Conclusion
We tested Gainward’s GTX 560 2048MB card, which does great at 1680x1050 and 1920x1080. Depending on the game and graphics settings, you could also hit 2560x1600 without stutters.
Twice the amount of memory found on reference cards will probably catch the eye of less experienced users, as 1024MB of memory will be enough in for most of GTX 560 gaming. Naturally, there are benefits to more memory, mostly when graphics settings are maxed out at 2560x1600. However, the GTX 560’s GPU simply isn’t fast enough to handle such frame rates so the few frames more that you get by doubling the memory will hardly make a difference. Additional memory can however come in handy to users who use special game modes or those who like downsampling.
The fact that Gainward’s special cooling isn’t quieter than reference cooling, although it isn’t much louder either, it is a bit underwhelming. The card is inaudible when idle. The GTX 560 2048MB comes with standard HDMI out, which, coupled with quiet idle mode, may attract multimedia computer owners.
If you manage to find Gainward’s GTX 560 2048MB priced at €15-20 more than the reference version, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t invest in the future. The lowest price we managed to find is €40 higher than the 1GB version, here.