The Classified brand extension marks the very best from EVGA's stable. The company showed off its GeForce GTX 780 and GTX 770 Classified cards, which combine a meaty new variant of its ACX cooling solution, with custom-design PCBs. The GTX 780 Classified should make EVGA ready for when NVIDIA allows custom-design GTX TITAN. Drawing power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, the GTX 780 Classified appears to feature a 14-phase VRM, which makes the PCB a good inch or two taller than most full-height cards. That's also a reasonable trade-off to keep the cooler dual-slot, which would greatly help with SLI builds using the card. Moving on to the GTX 770 Classified, the card offers a similar 14-phase VRM, draws power from a pair of 8-pin connectors, features 4 GB of memory, and features an ACX identical cooling solution to the GTX 780 Classified. EVGA didn't disclose clock speeds, both cards appear to feature redundant BIOS, the GTX 780 Classified features header for an EVBot-like device.

NVIDIA launched the business-end of its GeForce GTX 700 series, launching the GeForce GTX 770. Tough to make apart from GeForce GTX 780 and GeForce GTX TITAN visually, the GTX 770 is based on the 28 nm GK104 silicon, configured similarly to the GeForce GTX 680 from the previous generation, albeit with higher clock speeds, GPU Boost 2.0, and a stronger VRM to sustain those higher clock speeds. The card ships with 1046 MHz core, 1085 MHz GPU Boost, and a blistering 7010 MHz (GDDR5-effective) memory. It features 2 GB of memory, 4 GB variants could launch soon.

The GeForce GTX 770 packs 1,536 CUDA cores, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. At its given memory speeds, it could belt out 224 GB/s of memory bandwidth. To support these higher clock speeds, the card draws power from a combination of 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Display outputs include a pair of DVI, an HDMI, and DisplayPort. The card can pair with three more of its kind, for 4-way SLI. As predicted, the GeForce GTX 770 starts at US $399. NVIDIA's partners could come out with custom-design cards from day-one.

ORIGIN PC is the first to begin offering their innovative CRYOGENIC liquid-cooling solution for NVIDIA's latest GeForce GTX 780 graphics card in SLI to their line of award-winning GENESIS desktops starting today. Engineered for maximum performance, the award winning ORIGIN PC CRYOGENIC custom liquid cooling system makes sure you are always at your best.

The advanced cooling power of the ORIGIN PC CRYOGENIC system allows for optimal temperatures when overclocking and offers a unique air and liquid cooling option designed to keep you running cool even at peak performance during intense gaming sessions.

NVIDIA backed up its grand GeForce GTX 780 launch with GeForce 320.18 WHQL drivers, supporting all its modern GPUs. It's also being recommended as a 'day-of-launch' WHQL driver for the GTX 780. The driver introduces game-specific performance improvements for Tomb Raider (by up to 20%), DiRT Showdown (up to 20%), Metro: Last Light (up to 10%), Assassin's Creed III (up to 8%), Far Cry 3 (up to 6%), Bioshock: Infinite (up to 5%). The driver also addresses game-specific performance issues with Metro: Last Light, Dead Island: Riptide, D&D: Neverwinter, and Star Trek: The Videogame.

SLI profiles are added or improved for a number of titles, including Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Dead Island: Riptide, Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, GRID 2, Remember Me, Natural Selection 2, Resident Evil 6, and TrackMania² Canyon.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 320.18 WHQL for Windows 8/7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 8/7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

It turns out that NVIDIA's upcoming high-end graphics card, the GeForce GTX 780, is indeed based on the GK110 chip, and to the extant of featuring the same reference-design PCB and cooling solution as the GeForce GTX TITAN. Chinese portal IT168 posted press-shots of the card. If you overlook the "GTX 780" embossing on the cooler, half the number of memory chips, and another very subtle difference, you will easily mistake the GTX 780 for a GTX TITAN.

