Who here is waiting?? (Custom 680's)

[MfA]

asus 680 top allows you to use power limit up to +59%

http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-g...ii-top-review/

http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-gtx...w/15614-1.html

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A..._Direct_Cu_II/

[AlmondMan]

I am waiting. Never buying reference again. The Asus DirectCU II Top was the one I was hoping would popup, and so it did today But... I can't figure out if I should wait a little longer for a 4gb version :S I game at 2560x1440, so the extra memory COULD potentially mean something in the future. So far I don't see the 7970 win out because of the extra framebuffer, but ... potentially in the future the 2gb will run out faster than it does at present. I have had my 5870 nearly 2,5 years now, and while it is still going pretty strong, I can feel it straining on some titles, and I'm unable to play TW2 at max (discarding Ubersampling).
But ... maybe I'll just get the Asus then.

[..VeNoM..]

Well looks like my ship has arrived... Thank you ASUS, I'll be having 1 of them

Seriously though, 3 slot cooler looks like a transformer. Overclocking results are like the deathstar and my pants need a good wash

[RedPyramid]

Directcu II Top is still confined to max 1.175v like reference. Unless you get out your soldering iron, in which case you nullify your warranty. Thank Nvidia - what a frickin joke.

[Denial]

Originally Posted by RedPyramid

Directcu II Top is still confined to max 1.175v like reference. Unless you get out your soldering iron, in which case you nullify your warranty. Thank Nvidia - what a frickin joke.

How is this Nvidia's fault exactly? I mean yeah, Nvidia set the reference design, but EVGA/ASUS/Etc are more than capable of releasing a unlocked bios if they wanted too. EVGA already did for the overclocking people and their Classified cards will have them on it.

[AlmondMan]

Screw overclocking. Just ends up breaking **** anyway.

[Denial]

Originally Posted by AlmondMan

Screw overclocking. Just ends up breaking **** anyway.

I've overclocked plenty of cards without breaking them, so uh yeah.

[cowie]

Originally Posted by RedPyramid

Directcu II Top is still confined to max 1.175v like reference. Unless you get out your soldering iron, in which case you nullify your warranty. Thank Nvidia - what a frickin joke.

looks like you do not even need a slodering iron,that is if you have one of the asus boards that allow hot wire mods.
with this card you can just put the wires right into the holes on the pbc and plug them right onto the mb pins for that purpose
i may even hold out for the asus z77 mb that has hotwire support.
I really like this hotwire mb thing it even worked for a ref 275 card i have
(start +1 thuo cus every +1 is a .10v+ with that card)

[RoadKillNL]

I like the Asus one, but i still want a 4GB Model and be Future Proof.

Apart from Future Proof i need more than 2GB so i can mod Skyrim beyond it's limits.

[Lavans]

Originally Posted by RoadKillNL

I like the Asus one, but i still want a 4GB Model and be Future Proof.

Apart from Future Proof i need more than 2GB so i can mod Skyrim beyond it's limits.

It's plenty easy to mod Skyrim beyond it's limits with 2Gb so long as you're mindful of Creation Engine's excessive faults and shortcomings. What destroys video memory more than anything else in that game is the shadow resolution.

Currently I'm playing it at 2560x1440 Skyrim HD textures + FXAA Inject + ENB + SSAO + 4096 shadows + Added Dynamic Shadows + 4xAA + 4xSGSSAA + FXAA. With those settings, Skyrim typically does not exceed 1.6Gb of usage.

[KingDazza]

Just in the process of swapping my reference Gainward 680 for the overclocked Phantom - its just cost me an eye watering £549 including Saturday morning delivery. I'll let you know what difference/comparison the cooler makes when it arrives tomorrow. Presuming anybody is interested

[Noisiv]

4GB?

yes please, I am dying to see any benchmark showing the benefit of 4GB over 2GB

I'd try with super-sampling and custom resolutions

[KingDazza]

Actually its the 2GB version - but its factory overclocked. I didnt see where I'd need 4GB tbh.

[RedPyramid]

Originally Posted by cowie

looks like you do not even need a slodering iron,that is if you have one of the asus boards that allow hot wire mods.
with this card you can just put the wires right into the holes on the pbc and plug them right onto the mb pins for that purpose
i may even hold out for the asus z77 mb that has hotwire support.
I really like this hotwire mb thing it even worked for a ref 275 card i have
(start +1 thuo cus every +1 is a .10v+ with that card)

Sure but it's bye bye warranty if you go the hotwire or solder route. And that's your only option to get more than reference voltage.

I know some folks don't care about warranty, but most do..

