Video Cards Reviews

Asus GTX680-DC2T-2GD5

The  new  triple slot video card from ASUS  based on the GK104 GPU is here clocked at 1137 MHz with a declared Turbo frequency of 1202 MHz,  GDDR5 memory  clocked at 1502 MHz with 256 bits bus bandwidth.

Asus GTX 680 has two power connectors : one PCI-E 6 pin +8 pin more than enough for its consumption, arranged one near the other favoring wire management. The back panel is equipped with two DVI, one HDMI, one DisplayPort, and a small ventilation slit.

The cooling system is composed of a massive Direct CU II cooler which covers the entire card being equipped with two fans and five copper heatpipes of which only  2  make direct contact with the GPU.

On the back of the PCB we have the voltage controller (VRM) with 10 phases,  2 phase for memory supply and 8 for the GPU which gives a higher stability in OC sessions regarding noise and temperatures, each phase has 3 MOSFET transistors and 1 coil .

As for temperatures in idle we had 31° C with fans at 1140 rpm, as benchmark we   ran HWbot Unigine using Extreme Preset and again we measured temperatures and fan speed. Thus, the maximum temperature achieved during the test was 65° C and the speed was 1740RPM, at this speed fans were quiet and the temperature in LOAD was good considering the frequency at which the GPU runs and given the precarious contact with heatpipe sites.

Factory overclocking is welcome but we can not settle for that, so I set the fan to maximum speed and started searching the max frequency that can run 3D Mark 2011. Finally we arrived at 1340MHz GPU obtained at default voltage 1.175v and stock cooling which is good  and 1752MHz for the GDDR5 memories.

In games like: Crisys 2, Lost Planet 2, Alien vs Predator, Dirt 3,Total War: Shogun 2 , Asus GTX680-DC2T-2GD5 won against  Asus HD 7970 using both 1920 x 1080 and 2560 x 1600 resolutions with 4xAA. Metro 2033 was the only game where HD7970 was slightly better.

ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP is a solid graphic card offering outstanding performance at high resolution such as 2560 × 1600 even as it comes from the factory. Responsible for this are the high frequencies, in most tested applications the GPU goes up to 1267MHz  and also the spectacular efficiency – comparing the  small size of the GPU’s DIE .

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Asus GTX690-4GD5

 

Asus released a new video card based on Nvidia’s GK104 GPU and that is the GTX690 which incorporates two GTX680, clocked at a lower frequency of 915 MHz with a declared Turbo frequency of 1019 MHz,yet in reality this frequency increases to 1050 MHz in most applications and over. The 4GB GDDR5 memory is clocked at 1502 MHz helped by a  512 (256 x 2) bit bus bandwidth.
We have Nvidia technologies implemented like the GPU Boost, helping this GPU to become the fastest on the planet. Also when the card cannot generate 60 fps the VSync is simply automatically disabled, allowing the card to generate 50 fps or any other value less then 60 fps without switching to a lower range of synchronous display (30 fps). This leads to a smoother gaming experience , Adaptive Vertical Sync technology  being responsible for it.
Asus GTX 690 has two power connectors PCI-E 8pin, more than enough for its consumption, arranged one near the other. The back panel is equipped with three DVI, one mini DisplayPort, and a small ventilation slit. Aso the case of this video card  is made from aluminium and the fan shroud from the centre is built from molded magnesium.
The cooling system is composed of an aluminium radiator which occupies the entire card and takes the heat off from most of the components like mosfets,memory chips and the PLX3 chip except the 2 GPUs,  cooled down by a fan mounted in the middle of the radiator, also the heat is taken from the core with a copper base connected to aluminium gills.
The PCB is similar with the one from the GTX590 but with a few major differences, one of them being the newest chip PLX3 which creates the communication between the two cores, also we have 5 MOS phases for each core and strong capacitors.
In tests we choosed as oponents two Asus GTX680 in sli mode because of price being about the same  and Asus GTX590 beeing the top  high-end GPU from Nvidia.
In games like: Far Cry 2, Crisys 2, Lost Planet 2, Alien vs Predator, Dirt 3,Total War: Shogun 2and Metro 2033  Asus GTX690 was close to our sli of GTX680 using both 1920 x 1080 and 2560 x 1600 resolutions with 8xAA while Asus GTX590 was slower in some games with even up to 60% then Asus GTX690.
Set at full load  our card consumed less with 57W then the two GTX680 in sli mode, and 47W less then GTX590. We could say consumption its not so important because anyone who will use this setup should afford a suitable power supply, yet consumption translates into dispersed heat and of course noise level where Asus GTX690 has an advantage over the other tested models.

Noise levels  advantages the Asus GTX690 being significantly quieter than our GTX680 in Sli mode , 45.4 db compared to 46.3 db in load and 36.5 to 38.2 db in idle, a direct effect due to a lower consumption and temperatures.

As for overclocking our dual-GPU video card with the cooler set on Auto mode I’ ve got 1173MHz for our GPUs, while with the cooler set on full mode we reached 1215MHz, and the memories worked at 1753MHz with stock frequencies.
Yes gentlemans, we ofer you the most powerfull video card in history, it offers performances close to a Sli-mode of two Asus GTX680, destroys its predecessor GTX590 and on top of that  consumes less power, produces less noise and heats up less then it , add a stronger PCB and you got a real monster, but all this comes at a high price which can be ignored by those who appreciate a powerfull High- end video card with amazing performances.

