ASUS Announces the ROG ARES II Limited Edition Graphics Card

[Cristian_25H]

ASUS ROG presents the fastest and most powerful graphics card currently available with the limited edition ARES II. Its dual Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs and 6 GB GDDR5 memory support provide the ultimate PC gaming experience in a space-saving 2-slot design. The ARES II features exclusive ASUS DIGI+ VRM and Super Alloy Power technologies for greater stability and product longevity. The bundled ROG Edition GPU Tweak utility allows customers direct access to graphics card overclocking and tuning options via a user-friendly interface.

Continuing the ARES legacy with collectible hardware for enthusiasts
Launched in the summer of 2010, the original ROG ARES provided a new milestone in graphics power that soon became an in-demand commodity among hardware enthusiasts and collectors. ARES II likewise 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 aluminum backplate to denote its collectible status.





New thermal cooling design enables maximum performance
ARES II provides a custom cooler that utilizes liquid and air cooling to achieve drastically improved heat dissipation over reference design cards. The hybrid design consists of a closed-cycle liquid system with dual 120 mm fans and a radiator block that easily fits in most PC cases. The card itself includes an 80 mm dust-proof fan to enable additional cooling for critical components such as video memory and power delivery components. The new design assures continuous stability even under full load, and achieves up to 31C cooler operation compared to a reference GTX 690. ARES II features a 2-slot height design, making it accessible to most PC cases on the market.

DIGI+ VRM, Super Alloy Power, and GPU Tweak provide unparalleled power
Exclusive ASUS DIGI+ digital voltage regulation technology provides precise power delivery to bolster graphics card stability and help increase overclocking flexibility. The 20-phase Super Alloy Power architecture, consisting of heavy duty solid state capacitors, high quality chokes and MOSFETs can withstand higher temperatures and stress loads than typical designs while providing a much longer lifespan. Users can modify card parameters including core and memory speeds, fan performance, and voltages using the bundled ROG Edition GPU Tweak utility, all via a user-friendly interface. Multiple profiles for individual games and applications can also be set up, and GPU Tweak doubles as a monitoring program for keeping an eye on ARES II temperatures and power consumption levels.

Specifications:
Model name: ARES2-6GD5
Graphics engine: 2 x AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition
System bus: PCI Express 3.0 x 16
Video memory: 6 GB GDDR5
Boost clock: 1100 MHz (base clock: 1050 MHz)
Memory clock: 6600 MHz (1650 MHz GDDR5)
Memory interface: 768-bit (2 x 384-bit)
Maximum DVI resolution: 2560 x 1600
Maximum VGA resolution: 2048 x 1536
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: 850 W (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"

[iO]

Better late than never...

[Jack1n]

Hope TPU gets to review this card.

[McSteel]

Do I dare ask about the price of this?
Would be interesting to pit it against the GTX 690...

[cadaveca]

All I can think about is what case I am going to buy now to fit that. I wonder if I can squish into a BitFenix Prodigy?

I'm sure we'll see pics of the card from CES.

[radrok]

I like the fact that it is a dual slot card it'll enable so much performance in small cases/builds.

I wonder what it could've costed them to connect the tubes on the GPU with G1/4 and fittings, would have been nice for who already has a loop to swap that tiny 120mm.

Let's hope this time they binned the GPUs on the SKU because the 7970 Platinum wasn't and it blew.

[McSteel]

I'd say that double thickness dual fan rad can handle 300-320W @ 85°C, I really can't see it being more capable than that. Perhaps with some screamer Deltas or Nidecs, but then, what's the point...

[renz496]

i'm sure this beast will be able to beat 690. hoping to see this get bench at TPU but i wonder if wiz can get his hand on this limited baby to play around with it

[Totally]

For a second there I thought it came with it's own power supply.

[Fluffmeister]

Originally Posted by renz496

i'm sure this beast will be able to beat 690. hoping to see this get bench at TPU but i wonder if wiz can get his hand on this limited baby to play around with it

Pretty sure the other unofficial 7990's do already.

The 690 however offers a far better balance of performance, taking into account the usual heat, noise and power consumption.

This product is horribly late and it's gonna be way overpriced.

[Widjaja]

At this time in the game, this is a novelty item.

[renz496]

personally i dont think this product as late because this is Asus Ares. nor does it compete with regular cards because this is premium product. to me this is just to show the prowess of Asus engineering. to be honest i'm not surprise if the price tag is between 1500-2000 for a piece.

