General |
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ASUS' latest dual GPU
graphics card leaves us with mixed feelings. On one hand there is this
cards resonable noise level (for a dual GPU solution) and on the other
we see that it simply isn't able to keep up with AMDs Radeon HD 6990.
The fact that the core clocks had to be reduced by a massive 159 MHz
really compromises the performance but the dissipation power is still
way above 350 Watts. Therefore it also isn't exactly what one might call
energy efficient. Never the less this mix of performance and noise level
results in an intereseting card. |
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- 2D silent
- Not too lound in 3D
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Dissipation power |
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Performance |
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Overall
the NVIDIA GTX 590 isn't able to keep up with a Radeon HD 6990 but never
the less the performance is on an impressingly high level. Therefore buying this card will be very future proof. NVIDIAs dual GPU card has only been able to outperform AMDs flagship in very few benchmarks. Generally its simply lacks behind because of the clock speeds which are too low. Reasons for buying this card over a HD 6990 are for example the support of 3D Vision Surround as well as PhysX. |
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- Performance in general
- 3D Vision Surround with
one card |
- Can't reach a HD 6990 |
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Overclocking |
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At this point we used the ASUS Smartdoctor Software which
allows to manipulate GPU, shader and memory clock
speeds as well as the core voltages. Unfortunately already the slightest
increase concerning the GPU voltage caused thermal throttling. With the
card clocking down during a benchmark the preformance decreased by
almost 20 percent. This in mind we didn't touch the core voltage for our
overclocking tests and we managed to squeeze 681 MHz out of the GPU and
3'620 off the memory. |
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- small overclocking potential
- Thermal
throttling when core voltage increased |
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Recommendation |
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If you should be looking for
a single card which allows you to power a 3D vision surround setup the
ASUS
GTX 590 will definitely be the right choice. It will also be perfect for you if you want
to own the fastest NVIDIA card around. Unfortunately this isn't the
fastest card available at the moment. This time the performance crown
goes to AMDs Radeon HD 6990. |
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High-End
Gaming |
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The ASUS GTX 590 can be bought at Digitec to a price
of CHF 749.- (535 €). |