A Closer Look

Thanks to the low heat output of the GM107 GPU, the card doesn't need any heatpipes. Asus is instead using a simple block of metal with the two fans on top.


The card requires a single 6-pin PCI-Express power connector. This power configuration can provide up to 150W of power. You can not use the card without the power connector (I tried). I've also been wondering about the odd placement of the power connector, which I find difficult to use, especially in smaller cases. ASUS tells me this has been done to optimize power delivery - the voltage regulation circuitry is nearby the connector.


The GDDR5 memory chips are by Samsung and carry model number K4G41325FC-HC03. They are specified to run at 1500 MHz (6000 MHz GDDR5 effective).


NVIDIA's GM107 graphics processor introduces the company's Maxwell architecture. Manufactured at TSMC in Taiwan, it is produced on a 28 nm process. The transistor count is 1.87 billion.