The Card

ASUS has once again completely changed the looks of their cooler, giving it a more plain look that relies on the RGB LEDs to provide color. On the back, you will find a sturdy metal backplate with RGB lighting on the ROG logo. Dimensions of the card are 30.0 cm x 13.0 cm.


The RGB colors can be adjusted via software. It's also possible to adjust the color according to the GPU's temperature.


Installation requires two slots in your system.


Display connectivity options include a DVI port, two HDMI ports, and two DisplayPorts. Note that one DIsplayPort has been switched to HDMI. ASUS says this is to cater to users who are looking to either run two VR headsets or a VR headset and a TV off their graphics card.

Unlike previous NVIDIA cards, the DVI port no longer includes the analog signal, so you'll have to use an active adapter. NVIDIA also updated DisplayPort to be 1.2 certified and 1.3/1.4 ready, which enables support for 4K at 120 Hz and 5K @ 60 Hz, or 8K @ 60 Hz with two cables.

The GPU also comes with an HDMI sound device. It is HDMI 2.0b compatible, which supports HD audio and Blu-ray 3D movies. The GPU's video-encoding unit has been updated to support HEVC at 10-bit and 12-bit.


NVIDIA made some changes to SLI. Two-way SLI is now the only officially supported configuration for gaming. Three-way or Quad SLI can no longer be enabled in games; however, both do work in a few benchmarks. Also, for 4K at 60 Hz and above, NVIDIA recommends a new high-bandwidth SLI bridge called "SLI HB," which occupies both SLI fingers. The old bridges will work fine at lower resolutions.


Pictured above are the front and back, showing the disassembled board. High-res versions are also available (front, back).