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- Date:
- Monday , May 21, 2012
- Author:
- Grady McKinney
- Editor:
- Brent Justice
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ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP GPU Review
ASUS has delivered its new flagship video card, the ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP. This video card features the outstanding DirectCU II cooling system. Combined with one of the highest factory overclocks we've ever seen to date in a GTX 680 GPU, this video card may be just what you have been waiting for.
Introduction
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. is one of the largest and most successful computer hardware manufacturers in the world. A Taiwan-based company, it manufactures a wide variety of computer hardware, including motherboards, video cards, optical drives, notebooks, networking equipment, barebones desktop, and server systems, among many others. In 2008, it sold over 24 million motherboards, grossed 8.1 billion U.S., and won 3,056 awards from various enthusiasts and IT related outlets.
ASUSTeK also has a second website dedicated to the gaming community that is currently in BETA, called the Republic of Gamers. ROG is the brand name that ASUS has been stamping its enthusiast focused products with, which has been quickly growing in popularity both gamers and hardware enthusiasts alike.
On our test bench today is the ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP video card.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
NVIDIA released its new GeForce GTX 680, code-named "Kepler" on March 22nd, 2012. The Kepler "GK104" architecture is much like its Fermi predecessor. The GeForce GTX 680 has 8 SMX clusters which each have 192 CUDA cores inside and a control logic which has a reduced size. The GPU is built using 28nm technology.
The GeForce GTX 680 itself is comprised of 3.54 billion transistors packed into 1536 CUDA cores with a default clock speed of 1006MHz. The GeForce GTX 680 also has a boost clock which it will increase to during graphically demanding applications and guarantees at least 1058MHz. There are a total of 8 geometry units and 128 texture units, along with 32 ROPs. This video card also uses the new PolyMorph 2.0 Engine which NVIDIA claims has 4X the tessellation performance of the Radeon HD 7970.
The GeForce GTX 680 is designed to be paired with 2GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, running at 1502MHz for a 6.0Gbps data rate and a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 192.2GB per second. The typical board power is 195W which will work with the advanced diagnostics to create more efficient and lower overall power consumption, with extra power available when needed. A standard GeForce GTX 680 only requires two 6-pin PCIe connectors. It can support up to 4 displays on a single video card, with a Dual Link DVI-I connector, a Dual Link DVI-D connector, one HDMI connector and one DisplayPort connector.
ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP
The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP is the new flagship video card from ASUS. It features the DirectCU II cooling system which we have seen perform efficiently in the last generation of video cards. ASUS also outfitted this video card with an impressive factory overclock. The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP is configured to run with a base GPU clock speed of 1137MHz, a Boost clock speed of 1201MHz, and the memory set to run at 1502MHz. Compared to the reference GeForce GTX 680 design this is an increase of 131MHz on the GPU core and 143MHz on the GPU boost. This heavy overclock is sure to provide improved performance out-of-box without the user needing to manually overclock. The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DC II TOP video card is currently out-of-stock due to popular demand, but goes for $539.99.
The DirectCU II has a reputation as one of the best cooling systems on the market. ASUS claims that it will run 14db quieter and 20% cooler than the reference GeForce GTX 680 model. There are 5 copper heat pipes that directly contact the GPU. Two of these heat pipes extend onto the heatsink directly over the GPU, while the other three extend to another heatsink at the far end of the video card. The heatsink is elevated off the video card, which allows the two fans to blow all the way across the heatsink fins and exhaust heat out more efficiently.
ASUS has its own overclocking program in ASUS GPU Tweak. This program has GPU-z built in to it, and monitors several different facets of your video card in real time. ASUS GPU Tweak has a very simple design that makes it easy for users to overclock immediately after installing. It is always a plus when a company has great software to support their video cards, and you do not have to go looking for third party software which may not have support.
You can read more about the ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP's specifications here.
ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP Pictures
The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DC II TOP comes in black box with three red claw marks on the front. It points out several features on the video card including the DirectCU II cooling system, which operates 20% cooler and 14db quieter than reference products. It also tells the top GPU Boost of 1201MHz, which as we mentioned is what ASUS guarantees we will reach in-game. The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DC II TOP came very well packaged and fit snug in the black foam inside, which will prevent any movement during shipping and keep it safe.
The software bundle is very simple. You will receive a Quick Start installation and information guide, and a driver CD that also has ASUS GPU Tweak for overclocking. The accessory bundle only contained an 8-pin to dual 6-pin PCIe connector, and an SLI bridge.
The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DC II TOP follows the same design as most DirectCU II video cards. The cover is made out of a solid black aluminum with three red stripes running down the middle of the video card. It is very durable and does not give when putting pressure on it. The pure copper heat pipes that directly contact the GPU and spread heat to the heat sinks are effectively covered and will keep you from getting burnt if you are removing this video card immediately after use.
On the back of the video card are a few things. First, you can see there is an aluminum plate that is mounted on to the video card. This protects any pins or components that are mounted on the back and will also help to spread heat. The back of the video card also houses the VGA Hotwire, which will allow you to plug in or solder wires on the ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DC II TOP's voltage regulators. With an ASUS ROG motherboard you can accurately read and control the Vcore, Vmem, and PLL voltages.
The rear I/O panel houses a Dual-Link DVI-I connector, a Dual-Link DVI-D connector, an HDMI connector, and a DisplayPort connector. On the top of the ASUS GeForce GTX DC II TOP is an 8-pin PCI-E and 6-pin PCI-E power connector which require a 550 Watt power supply to run correctly. The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DC II TOP measures 11.75 inches in Length, 2 and 3/8th inches Wide, and 4.75 inches in Height. The video card will take up three slots in your computer.