Pictures reveal the card to feature an ASIC bearing the number "GK110-300-A1," which is rumored to feature 2,304 CUDA cores, 192 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide memory interface. Given that the card features just twelve 2 Gbit memory chips, the total memory amount should be 3 GB. The card is said to feature clock speeds of 863 MHz core, 902 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory, which belts out 288 GB/s memory bandwidth. It draws power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The 4-way SLI-capable card gives out display from a pair of dual-link DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors.Sources: IT168, Videocardz

ORIGIN PC is now offering their award-winning EON17-SLX RTS (Ready-To-Ship) laptops that deliver the ultimate mobile performance in a special bundle for a limited time only! Right out ofthe box, the EON17-SLX RTS gaming laptop arrives pre-configured with dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M graphics cards in SLI, an Intel Core i7 mobile processor,16GB of 1600MHz memory, 240GB solid state hard drive, 1 TB additional storage hard drive and is bundled with a high-performance mouse, headset and an ORIGIN PC messenger bag. All RTS systems offer the same unmatched quality and performance as all ORIGIN PC systems and are backed by the same industry leading lifetime 24/7 customer support. All EON17-SLX RTS systems ship the next business day after payment is processed.The EON17-SLX RTS Ultimate Mobile Performance .

Futuremark rolled out a major update to its 3DMark benchmark suite. Update v1.1.0 introduces Ice Storm extreme preset for the Windows version of the software (it was exclusive to the Android version), and optimizes the software for four-GPU and three-GPU setups. This could improve the scores for setups with GeForce GTX 690 Quad-SLI or Radeon HD 7990 CrossFireX. Months of work was put into getting this part right, according to the developer. Ice Storm extreme preset adds yet another way to test entry-level graphics solutions, using a DirectX 9.0c feature-level scene.DOWNLOAD: 3DMark v1.1.0

At a media event held in its Taipei headquarters, GIGABYTE demonstrated its AMP-UP integrated audio solution that will feature on some of its upcoming motherboards. On that pretense, it even got to show of two of its top socket LGA1150 motherboards, built for Core "Haswell" processors, the G1.Sniper 5, and the G1.Sniper M5. Positioned in gamer-overclocker targeted G1.Killer series, the two boards are based on Intel Z87 Express chipset. The G1.Sniper 5 is the larger standard ATX motherboard; while the M5 is a compact micro-ATX offering. The pictures also confirm that socket LGA1150 retention module and bolt-spacing is identical to sockets LGA1155 and LGA1156.

The G1.Sniper 5 appears to feature a 16-phase VRM, which uses ferrite-core chokes, and the same International Rectifier PowIRstage components as Ultra Durable 5 motherboards from the previous generation. This time around, the CPU plays a greater role in voltage regulation. The driver-MOSFETs on the board are cooled by an active fan-heatsink, which also has a liquid channel running through it, so you could make it part of your CPU loop. Thankfully GIGABYTE didn't let its imagination run away with designs of the other heatsinks on the board, one of which cools the Z87 Express chipset, and the other we imagine, a PLX PEX8747 48-lane PCI-Express 3.0 bridge chip. This chip gets you 4-way SLI/CrossFireX support.

ASUS today announced the TUF Series SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0, the world's first AMD-based motherboard to feature PCI Express 3.0 for use with next generation high performance graphics cards. Up to three DirectX 11 graphics cards with 28nm GPU technology can be used via NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFireX to create desktop PCs with formidable graphics performance.

SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0 also features renowned ASUS TUF Series thermal design for superior heat removal. Like all TUF Series motherboards, it undergoes military and server-grade testing to ensure absolute stability, reliability, and longevity. SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0 is backed by a five-year warranty.

