ASUS Announces the Matrix HD 7970/Platinum Graphics Card

btarunr · Sep 28, 2012, 03:17 AM

ASUS finally announced its flagship AMD Radeon graphics card, the Matrix HD 7970 Platinum. The card basked in camera flashlight at this years biggest tech tradeshows, and is released to the market with the new Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition ASIC, that includes PowerTune with Boost technology. Available in two variants, the base model (1000/1050/6600 MHz core/boost/memory), and Platinum (1050/1100/6600 MHz), the card uses a strong 20-phase VRM that draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The VRM features sophisticated load-line calibration features with manual LLC factor control (fine-tune protection against V-droop during voltage-sensitive overclocking sessions).

Apart from manual LLC factor tuning, the card features VGA Hotwire, clearly labeled points on its PCB that let you outfit it with manual voltage tuning circuitry. The card provides software voltage control via GPU Tweak, too, but is restricted to ~1.3V. The PCB features an LN2 mode switch, which loads an extreme cooling-optimized BIOS. A fan-override button shoots fan speed to 100% without software interference. Lastly, the card is cooled by a triple-slot ROG-styled DirectCU II cooler that covers most hot components, including the GPU, memory, and VRM. An additional LN2-optimized VRM heatsink is included in the package. Prices start at US $490.

SIGSEGV · Sep 28, 2012, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by btarunr

The card provides software voltage control via GPU Tweak, too, but is restricted to ~1.3V

it's better than their voltage locked HD7970 DCU II/TOP edition

crazyeyesreaper · Sep 28, 2012, 04:35 AM

i have a HD7970 DCU II/ TOP and i can assure you its unlocked lol

radrok · Sep 28, 2012, 05:09 AM

Man this is so late to the game...

SIGSEGV · Sep 28, 2012, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyeyesreaper

i have a HD7970 DCU II/ TOP and i can assure you its unlocked lol

unlucky me, then i suspect there was 2 variant HD7970 DCU II/TOP products released by Asus

Quote:

Originally Posted by radrok

Man this is so late to the game...

i don't think so, i believe this card (rog brand products) will still attract enthusiast user to get it

, especially if this card labeled as limited edition, frankly i don't know whether this card is limited or not

.

m1dg3t · Sep 28, 2012, 05:46 AM

So GPUTweak works now?

What a silly name lol

radrok · Sep 28, 2012, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

unlucky me, then i suspect there was 2 variant HD7970 DCU II/TOP products released by Asus

i don't think so, i believe this card (rog brand products) will still attract enthusiast user to get it

, especially if this card labeled as limited edition, frankly i don't know whether this card is limited or not

.

Who wanted a custom 7970 with beefed up VRMs already bought the R7970 Lightning...
This card is late to the game

mediasorcerer · Sep 28, 2012, 08:26 AM

Better late than never, because its late, that may mean they have put a lot of time/effort/thought into it, so it could be very good as a guess.

random · Sep 28, 2012, 09:01 AM

Great game... but I find it kind of odd to bundle this card with a game that will not utilize its full performance.

NeoXF · Sep 28, 2012, 10:18 AM

"Lastly, the card is cooled by a triple-slot ROG-styled DirectCU II cooler"... lame...

mediasorcerer · Sep 28, 2012, 11:21 AM

Yeh, your right, asus should never have made it lol, who wants more choices anyways?

Casecutter · Sep 28, 2012, 02:29 PM

It might be a 7970, but it could be an 8970 ready, if they have been holding out to have it compatiable to drop in a Venus XT with a few tweaks?

karlotta · Sep 28, 2012, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radrok

Who wanted a custom 7970 with beefed up VRMs already bought the R7970 Lightning...
This card is late to the game

Well this has a dual link... our Lightnings do not. So i would say this is the best card out right now for 7970s.

radrok · Sep 28, 2012, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karlotta

Well this has a dual link... our Lightnings do not. So i would say this is the best card out right now for 7970s.

Then use Displayport, I don't see a problem about the lack of DL-DVI.

tyn1 · Sep 28, 2012, 07:21 PM

Does anyone have a clue when we can expect this card to arrive at Newegg? Or about how long it usually takes a card to be available after being announced?

buggalugs · Sep 29, 2012, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyn1

Does anyone have a clue when we can expect this card to arrive at Newegg? Or about how long it usually takes a card to be available after being announced?

With Asus its usually quick. Stores should have them in the next week or two...

jihadjoe · Sep 29, 2012, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

unlucky me, then i suspect there was 2 variant HD7970 DCU II/TOP products released by Asus

AFAIK its the same card, but AMD got strict with implementing their voltage limits on the later cards so you need to get a copy of the older BIOS.
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=168143

NeoXF · Sep 29, 2012, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karlotta

Well this has a dual link... our Lightnings do not. So i would say this is the best card out right now for 7970s.

LMAO... reviews to prove that? OC records broken with it? etc...
Since when was a piece of hardware "the best" simply because it has some "better looking" spec chart...

Other than that, Hell, it might be, I just want some hard facts first. Still haven't bought any GPU yet, the Lightning was high on my list as it's really cheap in my country, cheaper than some old release-spec stock R7970s... if this comes close in price and performance, and no concrete news on the R8000s series is out during the following week, i might just go for it.

tyn1 · Sep 29, 2012, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buggalugs

With Asus its usually quick. Stores should have them in the next week or two...

Thanks buggalugs, I was a bit worried since with the 680s and even the 7990 from Powercolor, the actual card was released months after the announced release...

Does anyone know if the non-Platinum version of the cards are binned? I've heard the Platinum cards are binned so that there would be headroom for overclocks.

