocked versions, such as the Palit GTX 560 Sonic Platinum, may cost more). Gamers who want to run their games at 1920×1080 with all the graphics details maxed out will most likely be pleased by this graphics card. The GTX 560 is the most affordable card from NVIDIA that still provides sufficient processing power to run the latest games at those settings while still yielding acceptable frame rates.

Palit GTX 560 Sonic Platinum

• Manufacturer: Palit
• Info: www.palit.biz
• Price:
• Indonesian Distributor : Megacom
• Phone: (020) 612 7712/ (021) 3000 5408

Pros

• Overclocked out-of-the-box.
• High performance
• Relatively complete display output selections

Cons

• High operating temperature during load conditions

TECHNICAL DDATA

• Graphics Chip: NVIDIA GTX 560
• Interface: PCI Express 2.0 x16
• Memory Size: 1024 MB
• Core Clock: 900 MHz
• Shader Clock: 1800 MHz
• Memory Clock: 4200 MHz
• Stream Processor: 336
• D-Sub Output: Yes(x1)
• DVI Output: Yes (x1)
• HDMI Output: Yes (Full-size HDMI)
• Display Port Output: N/A
• Memory Type: GDDR5
• Memory Interface: 256-bit
• Bundled accessories: Quick Installation Guide, Driver Disc, and Molex to 6-pin power converter.