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ASUS releases the “fastest graphics card on the planet”

by Mark Tyson on 8 January 2013, 14:55

Tags: ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabrav

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ASUS today released “the fastest graphics card on the planet”. This AMD Radeon based graphics card is called the ASUS ROG ARES II. (ROG is ASUS’s Republic of Gamers sub-brand). The graphics card packs two Dual HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs which are paired with 6GB of GDDR5 RAM. To keep things cool the two-slot card features a hybrid liquid and air cooling system. Now the bad news: the newly announced ASUS ROG ARES II is “strictly limited to 1000 units”. (Actually the price is also probably “bad news” but is not disclosed in the press release).

The ROG ARES II’s cooler design “allows it to achieve temperatures some 31 degrees C cooler than those of a reference GeForce GTX 690 card” according to ASUS. The card easily fits into a two slot profile while the combined liquid and air cooler fits into a common or garden nearby 120mm fan slot. This ARES II card is made to maximise your out-of-box performance without technically challenging cooling or overclocking techniques being involved.

Model name

ARES2-6GD5

Graphics engine

2 x AMD Radeon™ HD 7970 GHz Edition

System bus

PCI Express 3.0 x 16

Video memory

6GB GDDR5

Boost clock

1100MHz (base clock: 1050MHz)

Memory clock

6600MHz (1650MHz GDDR5)

Memory interface

768-bit (2 x 384-bit)

Maximum DVI resolution

2560 x 1600

Microsoft Direct3D version

DirectX® 11

I/O

1 x single link DVI / 1 x dual link DVI / 1 x HDMI via adapter/ 4 x native DisplayPort

Bundled accessories

3 x 8-pin power cable / 1 x DVI to HDMI adapter / 1 x extended CrossFireX™ bridge

Minimum recommended power supply

850W (42A on the 12V rail)

Power connectors

3 x 8-pin

Dimensions

Card: 11.8” x 5.5” x 1.8” Fan block: 4.6” x 5.8” x 1.9” Fan: 4.7” x 4.7” x 1” Liquid cooling tube length: 13.4”

 

ASUS is proud of the construction of its ASUS ROG ARES II and believes that the superior cooling and the higher quality components used will enable this graphics card to enjoy a long and fruitful life. Although, out of the box, you have the fastest graphics card on the market, you can still push this card further using the bundled ROG Edition GPU Tweak utility. The utility allows users to modify card parameters including core and memory speeds, fan performance, and voltages. Settings can be saved as profiles and applied to fit your application and game usage.

The ARES II debuts as a limited edition product, with only 1000 units produced. It ships in a special ROG-themed case, with each card featuring a laser-etched serial number on the aluminium backplate. Pricing and availability will be announced market-by-market.



HEXUS Forums :: 28 Comments

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That looks really nice and I like the idea of the hybrid cooling system :D
This card would look so sweet on my Chrosshair V Mobo :D
Where's santa when you need him?
Amazing idea with the cooling. Shame the price will be £999>
Yeah it's definitely gonna be £1000…I just don't see the point in dropping that sort of coin on a single card, if you're paying that sort of cash you're probably gonna have an SLI/XF capable board and could get 2 seperate cards for much less with the same or better performance.
You forgot to mention that you'd probably have to sell a kidney to buy one of these :)