We tested the GK104: GeForce GTX 680 and high-end guns

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GIGABYTE GTX 680 OC (GV-N680OC-2GD)

The strange situation was that, despite being a top card, the GTX 680 did not receive a reference copy for the first time, but a GIGABYTE GTX 680 of its own design, seasoned with individual cooling and OC, knocked on the window.

Surely this will make many people happy, but they would have been curious about the production of the reference model, they should not despair, because in our next additional article we will deal with the factory GTX 680 and SLI as well. Now, however, let’s see how the new monster looks according to GIGABYTE’s recipe!

The standard blue printed circuit board is 28,5 cm long, 12,6 cm high and 3,8 cm thick, i.e. not small in size, but nothing larger than the cards typical of the category in general.

The wrapped, single-fan, ducted factory cooling was thrown into the GIGABYTE suta, and a three-fan cooling solution called the GIGABYTE WindForce 3X Triangle Cool, also proven on previous top cards, was also applied to the GK104 core. The aluminum-based rib system extends over virtually the entire length and width of the card, but is not dangerously high, so it takes up only two card slots.

In addition to the large, densely lamellated main rib on the GPU, the PWM area (the main power supply of the card is 4-phase, plus 2 additional phases for memories) has a small additional rib, and above it it is practically an extension of the main rib. a really thick, 8 mm wide copper heat pipe stretches along and dissipates the heat generated over the entire surface of the rib system. This is matched by three 7,5 cm fans, which have the advantage of being able to evenly remove the heated air flowing from the ribs from the entire surface.

The solution called Triangle Cool is a special heat dissipating surface, we try to help you understand it with the pictures. This, combined with the anti-turbulence structure (airflow through the ribs does not cause turbulence and thus pass through with less noise) results in even better efficiency and even quieter operation compared to the traditional WindForce 3X solution.

In our opinion, the back of the PCB is less crowded this time than in previous top cards, somehow the PCB showed a clearer, simpler picture. The GIGABYTE inscription on the usual silver cover plate at the top of the card is a reminder of whose product we can know. To the left of it rest the two SLI connectors, ie 3- or 4-way SLI can be installed if necessary, and on the other side and at the end of the PCB there are PCI Express power connectors responsible for power supply, exactly an 8- and a 6-pin copy, these are needed because the GTX 680 has a maximum power consumption of 195 watts. The manufacturer recommends a minimum 550 watt power supply for the system.

Of course, the card supports the PCI Express 3.0 standard. This model of GIGABYTE also contains Ultra Durable VGA, i.e. the PCB contains 2 ounces of copper, the condensed Japanese solid electrolytic capacitors as well as the iron core coils and MOSFETs were obtained from drawers containing quality components, as well as 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, which represent first class quality. This results in quieter and cooler operation, slightly lower power consumption and better tuning potential. 

As already mentioned, we are faced with a card with factory tuning, it is no coincidence that the OC marking on the type designation. In practice, this means that the base frequency of the GPU, which already commands authority by default, has been increased to 1006 MHz, resulting in an increase in the Boost clock (the increased value) from 1071 MHz to 1058 MHz. The speed of GDDR1137 memories roaring at 6008 MHz was unchanged. We can see that this overdrive is not considered extreme, but it is not negligible, it makes a difference in the measurements in any case, so the controller was also measured at the clock signals and tuned frequencies recommended by NVIDIA.

The output range isn’t as surprisingly rich as on some Radeon models, but for an average user, the two Dual-link DVIs, native 1.4a HDMI and fresh DisplayPort are perfectly adequate, and the space left on the back panel is designed as a ventilation grille.

Although we have not yet received the card in the box that was sold in the store, based on the information available to us, we can say that no special content is expected in connection with this GTX 680, the accessories include basic things such as installation disc and user manual, molex–> PCI Express power converters, etc.

More opponents

Let's see briefly which cards went into battle against the GTX 680!

GIGABYTE GTX 580 SOC (GV-N580SO-15I)

This special GIGABYTE edition from the former king has been with us several times, has a unique printed circuit board and unique cooling (WindForce 3X), and has significantly elevated clock signals (these have been reset to reference values ​​for measurements). We were curious to see how much speed difference and fuel consumption the GTX 680 would show compared to its predecessor.

ASUS GTX 590 (ENGTX590 / 3DIS / 3GD5)

The two GPU rulers didn’t miss out on the battle either, he’ll have a bigger role to play, especially in SLI measurement, but it’s no problem now that we see what Kepler knows against two, slightly stifled Fermis. The ASUS card rests entirely on reference bases, both in terms of PCB and cooling. There were a few MHz deviations from the ref values ​​in terms of frequencies, which were corrected for the time of measurement.

ASUS HD 7970 (HD7970-3GD5)

There’s no question that the direct and real opponent of the GeForce GTX 680 is the AMD Radeon HD 7970. Both cards are made with new, latest manufacturing technology and are also familiar with the latest technologies, both are terribly fast, but which is better? Of course, we will answer this as well, and an ASUS HD 7970, which is also a stickered reference card, helped us to answer, so we didn't have to change anything for the measurements.

ASUS HD 6990 (EAH6990 / 3DI4S / 4GD5)

The ASUS HD 6990, i.e. the giant Antilles with a gigantic size, is also a reference card, to our knowledge it was not very customized. For the measurements, we used the default, primary BIOS profile, i.e. the GPU worked at 830 MHz and the GDDR5 memories at 5000 MHz. This model is no longer a piece of today, but its power is still staggering today, and at the moment it is still AMD’s fastest dual-core product, so we’ve been wondering what the GTX 680 will be capable of against it.

Comparative specification table: