When it comes to high-end gaming graphics cards, the first thing that comes to the mind of anyone who understands video accelerators is the 690 GTX chipset. Why is it he, because the market is full of new products with great performance? The whole point is the potential of the video adapter, which managed to attract the attention of users with its characteristics, to become a trouble-free device for them, which is guaranteed to cope with any load.
The focus of this article is the legend of the gaming market, the GeForce 690 GTX video card from the manufacturer Nvidia. A potential buyer will get acquainted with the characteristics of the chip, see an overview of popular devices in the computer market and find out what their owners think of the video adapter. After reviewing the reviews of IT professionals, anyone can decide for themselves whether to purchase a device or not.
Double rate
Presented to the world community, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 graphics accelerator is nothing more than a bunch of two chips of the very popular and equally fast GTX 680 video adapter, built on the GK 104 core. Accordingly, it will not be difficult to see what features the new product has.
- the number of transistors is 7 billion pieces (the 680 chip has exactly half of them - 3.5 billion);
- technical process 28 nanometers;
- number of stream processors 2x1536;
- ROP 2x32 blocks;
- 915 MHz core frequency (slightly underestimated compared to 1006 MHz for the 680 chip);
- the memory bus is honest 512 bits (680 had 256 bits);
- the memory runs at an identical frequency of 6000 MHz, and its bandwidth is 192.2 GB / s;
- memory type GDDR 5;
- Naturally, the memory capacity of the 690 GTX is doubled and amounts to 4 GB;
- pixel fill rate of 58.6 gigapixels per second (versus 32.2 Gp / s for 680 chips);
- maximum power consumption of 300 watts (the 680 model had 195 watts);
- standard support for SLI, DirectX 11.1 is the same for both chipsets.
Power consuming oddities
Judging by the reviews of the owners of the video card based on the GTX 680, a lot of questions arise to the manufacturer's official statements about the maximum consumption of electric energy. Many video cards at peak loads showed overkill in Boost mode. Therefore, the declared 300 W for the new 690 GTX chip looks very suspicious, because a 10-phase power system is used to power two graphic cores. Do not forget about the memory modules, which take energy not from the air - it turns out 10 + 2 phases.
Without going into details, we can say the following: the manufacturer Nvidia completely changed the power consumption system of the video adapter. For normal operation, at peak loads, the power consumption is 260 watts (adapted to most standard non-gaming computer systems). For fans of overclocking, a cutter is installed in the BIOS of the chipset, which will not allow the adapter to disperse by more than 35% (in such cases, the power consumption is 399 watts). There is something to think about for overclockers and innovators who use liquid nitrogen in overclocking, because not everyone can remove the lock at the controller level.
Feel like Gordon Freeman
Finding the original copy of the GeForce GTX 690 from Nvidia itself is not as easy as it sounds. After all, the market is full of products of famous world brands that prefer to use their own design of a boxed version with a device. However, those who are lucky to get a factory-made video card will have to experience a lot of new and very pleasant sensations from getting to know the product. We are talking about the original packaging, which is made in the form of a wooden box.
Judging by the reviews of the owners, it’s quite nice to feel like the hero of the famous Half-Life Gordon Freeman. After all, opening a wooden box in which life is stored for a gaming computer is impossible without a crowbar. A lot of positive emotions is provided to any buyer. And those around you will simply be envious when they see the exclusive packaging from Nvidia itself. Having removed the device from the package, the owners will quickly find application for a wooden case: storing interface cables, screws and other computer stuff. And as a safe for storing banknotes, the box is best suited.
Unique appearance
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 video card in the factory version has a truly unique and flawless look - perfection itself! Apparently, many representatives of the chipsets in the world market also decided as they did not install their own cooling systems on this wonderful adapter.
Nvidia's traditional casing plastic was replaced by chromed aluminum. Moreover, the top cover is not integral: there are polycarbonate windows through which radiator plates are visible. In the middle of the casing there is one cooler. And if at first its power and blowing efficiency are doubtful, then after starting the user will feel the full power of a turbofan. Thanks to the tightly closed side faces, air is drawn in with enormous force from the rear of the video adapter and, passing along the edges of the heatsink, flows outward from the other side with a strong stream.
The radiator is a homogeneous platform, which, with the help of special stands, touches each chip on the printed circuit board. On top of the platform, on opposite sides of the cooler, are two nickel-plated aluminum plates through which heat is removed.
Build quality
When it comes to the quality of component manufacturing in the production of video adapters, many people have a smile on their faces. In fact, a video accelerator is an ordinary consumable. But judging by the reviews of the owners, this rule does not work if the cost of the device on the market is under 1000. e.
The printed circuit board is made perfectly: there are no extra tracks, only solid-state capacitors and modern chips are installed. It is good that on the reverse side of the board there are no power components that need additional cooling. The radiator hood is perfectly aligned with the cooling platform. Even after dismantling, the user does not need to adjust anything using heat-conducting plates or spring-loaded screws, as is often the case with budget devices. There is a negative to the grille from the side where the interfaces are located. It is no different from cheap models - the same sharp corners and a sharp edge that you can easily cut your finger when installing the GeForce GTX 690 graphics card in the system unit.
The first!
It’s no secret to anyone that Nvidia is working closely with Gigabyte, which is why it is not surprising that the Taiwanese manufacturer was the first to introduce a gaming video card on the world market. Having entered the market, the novelty won the hearts of all fans of high-performance games, because even the quad-core Core i7 processor could not reveal the potential of the video adapter (we are talking about the first generation of crystals sold at the time of the announcement of the video card), which means that the accelerator is definitely made with a margin for the future. But ardent fans of the Taiwanese brand did not receive much enthusiasm from the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690.
