Nvidia GeForce GTX 260+ (core 216)

The GeForce GTX 260+ - also known as the GTX 260 core 216 - is a timely shot in the arm for Nvidia. With the original GTX 260 lagging behind the competition, the addition of 24 extra stream processors should give it a much-needed boost.

So this steroid-boosted GTX 260+ now has 216 stream processors, although none of the other specifications has changed: the core clock of 576MHz and shader clock of 1242MHz may sound impressive, but there isn't a hint of improvement. There's also still 896MB of GDDR3 RAM clocked at 1GHz.

We approached the card with some trepidation: would the increase in stream processors be enough to help the GTX 260+, or would the same old specifications limit performance?

Our benchmarks showed that while the added processing power is an improvement, it's only minor. Both Crysis and Call of Juarez remained unplayable in our toughest tests, and Call of Duty 4 and Far Cry 2 exhibited just minor improvements.

The GTX 260+ is even less impressive when stacked up against the competition. The HD 4850 X2 is more expensive - $550 compared with $405 - but was significantly quicker in all tests bar Far Cry 2. Even the HD 4870, which is around the same price as the 260+, outpaced the card in our most demanding tests.

It's proof, then, that even Nvidia's updated cards can't compete with ATI right now. The additional stream processors provide only a minor benefit over the original GTX 260, and the HD 4870 is just as quick.

• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2
• 
  ATI Radeon HD 4650
• 
  ATI Radeon HD 4670
• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT, still almost on par with ATI's HD 4670
• 
  ATI Radeon HD 4870, why it's our new A-List graphics card
• - Recommended -
  ATI Radeon HD 4850, superb performance without the HD 4870's price tag
• 
  ATI Radeon HD 4830, can't match the 4870 but it's significantly cheaper
• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT, toe-to-toe with ATI's HD 4830
• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX
• 
  Nvidia GeForce GTX 260
• 
  ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2
• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2
• 
  Nvidia GeForce GTX 280
• 
  ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
• 
  Nvidia GeForce GTX 295
• 
  Nvidia GeForce GTX 285
• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9600 GSO
• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9500 GT
• 
  ATI Radeon 4550
• 
  Nvidia GeForce 9400 GT
• - Best Value -
  ATI Radeon HD 4350, best value graphics card at budget prices