Also, does anyone know if ASUS has solved their issues from the DCUII Top cards?

NeoXF · Sep 29, 2012, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyn1

Does anyone know if the non-Platinum version of the cards are binned? I've heard the Platinum cards are binned so that there would be headroom for overclocks.

When the reviews arrive... I do hope they review both at the same time or something...

de.das.dude · Sep 29, 2012, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m1dg3t

So GPUTweak works now?

What a silly name lol

almost sounds like GPU twa... you know

eidairaman1 · Sep 29, 2012, 11:48 PM

Tri-slot? wtf asus!?

Sep 28, 2012, 03:17 AM	#1
btarunr Editor & Senior Moderator Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 14,982 (7.30/day) Thanks: 788 Thanked 12,899 Times in 5,650 Posts System Specs	ASUS Announces the Matrix HD 7970/Platinum Graphics Card ASUS finally announced its flagship AMD Radeon graphics card, the Matrix HD 7970 Platinum. The card basked in camera flashlight at this years biggest tech tradeshows, and is released to the market with the new Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition ASIC, that includes PowerTune with Boost technology. Available in two variants, the base model (1000/1050/6600 MHz core/boost/memory), and Platinum (1050/1100/6600 MHz), the card uses a strong 20-phase VRM that draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The VRM features sophisticated load-line calibration features with manual LLC factor control (fine-tune protection against V-droop during voltage-sensitive overclocking sessions). Apart from manual LLC factor tuning, the card features VGA Hotwire, clearly labeled points on its PCB that let you outfit it with manual voltage tuning circuitry. The card provides software voltage control via GPU Tweak, too, but is restricted to ~1.3V. The PCB features an LN2 mode switch, which loads an extreme cooling-optimized BIOS. A fan-override button shoots fan speed to 100% without software interference. Lastly, the card is cooled by a triple-slot ROG-styled DirectCU II cooler that covers most hot components, including the GPU, memory, and VRM. An additional LN2-optimized VRM heatsink is included in the package. Prices start at US $490.

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Sep 28, 2012, 04:35 AM	#3
crazyeyesreaper Chief Broken Rig Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: 04578 Posts: 6,011 (3.96/day) Thanks: 760 Thanked 2,220 Times in 1,556 Posts System Specs	i have a HD7970 DCU II/ TOP and i can assure you its unlocked lol

Sep 28, 2012, 05:09 AM	#4
radrok Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Italy Posts: 1,893 (3.30/day) Thanks: 141 Thanked 461 Times in 363 Posts System Specs	Man this is so late to the game...

Sep 28, 2012, 05:46 AM	#6
m1dg3t Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 1,887 (1.72/day) Thanks: 626 Thanked 421 Times in 346 Posts System Specs	So GPUTweak works now? What a silly name lol __________________ Why dazzle 'em with brilliance when you can baffle 'em with bullshit. Alterius non sit, qui potest esse sui! Und setzet ihr nicht das leben ein, Nie wird euch das leben gewonnen sein! If knowledge is power, then ignorance is bliss! If god didn't want them sheared, he wouldn't have made them sheep!

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Sep 28, 2012, 08:26 AM	#8
mediasorcerer Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: coast ,melbourne Posts: 942 (1.53/day) Thanks: 709 Thanked 235 Times in 169 Posts System Specs	Better late than never, because its late, that may mean they have put a lot of time/effort/thought into it, so it could be very good as a guess. __________________ his masters voice Illuminous Epanoia Technocrati

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Sep 28, 2012, 09:01 AM	#9
random Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,473 (1.48/day) Thanks: 1,248 Thanked 627 Times in 407 Posts System Specs	Great game... but I find it kind of odd to bundle this card with a game that will not utilize its full performance. __________________ Visit my YouTube Channel ONE OK ROCK 「完全感覚Dreamer」 (Drum Cover) TD9KX

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Sep 28, 2012, 10:18 AM	#10
NeoXF Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: The Bottomless Pit Posts: 273 (1.12/day) Thanks: 131 Thanked 46 Times in 20 Posts	"Lastly, the card is cooled by a triple-slot ROG-styled DirectCU II cooler"... lame...

Sep 28, 2012, 11:21 AM	#11
mediasorcerer Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: coast ,melbourne Posts: 942 (1.53/day) Thanks: 709 Thanked 235 Times in 169 Posts System Specs	Yeh, your right, asus should never have made it lol, who wants more choices anyways? __________________ his masters voice Illuminous Epanoia Technocrati

Sep 28, 2012, 02:29 PM	#12
Casecutter Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: So. Cal. Posts: 742 (0.97/day) Thanks: 52 Thanked 52 Times in 45 Posts	It might be a 7970, but it could be an 8970 ready, if they have been holding out to have it compatiable to drop in a Venus XT with a few tweaks?

Sep 28, 2012, 07:21 PM	#15
tyn1 Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 2 (0.01/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Does anyone have a clue when we can expect this card to arrive at Newegg? Or about how long it usually takes a card to be available after being announced?

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Sep 29, 2012, 11:48 PM	#22
eidairaman1 Eligible for custom title Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: HTX Posts: 10,078 (4.68/day) Thanks: 1,359 Thanked 1,159 Times in 1,035 Posts System Specs	Tri-slot? wtf asus!? __________________ Athlon XP USERS with COD 4 FIX http://www.techsupportforum.com/foru...ls-202011.html http://www.howorks.com/2011/02/24/ho...-memory-limit/ “Sometimes my level of fail is unprecedented.” -TheMailMan78 “This is what the force of a thousand suns looks like.” -3870x2

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