[KingDazza]

Wow, what a card. This new Phantom II cooler is brilliant kit. Flat lines at 71C under Kombuster and is extremely quiet. Yep better than the Direct CU II cooler on the 580 I had. More efficient than the xfx DD cooler on the 7970 I tried and I'd say pretty much as quiet. Under full load you can just about hear the fans, but only just. The reference 680 cooler isnt bad, but would hit 83C with Kombuster and whilst quiet does get noisy under full load I found. Bare in mind too that the Phantom is overclocked too.

I love the Gainward Phantom. Love it!

[cowie]

Originally Posted by RedPyramid

Sure but it's bye bye warranty if you go the hotwire or solder route. And that's your only option to get more than reference voltage.

I know some folks don't care about warranty, but most do..

No i agree but higher then 1.21v even with software will break your warrenty
I heard alot cry waaaaa about "only 1.17v " would it be ok for you to use say a modded AB for 1.40v then send back your card after you bust it??...no not at all.
Its not the voltage but its how the card uses it.

[keromyaou]

There is one review on gtx 680 4GB model.

http://www.*********.com/reviews/466...ew/index1.html

[Mufflore]

Odd review, where are the new games?

[Irocing]

What gets me with all the reviews, Speculations ect, on the 4 gig versus the 2 gig,
No one mentions the Bus bit as compared to the 7970 356 bus.

Why,

Doesn't it matter??
Now or in the future??

Looks like they can't increase it without revamping the Architecture on the PCB.
Is it there, But just waiting for a higher end card to activate it.

Just curious

Later

[USFORCES]

I'm still running tri-480's on a 2560x1600 without any problems I'm going to try and hold out for the GK110 I have a feeling the non-reference 4gb watercooled 680's 6+8 pin aren't going to be cheap, probably 900-1000 bucks US

[Lavans]

Originally Posted by Irocing

What gets me with all the reviews, Speculations ect, on the 4 gig versus the 2 gig,
No one mentions the Bus bit as compared to the 7970 356 bus.

Why,

Doesn't it matter??
Now or in the future??

Looks like they can't increase it without revamping the Architecture on the PCB.
Is it there, But just waiting for a higher end card to activate it.

Just curious

Later

History has shown that anything over 256bit bus has little benefit. Currently there's not a single game that a 2Gb card can't handle at 2560x1440. Even a heavily modded Skyrim won't exceed 1.8Gb if it's modded right.

[RedPyramid]

Originally Posted by cowie

Its not the voltage but its how the card uses it.

For every graphics card I've owned in the last few years, whenever I hit an overclocking limit at stock voltage, increasing the voltage ALWAYS enabled me to reach higher stable overclocks, in many cases much higher, provided I kept temperature under control. I know, from experience, that to say more voltage means NOTHING is incorrect.

And not one single non-reference 680 with "beefed up" power features, allows you to increase voltage beyond stock reference 4-phase, 6-pins. Unless you're happy to write off your warranty. I should be able to buy some 680 with some modest amount of voltage headroom. It's been possible on every other card I've owned in the past few years. The fact that it's not possible with 680.. sucks ass.

[KingDazza]

Interestingly my overclocked Phantom comes with a new 6 phase instead and requires an 8pin and 6 pin connection's now too.

[cowie]

Originally Posted by RedPyramid

For every graphics card I've owned in the last few years, whenever I hit an overclocking limit at stock voltage, increasing the voltage ALWAYS enabled me to reach higher stable overclocks, in many cases much higher, provided I kept temperature under control. I know, from experience, that to say more voltage means NOTHING is incorrect.

And not one single non-reference 680 with "beefed up" power features, allows you to increase voltage beyond stock reference 4-phase, 6-pins. Unless you're happy to write off your warranty. I should be able to buy some 680 with some modest amount of voltage headroom. It's been possible on every other card I've owned in the past few years. The fact that it's not possible with 680.. sucks ass.

ok whatever like 90% of the brands that if you overclock you warrenty is over anyway
spoiled people with software voltage
maybe no more software voltage then will you stop buying cards right?

[Noisiv]

Originally Posted by cowie

ok whatever like 90% of the brands that if you overclock you warrenty is over anyway
spoiled people with software voltage
maybe no more software voltage then will you stop buying cards right?

hahaha yes these enthusiast just love soft control,
but hate software TDP/OVP proctection,

they also rage when OVP does not kick in and reviewers burn the card,
but they demand from Nvidia to officially defeat it's TDP/OVP protection, and just give them the suicide button

because they know very well what they're doing, but can't be bothered with wire mods, or go with time and adapt to new tech like GPU boost.

Ofc. they won't demand replacement if if they burn the card via sepukku button

now lets see if Nvidia was born yesterday, and gives them moar voltage and kills its TDP protection