Gainward GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2048MB Phantom Review

Performance Analysis and Conclusion

Disappointingly, the Phantom posted similar results to other stock-speed cards we've tested. It managed comfortably playable minimum frame rates of 35fps and 32fps in Arma II and Bad Company 2 respectively at 1,920 x 1,080 with 4x AA. In contrast, the Gainward Golden Sample, which is pre-overclocked but has the standard 1GB of memory, was notably quicker at the same Bad Company 2 settings.


The Phantom managed 12,058ppd while running the Folding@home client and the cooler did a superb job under load, with the GPU reaching a low delta T of 40°C, and the cooler making a minimal amount of noise. After pushing the Phantom to just 925MHz using Gainward's XperTool overclocking software, we tried MSI's Afterburner suite and unlocked the voltage adjustments. Raising the voltage by 60mV only netted 930MHz, though, with the memory running at an effective speed of 4.3GHz. This saw a 12fps boost in Bad Company 2, where the 2GB of memory also saw it move slightly ahead of identically overclocked 1GB cards.

Conclusion
The Gainward GTX 560 Ti 2GB Phantom is the quietest GTX 560 Ti we've heard, and it didn't fare too badly in the speed stakes once overclocked. However, while the extra memory yields a bit of extra performance, it's nothing to write home about. If noise is your priority, however, the Phantom is a great buy.