[SIGSEGV]

i couldn't agree more this card is beast. i'd like to see how this card performs on hitman absolution and also max payne with 8x MSAA (or with ultra setting)

[Fluffmeister]

If the specs are correct, just look at other 7990 reviews.. then assume the heat and noise levels have dropped to what can only be describe as a reasonable level.

[SIGSEGV]

do the other reviews have Boost clock: 1100 MHz (base clock: 1050 MHz) ?

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/730...n_HD_7990.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviewdb/...s/ATI/HD-7990/

HIS HD 7970 X2 1050 MHz 1500 MHz 12 inches, Triple-slot, 1x DVI, 4x mini-DisplayPort
HIS HD 7970 X2 IceQ X² 1050 MHz 1500 MHz 12 inches, Triple-slot, 1x DVI, 4x mini-DisplayPort

[renz496]

for this card it is not about heat, noise or power consumption. it is a tale about ultimate performance

[Sp33d Junki3]

Take my money sexy card

[Fluffmeister]

Originally Posted by renz496

for this card it is not about heat, noise or power consumption. it is a tale about ultimate performance

It's also about a product that isn't officially supported by AMD, which means the driver support (for what it is worth in the first place) will drop off the edge off a cliff soon enough.

But I'm all for you die-hards buying one.

[radrok]

Originally Posted by Fluffmeister

It's also about a product that isn't officially supported by AMD, which means the driver support (for what it is worth in the first place) will drop off the edge off a cliff soon enough.

But I'm all for you die-hards buying one.

It's the same as having a 7970 crossfire, it's almost surely (99.9%) a board with two GPUs and a PLX chip to enable crossfire onboard.
This card doesn't require a specially tailored driver

[Fluffmeister]

Originally Posted by radrok

It's the same as having a 7970 crossfire, it's almost surely (99.9%) a board with two GPUs and a PLX chip to enable crossfire onboard.
This card doesn't require a specially tailored driver

Hmm not entirely, and that's just looking at some reviews. Regardless I'd avoid crossfire like the plague

[HumanSmoke]

Originally Posted by renz496

for this card it is not about heat, noise or power consumption. it is a tale about ultimate performance

...for a few months.

Asus' claims are 13% better performance over a (presumably stock) GTX 690

Not taken with the design personally. Two full-fat Tahiti GPU's being cooled by a single 120mm rad, and an 80mm intake fan with zero backplate airflow ( 2 x DVI, 4 x DP on a dual slot backplate) doesn't sound like a recipe for success.

Originally Posted by radrok

It's the same as having a 7970 crossfire

Sounds good doesn't it...except in dual card Crossfire and no workable profile its an easy matter to drop one card out, whereas a duallie is going to ramp both GPU's regardless.

[radrok]

Originally Posted by HumanSmoke

...for a few months.

Asus' claims are 13% better performance over a (presumably stock) GTX 690

Not taken with the design personally. Two full-fat Tahiti GPU's being cooled by a single 120mm rad, and an 80mm intake fan with zero backplate airflow ( 2 x DVI, 4 x DP on a dual slot backplate) doesn't sound like a recipe for success.

Sounds good doesn't it...except in dual card Crossfire and no workable profile its an easy matter to drop one card out, whereas a duallie is going to ramp both GPU's regardless.

You can disable CFX on dual board GPUs, just go in windowed fullscreen, tadaaa CFX does not work on windowed mode

[Fluffmeister]

Originally Posted by radrok

You can disable CFX on dual board GPUs, just go in windowed fullscreen, tadaaa CFX does not work on windowed mode

Such an elegant solution for a card that costs such silly money.

[HumanSmoke]

Originally Posted by radrok

You can disable CFX on dual board GPUs, just go in windowed fullscreen, tadaaa CFX does not work on windowed mode

The card (and the likely target market) seems tailored for Eyefinity. What's full screen windowed mode functionality like with DX11 games these days?

[radrok]

Originally Posted by HumanSmoke

The card (and the likely target market) seems tailored for Eyefinity. What's full screen windowed mode functionality like with DX11 games these days?

It's been a while since I tried, I had to drop Eyefinity since it was too taxing playing with such an high resolution (and humongous borders ohmagad), I honestly don't know if fullscreen windowed fits on more than one monitor.

Originally Posted by Fluffmeister

Such an elegant solution for a card that costs such silly money.

Heh, tell me about it I've been forced since they removed that option on CCC, last time I could driver disable one GPU was with the 4870x2, not even 5970 if I remember well.