For those interested in taking Crysis 3 Open Beta (multiplayer) for a spin, NVIDIA released the new GeForce 313.95 Beta drivers, which addresses known issues, and is features optimizations for the game. NVIDIA expects performance increments as high as 35 percent. The driver also packs performance enhancements for other AAA titles, such as SLI and single-GPU performance gains of up to 27 percent with Assassin's Creed III, up to 19 percent for Civilization V, up to 14 percent in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, up to 14 percent in DiRT 3, up to 11 percent in Just Cause 2, and up to 10 percent each in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, F1 2012, and Far Cry 3.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 313.95 Beta

Gigabyte launched the Z77X-UD4H, a new socket LGA1155 motherboard model designed to fill the gap between the $155 Z77X-UD3H and $190 Z77X-UD5H. It is built with Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 4 construction, featuring 2 oz copper layer, temperature, humidity, and electrostatic protection features. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 11-phase VRM that draws power from an 8-pin EPS connector. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x16/NC/NC, x8/x8/NC, x8/x4/x4, depending on how they're populated). 3-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX are supported. Other expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI.

Straightaway, you'll notice that Gigabyte did away with the mSATA slot featured on the Z77X-UD3H and Z77X-UD5H. In addition to the two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports that the Z77 PCH provides (all of which are wired as internal ports), Gigabyte added two additional 2-port SATA 6 Gb/s controllers, which provide two each of internal SATA 6 Gb/s, and eSATA 6 Gb/s. The board features a total of eight USB 3.0 ports, six on the rear panel, and two by headers. In addition to the four ports the Z77 PCH provides, a 4-port VLI-made host controller is used.

Cyberpower Inc., a global manufacturer of custom gaming computers, today announced its Fang Taipan, the most customizable gaming laptop with twin NVIDIA GPUS, 3rd Generation Intel Core Processors and enough memory and add-ons to make the most demanding games and applications sizzle.

The CyberpowerPC Fang Taipan is a laptop beast that wields a lethal dose of power. It can accommodate two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680Ms in SLI mode ; a full range of Intel Core i7 CPUs including the fastest i7-3940XM (3.0GHz) Extreme Edition Ivy Bridge Mobile Processor; and features up to 32 GBs of dual-channel DDR3 memory for gaming at unparalleled speeds. According to CyberpowerPC, this triple-threat marks the absolute pinnacle of mobile computing power.

Gigabyte Technology has today unveiled yet another memory-enriched graphics card, a factory-overclocked GeForce GTX 660 Ti with 3 GB of VRAM (1 GB more than 'normal'). Dubbed GV-N66TOC-3GD, the card features an Ultra Durable VGA design, a triple-fan/dual-slot WINDFORCE cooler, a 192-bit memory interface, GPU Base/Boost clocks of 1032/1111 MHz (915/980 MHz stock), a memory clock of 6008 MHz, SLI support, plus dual-DVI, (gold-plated) HDMI and DisplayPort outputs.

Gigabyte's 3 GB GeForce GTX 660 Ti OC can be found on pre-order priced at 329 Euro.

ZOTAC International, a global innovator and manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs, today pushes the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti to extremes with the new limited edition ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP! Extreme Edition. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP! Extreme Edition goes beyond the AMP! Edition and raises the engine clocks an extra six-percent higher for a greater performance boost in the latest games and applications.

"We wanted to build the ultimate GeForce GTX 660 Ti based graphics card. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP! Extreme Edition is the result with its 13-percent performance boost from standard versions," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.

Following launches of its GeForce GTX 660 and GTX 650 graphics processors earlier this day, NVIDIA released the latest stable version of its GeForce driver suite. GeForce 306.23 WHQL was released for Windows 7/Vista and Windows XP. This is NVIDIA's first WHQL-signed driver launch after GeForce GTX 660 Ti was launched last month. Hence, it includes official support for GeForce GTX 660 Ti, GeForce GTX 660, and GeForce GTX 650. The company also notified that the next WHQL-signed drivers will remove support for legacy GeForce GPUs such as 6-series and 7-series.

GeForce 306.23 WHQL also adds GPU and game-specific performance improvements. Along with the latest patch by its developer, Total War: Shogun 2 will see up to 60% performance improvement with GeForce GTX 680. Performance is also significantly improved for games such as Batman: Arkham City, Dragon Age II, STALKER: Call of Pripyat, and Battlefield 3 (in SLI). SLI profiles were added or improved for a large number of games. The drivers provide early support for applications built with CUDA 5 Preview.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 306.23 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

A list of changes follows.

