Set in a different location, with new characters, and a brand new graphics engine, Far Cry 2 is the sequel which probably has the least similarities with its predecessor in recent memory.
Far Cry 2 Settings
Far Cry 2 includes a benchmarking utility. The results are from four iterations of the "Ranch Long" timedemo with Ultra settings, Very High settings and High settings.
Far Cry 2 Results - Ultra Quality
Far Cry 2 Results - Very High Quality
Far Cry 2 Results - High Quality
The above results are quite a testament to the power of the eVGA 285 GTX SSC Edition. Cranking the anti-aliasing up on any of the quality settings on the two resolutions tested had little effect on the performance. The biggest frame per second delta between no anti-aliasing and 8x anti-aliasing is 3 fps. I can definitely live with such a small drop in performance for greatly improved visuals.
The tests above also demonstrate that the 1GB of RAM on the 285 GTX SSC Edition is meant to run at high resolutions with high anti aliasing settings with even the most demanding new games. When there's barely a difference between 1680x1050 and 1920x1200, why wouldn't you game at 1920?
GPU TEMPERATURE
At a room temperature of 21.5°C, the eVGA GeForec 285 GTX SSC Editions's temperature peaked at 96°C after twenty minutes of running the FurMark stability test with Xtreme Burning Mode enabled at a resolution of 1280x1024 within a closed case. Within three minutes of stopping the test, the card shed 30°C of extra heat, returning to 66°C just 7 degrees above the idle operating temperature.
CONCLUSION
The eVGA GeForce 285 GTX SSC Edition is a extremely powerful card. Building upon NVIDIA's most powerful single GPU solution, turning up the clocks, providing a great warranty and around the clock support has resulted in another winner for eVGA. This card is a scorcher in all gaming situations.
The only drawback of the card is the price. Available for roughly $350, it's under the price of two GeForce 260 GTX-based cards. The 260 GTXs in SLI will outperform the 285 GTX SSC, but will require a much meaner power supply capable of powering two powerful cards. The 285 GTX however will have the upper hand on games that do not scale with multiple GPUs.
Note that the GeForce 285 GTX SSC Edition tested here is being phased out and will eventually be replaced by the eVGA GeForce 285 GTX FTW.
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