ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DCU II Top Review
Published by Christian Ney on 31.01.13Page:
Technical data / Specifications
With the ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II Top you get a factory overclocked card with a custom PCB design cooled by a huge triple slot cooler. The ASIC quality measured on our sample was 81.9 %.That's the highest we have seen on our GTX 680s.
About ASIC quality:
Looking at clock speeds we see that the GPU runs at 1'137 MHz with a typical boost of 1'202 MHz. In comparison, the stock designed GTX 680 runs at 1'006 MHz with a typical boost of 1'058 MHz. Like most of the GTX 680 out there no factory overclocking has been made regarding the GDDR5 memory which stays clocked at 1'500 MHz (6'000 MHz effective) following nVidia's recommendations.
As surprising as it may sound our card was always running at a fixed frequency of 1'202 MHz under load. Like there was no boost and the default clock speed was 1'202 MHz just like our TGT BEAST LLS that was always working at a fixed clock of 1'241 MHz. We like it!
| TGT GTX 680 BEAST LLS | ASUS GTX 680 DCU II Top | EVGA GTX 680 SuperClocked | MSI GTX 680 Twin Frozr OC | GeForce GTX 680 | |
| Chip | GK104 | GK104 | GK104 | GK104 | GK104 |
| Process | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 3.54 billion | 3.54 billion | 3.54 Billion | 3.54 billion | 3.54 Billion |
| GPU clock | 1'163 MHz (Boost 1'229 MHz) | 1'202 MHz | 1'058 MHz (Boost 1'124 MHz) | 1'059 MHz (Boost 1'124 MHz) | 1'006 MHz (Boost 1'058 MHz) |
| Memory | 2'048 MB GDDR5 | 2'048 MB GDDR5 | 2'048 MB GDDR5 | 2'048 MB GDDR5 | 2'048 MB GDDR5 |
| Memory clock | 1'500 MHz (6'000 MHz) | 1'500 MHz (6'000 MHz) | 1'550 MHz (6'200 MHz) | 1'500 MHz (6'000 MHz) | 1'500 MHz (6'000 MHz) |
| Memory interface | 256 Bit | 256 Bit | 256 Bit | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory bandwidth | 192'400 MB/s | 192'400 MB/s | 192'400 MB/s | 192'400 MB/s | 192'400 MB/s |
| TMUs | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 |
| Shader Cores | 1'536 (8 SMX) | 1'536 (8 SMX) | 1'536 (8 SMX) | 1'536 (8 SMX) | 1'536 (8 SMX) |
| ROPs | 32 ROP | 32 ROP | 32 ROP | 32 ROP | 32 ROP |
| Shader model | SM 5 | SM 5 | SM 5 | SM 5 | SM 5 |
| Maximum board power | xxx Watt | xxx Watt | 185 Watt | 195 Watt | 185 Watt |
Looking at the card itself, the ASUS GTX 680 DirectCU II Top is the same card as the DirectCU II and DirectCU II OC version from the same manufacturer. The PCB is completely different compared to the reference design, ASUS reworked everything from the circuit to the power design. Therefore you get a 10-phase Super Alloy Power design where the GPU gets eight phases and the memory gets two phases. For the GPU, that's twice as much as what the reference design card offers.
The voltage regulation chip used is labeled "DIGI+ VRM" and is in fact a rebranded CHiL 8318.
ASUS' graphics card also features a backplate and a small cooler that covers and cools down the VRM stage. The backplate is made of metal and protects the back of the card against physical damage.
The cooler that keeps this card at adequate temperatures is called DirectCU II. This one is the triple slot version and is equiped with five copper heatpipes in direct contact with the core and a lot of aluminium fins. The two fans have a diameter of 10cm and are 14dB quieter than the reference card's blower according to the manufacturer. Still according to the manufacturer their GTX 680 DirectCU II is 20 % cooler than the reference card. ASUS chose to attach the cooler with four screws to the card. We tried to move the cooler from right to left, even applying force didn't help moving it, which is a good sign. Also the pressure on the graphics core is very good.
The memory chips used are made by Hynix and carry the model number H5GQ2H24MFR-R0C. They are specified to run at 1'500 MHz (6'000 MHz effective).
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