NVIDIA announced its newest performance-segment graphics card, the GeForce GTX 660. Based on the brand new GK106 silicon, the GPU packs 960 CUDA cores, 80 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. It features a 192-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 2 GB of memory. The 2-way SLI-capable card needs power from just the one 6-pin PCIe power connector. The card ships with reference clock speeds of 980 MHz core, 1033 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory (GDDR5-effective). The card features a PCI-Express 3.0 interface, and supports the latest consumer graphics APIs, including DirectX 11.1. Available from various add-in card (AIC) partners, in custom-design and factory-overclocked models, the GeForce GTX 660 starts at US $229.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched their latest overclocking powerhouse Z77X-UP7 motherboard, featuring the industry’s most robust 32+3+2 power design with Ultra Durable 5 high current capable components including 60A rated IR3550 PowIRstages chips from IR.

“With the Z77X-UP7 and its 32+3+2 power phase design featuring Ultra Durable 5 technology, we have created the very best CPU power design of any motherboard available today,” commented HiCookie, GIGABYTE In-house Overclocking Expert. “Not only does this help extreme overclockers to reach 7GHz+ on their Intel Core i7-3770K CPUs and take down benchmark records, but it also provides System Integrators with a platform cool and stable enough to withstand the rigors of an always-on, overclocked water cooled system for their customers.”

MSI showed off its top socket FM2 motherboard, the A85XA-G65. Based on the AMD A85 FCH chipset, the board supports upcoming AMD "Trinity" APUs in the FM2 package. MSI designed the A85XA-G65 with its Military Class III construction. The FM2 APU is powered by an 8-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8, when both are populated). Given that it supports both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire, it's a little strange that MSI didn't name this model "A85XA-GD65." Other expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and two legacy PCI.

All eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the A85 FCH are wired out as internal ports, with no eSATA. Display outputs include one each of DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Other connectivity options include four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and 8+2 channel HD audio. The A85XA-G65 features quite a few OC-friendly features, including voltage-measurement points with lead-holders, OC Genie, ClickBIOS II UEFI BIOS, etc. It will be among MSI's first socket FM2 motherboards to be launched, a little later this quarter.

AVADirect, a leading custom computer integrator, has begun offering the AMD HD 7970 mobile graphics card for sale on their website. AVADirect is one of the first outlets to offer the AMD HD 7970M in Clevo P150EM and P170EM gaming notebook models. AVADirect has already begun taking pre-orders and plans to ship out the notebooks with dedicated AMD HD 7970M graphics cards to expecting customers within 2-3 weeks.

As mobile graphics cards continue to shape the way gamers look at mobile solutions, such as NVIDIA's mobile GTX 670 and 675 graphics cards, AMD closely follows with the HD 7970 mobile graphics card solution. As it appears, from data previously leaked and officially released by AMD, the HD 7970 provides a considerable amount of performance over an NVIDIA GTX 580M SLI setup; this is an unbelievable increase in performance, especially with the 7970M being $120+ more expensive than a single GTX 675M. Cost to performance ratio is exactly where an enthusiast wants, and makes it easy to consider over current mobile NVIDIA solutions. Specifications for the AMD HD 7970M can be seen below.

A little later this week, NVIDIA will launch its third SKU based on the GK104 silicon, targeting key performance-segment price points, the GeForce GTX 670. It is possible that NVIDIA will allow AIC partners to come up with custom-designs from day one. One such designs is Galaxy's, which needs no more than one expansion slot in your system. Galaxy's single-slot GeForce GTX 670 appears to use an NVIDIA reference-design PCB, albeit in its signature shade of blue. One could tell so, with the VRM area appeared to be located towards the front, and the PCB appearing to be cutting off at two-thirds the length of the card (where the PCIe power connectors are located).