The fact is that one of the best manufacturers of video cards refused to install a proprietary cooling system on their product, believing that the adapter was factory-blowed by a turbocharged fan. In fact, every manufacturer on the market of computer devices can take the finished product, stick a company label on it and pack it in a beautiful box. Technical specifications of the card have not been changed. A rather strange solution from a Taiwanese manufacturer.
Affordable Devices Market
Oddities in the video card market are just beginning. The Asus GTX 690 video adapter, which is positioned as an inexpensive device, increased the nominal frequency of the device’s graphics cores to 1019 MHz and presented its product to users at a very attractive price (up to 950 cu). Judging by the reviews of the owners, the company provided the proprietary utility ASUS GPU Tweak, which allows for controlled acceleration at the BIOS level, in the kit for the video accelerator. No modifications were made to the cooling system by the company's technologists. This once again emphasizes that in the factory version Nvidia has a huge potential for overclocking. It turns out that everyone who wants to save on the purchase of a GTX 690 video accelerator needs to look in the direction of a product from ASUS.
Ray of light on the video card market
The curtain with the appearance of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 video adapter was opened by EVGA marketers. It turns out that the manufacturer imposed a ban on modifying the design of the video card. It’s not difficult to guess what this is because PR for someone else’s account is not new for Nvidia (at least recall 3D glasses, which also could not be modified). But something has clearly changed in the market, if under the EVGA brand the world saw a dual-core novelty in a new design. The video card GeForce GTX 690 with a water block is proudly called Hydro Copper and has a recommended retail price of around 1,100 y. e.
It is clear that the new EVGA is initially positioned for overclockers. And in synthetic tests with analogues made in the factory, she will not have a single competitor. This is even evidenced by a preliminary overclock from the manufacturer: 1050 MHz for each graphics core and 6300 MHz for memory. And this is far from the limit.
Start is given
Naturally, after the announcement of the product from EVGA in pursuit of a potential buyer, I also wanted to participate in the ASUS company, which had its hands tied with an agreement with Nvidia before. So the world saw the legendary Asus MARS III GTX 690 video card, the characteristics of which underwent a change in the final manufacturer. First of all, it is worth noting that the video adapter is not positioned in all countries. Its sales are allowed only in the Asian and American markets, however, it will not be difficult for Russian citizens to purchase it through online auctions.
The second aspect is the "refinement to the mind" of the amount of video memory, which was increased by adding chips to 8 gigabytes. The board, respectively, received 16-phase power and became more voracious (360 watts). ASUS has installed its own cooling system, which consists of three turbofans, which perfectly cope with the heat dissipation from radiators that fit tightly to the device’s circuit board. The manufacturer did not overclock the graphic cores, giving this opportunity to the owners. For this, the ASUS GPU Tweak utility is included in the package.
And the rest of the manufacturers?
Judging by their negative reviews, many fans of Zotac products did not like the manufacturer’s attitude towards customers. The PR of the video adapter in the media clearly did not attract fans of resource-intensive games to this brand. After all, everyone was expecting, if not their own cooling system, but at least war paint (black with yellow trim). Not surprised by the brand and performance, because overclocking the GTX 690 was quite possible. It is clear that the company Nvidia has forbidden to modify the appearance, however, other, less popular players in the market of computer components somehow managed to deal with this problem.
Silence in the market from the famous companies MSI and Gainward. Although in the old days it was under these brands on the shelves of stores that you could find devices with passive cooling. The feedback from IT professionals comes down to one thing: there is no point in overpaying for products that, in addition to the price on the market, are no different from the factory copy of Nvidia. In addition, the option with a wooden box instead of cardboard packaging is much more pleasant.
Alternative from Nvidia
After the presentation of the new product - the GTX 980 single-core chip, many potential buyers are trying to figure out whether to give preference to a video adapter that is similar in characteristics to the legendary GTX 690 video accelerator. In fact, these are two completely different video adapters, which are not only in different price categories, but and belong to different generations. Game performance and the same price only show customers that the dual-core chip has a huge supply of power, which after a generation will not reveal its full potential.
Speaking in an accessible language, it makes no sense to change your favorite GTX 690 video adapter to the novelty. GTX 980 is a powerful video card that supports DirectX 12, the core runs at 1300 MHz, but it does not have decent overclocking potential, because the frequency limit is at this the time period has already been reached. For the GTX 980 with 256-bit bus resolution, the GTX 690 (512 bit) accelerator is clearly too tough. This is Nvidia’s policy: you cannot beat a high-end representative of a lower generation a video adapter of a middle class.
So you want comparisons
AMD volunteered to argue for leadership with the GTX 690 in synthetic tests, introducing the world with its dual-core novelty Radeon R9 295X. Even if the amount of video memory is 8 GB, and the bus width is twice as large for AMD. The remaining specifications are pretty similar to the competitor. Therefore, the test between video cards occurs at the level of technology. And if in the synthetic tests the GTX 690 graphics card is a little ahead, then in games Nvidia is clearly losing. Experts say that the performance gain is related to the memory bus bandwidth and even overclocking the GeForce video adapter will not bring significant changes. However, this comparison clearly shows users the full power of the graphics accelerator, which is able to cope with dynamic games, both now and in the near future.
Finally
As practice shows, it is better to accumulate finances and acquire a decent video card from a high-end niche than to be content with budget devices from year to year. Let potential buyers not be embarrassed by the manufacturer's price of 690 GTX. The video adapter is fully recouped. Each person decides for himself what is important for him: a high-quality picture at maximum settings or low cost. The main thing is to remember that worthy things always have an appropriate price.