The breakneck pace of product development for graphics cards doesn't always generate bigger, faster, more powerful chips and cards. Sometimes a new product gets developed and introduced to the market that isn't a barn burner. Such is the case with this GTX260-based video card, the ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix. That doesn't mean it isn't a worthwhile product, or isn't worth the attention of Benchmark Reviews. Instead, it's usually a more focused design that is aimed at a tighter target market. As if the high end PC graphics card market isn't tight enough, ASUS has carved out a niche in their product line called Matrix, and adopted it into their Republic of Gamers.

The hallmarks of the Matrix range so far are enhanced cooling capacity, improved configurability, and unique visual designs. The 9800GT and HD4870 cards that were released in 2008 have a new sibling, the ENGTX260 Matrix, and there is clearly a family resemblance. This isn't the first GTX260 video card that Benchmark Reviews has tested, but let's see what's different about this one.