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Asus Release two new GeForce GTX650 Ti DirectCU ІІ Graphics Cards

Dual-fan ASUS GeForce® GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II graphics cards present very attractive options for those interested in moving up to the DirectX® 11 and 28nm era for home multimedia, graphics-reliant productivity, and detailed gaming. Exclusive ASUS features include the DirectCU II thermal design for 20% cooler and 3X quieter operation, DIGI+ VRM and Super Alloy Power for extended longevity and greater stability, and GPU Tweak user-friendly overclocking. The cards further support four-screen displays via NVIDIA® 3D Surround™ technology. ASUS offers two GeForce® GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II variants, including TOP and OC versions.

Performance-focused 105MHz-overclocked TOP version

ASUS GeForce® GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II cards offer high-output products well-suited to a wide range of PC DIY needs. Derived from the NVIDIA® GK106 core, they maintain an excellent cost-to-performance ratio for customers. The TOP version uses specially-picked GPUs that are aggressively-tested and factory-overclocked to 1033MHz boost clock (105MHz above reference) The OC version runs 954MHz boost (26MHz above reference). Both cards ship with 1GB GDDR5 video memory set to 5400MHz.

DirectCU II runs 20% cooler and three times quieter

Unique to all ASUS performance graphics cards, the DirectCU II cooler consists of copper heatpipes in direct contact with the GPU, a larger dissipation area made of thermally-efficient materials, and dual noise-dampening fans. The latter are of special interest, as ASUS GeForce® GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II cards are unique in their category by offering a twin fan design. Overall, DirectCU II results in 20% cooler performance to improve stability and increase overclocking tolerance, plus three times quieter operation- perfect for pleasant gaming and home multimedia environments.

GPU Tweak taps flexible graphics card tuning and management

The exclusive GPU Tweak utility also joins the package to assist GeForce® GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II buyers in making the most of graphics card power. Easy core and clock adjustments, fan speed controls, and voltage modification allow customers to change card parameters and achieve the utmost performance based on their own needs and system specifications. All GPU Tweak features are accessible from a single user-friendly interface. 

DIGI+ VRM and Super Alloy Power increase performance, reliability, and longevity

ASUS GeForce® GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II products retain the exclusive features that are at the heart of new ASUS graphics cards. Their DIGI+ VRM digital voltage regulation sets them apart, allowing for more delicate voltage adjustments and refined overclocking. As the GTX 650 Ti core offers customers a considerable overclocking margin, DIGI+ VRM control helps unlock these nascent capabilities. To aid in this, Super Alloy Power solid state capacitors, concrete-core buzz-free chokes, and MOSFETs handle heavy load and extended operation with ease. The design allows for 30% less power noise to boost stability, and its long-lasting components translate into 2.5 times the longevity of reference cards.

Wider viewing and enhanced multitasking on up to four screens

Boasting HDMI 1.4a, D-sub, and dual DVI, ASUS GeForce® GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II cards are optimized for NVIDIA® 3D Surround™ technology to expand displays on up to four monitors at once. For example, gamers may enjoy three-screen action panoramas while using the forth monitor as a large window reserved for GPU Tweak tuning, video chat, and more. The larger visual format is also useful for home and professional productivity, including graphic design and image rendering, enabling better multitasking with more applications open simultaneously.

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Zotac Presents GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB

The classic orange and black styling of Zotac cards is again present in its version of the GTX 650 Ti. The orange 90mm fan sits atop the aluminium heatsink, and the design of the cooler means that most of the resultant hot air will be exhausted into your case, probably more so than with the EVGA card as no attempt is made here to channel air through the rear I/O panel.

The heatsink does leave a bit more room between itself and the memory chips than the EVGA card, but it also extends towards the rear panel and provides some coverage for the power circuitry too, which the EVGA GTX 650 Ti 1GB does not.
Although the Zotac card uses a PCB the same length as the EVGA, the end of the cooler protrudes slightly and means that the card is 154mm lengthways, 8mm more than the EVGA card, although this is still tiny by today's standards.

The Zotac GTX 650 Ti 2GB also takes advantage of the card's four screen support, by replacing the single mini-HDMI output with two full-size HDMI connections. This gives it an edge over the EVGA card, especially given the use of full-size HDMI connections, which are more popular than mini-HDMI ones.
As with all of Zotac's amp! Editions, there's a factory overclock applied to the card. The extra 107MHz on the stock core frequency of the GTX 650 Ti 1GB gives it a GPU clock of 1,032MHz, an overclock of 12%. Though this isn't as high an overclock as can be found on the EVGA card, Zotac has also ramped up the memory frequency from 1.35GHz to 1.55GHz, which is a substantial 200MHz (800MHz effective) overclock, and increases the memory bandwidth of the card from 86.4GB/s to 99.2GB/s, a 15% increase.
Zotac has also opted to include an extra 1GB of available memory for their GTX 650 Ti, giving it 2GB of GDDR5 compared to EVGA's 1GB. The four extra 256MB modules can be found on the back of the card, and are thus left completely uncooled. As with EVGA's version, the other four surround the GPU on the front of the PCB, which also features 3+1 phase power and a top-mounted 6-pin PCI-E power connection.