The extra length of the card is productively used to position a lateral-flow fan. Since there is no PCB, the fan compartment is more roomy, which could mean a bigger fan, with the possibility of intakes on the reverse side of the card. This could result is a slower, quieter cooler. The fan guides air through an aluminum channel stack, with some of the channels being made of copper. It's likely that Galaxy is using a vapor-chamber plate to transfer heat from key components over to the air channels. The portion of the heatsink over the VRM MOSFETs has cylindrical structures, which reminds us of Radeon HD 4850 VRM area.

A little earlier this month, NVIDIA spent quite some money on premium courier to send us a package that wasn't exactly light. On opening it, we found a fun-size steel crowbar with an NVIDIA logo inscribed on it, and a message that read "for use in case of zombies or..." which was pretty cryptic. We thanked NVIDIA for the back-scratching tool, and got back to work. While Gabe Newell made the crowbar a pop-culture symbol, there is only one socially-acceptable use of this otherwise boring tool: opening wooden crates, which were used to ship stuff overseas, before modern containers came to be. One such crate made its way to our doorstep, not floating over the sea, but gliding its way over the Autobahn aboard another expensive "same day" courier.

The top of the crate sure was catchy, which cautioned us of "weapons grade gaming power". Its side had a geekspeak print. "0b1010110010" is binary for "690" (0b is a binary prefix). The other two lines make no sense. Upon opening the crate, and a sheet of foam, there it is, something we'll be toying with for the better part of this week.

EVGA has today officially introduced a fresh pair Kepler cards, the GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature and GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature+ which feature a 5 phase PWM design, 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connectors (stock models come with two 6-pin plugs), and increased frequencies - 1084 MHz (1006 MHz stock) for the base clock, 1150 MHz for the boost clock (1058 MHz) and 6208 MHz (6008 MHz) for the 2 GB of on board GDDR5 memory.

These two tweaked GTX 680s also have 1536 CUDA Cores, a 256-bit memory interface, PCI-Express 3.0 support, SLI and 3D Vision Surround capabilities, and four display outputs - two DVI, one HDMI and one DisplayPort. The GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature has a price tag of $529.99 while the GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature+, which comes equipped with a backplate, costs $549.99. Neither model is available at this time.

MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, workstations and media centers has updated their high performance 17" desktop replacement, the Titan 17, with the all new GeForce GTX 675M, and built-in 3D option powered by Nvidia 3D Vision 2.

MAINGEAR's Titan 17 is the most powerful desktop replacement with the latest technology available on the market. The Titan 17 is powered by Intel Core i7 3960X Extreme Edition desktop processor clocking in at up to 3.90 GHz, and the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M in SLI that offers the ultimate graphics for any task. The GTX 675M is 60% faster than the previous 660M GPU and can also be configured in SLI offering up to twice the performance scaling on today's hottest games and entertainment applications.

CyberpowerPC Inc., a global manufacturer of custom gaming machines and Intel's 2011 Performance Client Innovation award winner, today announced it will feature the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, the fastest single GPU video card, across its entire desktop gaming PC line.

The GeForce GTX 680 offers the fastest, smoothest and richest graphics experience of any single GPU on the market with its eye-popping visual technologies, blazing performance and superior power efficiency as well as support for multiple displays including NVIDIA's stereoscopic 3D Vision technology.

NVIDIA's big GeForce GTX 680 launch is just around the corner, but performance figures are already trickling in. Last week, we were treated to a wide range of benchmarks covering a single GeForce GTX 680. Today, VR-Zone posted a performance-preview of the GeForce GTX 680 in 2-way SLI configuration. A set of two GTX 680 cards were put through 3DMark 11 in Entry, Performance, and eXtreme presets. It should be noted here, that the GTX 680 cards were clocked at 1150 MHz core, and 1803 MHz (7.20 GHz effective) memory.

In the Entry preset, GTX 680 2-way SLI scored E22878; it scored P16860 in Performance preset; and X6243 in eXtreme. 2-way SLI of GTX 680 should be fit for 2560x1440/1600 resolution gaming. The rest of the test-bench consisted of Intel Core i7-3930K six-core processor clocked at 5.00 GHz, with 16 GB of quad-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory, and ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme motherboard.Source: VR-Zone Chinese