Sunday, April 29th 2012

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 Launched

NVIDIA today announced the GeForce GTX 690, the world's fastest consumer graphics card -- with a bold industrial design to match. Powered by dual Kepler architecture-based GeForce GPUs, the GTX 690 is meticulously designed -- inside and out -- to deliver the most refined, elegant and smooth PC gaming experience possible.

The surprise announcement was made by NVIDIA CEO and co-founder Jen-Hsun Huang during his keynote address at the NVIDIA Game Festival in Shanghai, which is being attended by more than 6,000 gamers from across China.
Engineered to reach a new threshold in gaming performance, the GTX 690 also looks the part. Its array of innovative technologies is complemented by sleek materials that contribute to the exotic design of the card, including:
  • An exterior frame made from trivalent chromium-plated aluminum, providing excellent strength and durability
  • A fan housing made from a thixomolded magnesium alloy, which offers excellent heat dissipation and vibration dampening
  • High-efficiency power delivery with less resistance, lower power and less heat generated using a 10-phase, heavy-duty power supply with a 10-layer, two-ounce copper printed circuit board
  • Efficient cooling using dual vapor chambers, a nickel-plated finstack and center-mounted axial fan with optimized fin pitch and air entry angles
  • Low-profile components and ducted baseplate channels for unobstructed airflow, minimizing turbulence and improving acoustic quality
The GTX 690 is powered by a total of 3,072 NVIDIA CUDA cores, all working to deliver awesome gaming performance for ultimate gaming setups. Designed for the discriminating gamer and ultra-high-resolution, multimonitor NVIDIA Surround configurations, the GTX 690 delivers close to double the frame rates of the closest single GPU product, the GTX 680. Plus, it is more power efficient and quieter when compared to systems equipped with two GTX 680 cards running in NVIDIA SLI configuration.

"The GTX 690 is truly a work of art -- gorgeous on the outside with amazing performance on the inside," said Brian Kelleher, senior vice president of GPU engineering at NVIDIA. "Gamers will love playing on multiple screens at high resolutions with all the eye candy turned on. And they'll relish showing their friends how beautiful the cards look inside their systems."

The GTX 690 graphics card is designed using GeForce GPUs based on NVIDIA's 28-nanometer Kepler architecture, following the introduction late last month of the GTX 680.

Availability
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 GPU will be available in limited quantities starting May 3, 2012, with wider availability by May 7, 2012 from NVIDIA's add-in card partners, including ASUS, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, Palit and Zotac. Expected pricing is $999.
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111 Comments on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 Launched

#26
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
Intel has been charging $999 for processors since the dawn of time. I don't see the shock value.
Posted on Reply
#27
behemoth.
Who in their right mind would buy this?!

Better off buying 2 680s. I'm certainly interested in what ATI is going to do now with the 7990.
Posted on Reply
#28
stinger608
Dedicated TPU Cruncher & Folder
Got one sitting here!! Paid $450 shipped for it............................















LOL, just kidding!!
Posted on Reply
#30
neko77025
I just dont see the point ... dont get me wrong I want one .. who dont.

But we are getting too the point hardware has really out lvled the software. The only thing the 690 is good for is higher benchmarks ..and if you are going for that .. you are going too want 2x (2000.00)
Posted on Reply
#31
Shinshin
Why Nvidia isn't releasing the lower GPUs first? like AMD did.
The market for these high end cards is so small compared to other segments.
Nvidia has the most powerful GPU, the 680, it doesn't need to show off... Well, until AMD release their dual GPU in a card (a.k.a 7990) next month.
Also, I read on another site that Nvidia is having hard time to supply the 680s (because of demand), and basically as the 690 is 2x680 bind together, supply will be even worse.
Posted on Reply
#32
mtosev
hardcore looking card and also a hardcore price:)
Posted on Reply
#33
Bullly
btarunrYes, TPU review(s) on May 07.
Whyyyy sooo late?
Posted on Reply
#34
Protagonist
If this was a race then i got left at the starting line, damn 1K for a GPU :ohwell:
Posted on Reply
#35
W1zzard
I hear NVIDIA will be sending out cards this week. We have a national holiday on Tuesday, so it might take a day longer to get to me.

Rest assured, I'll work as quickly as possible, and as thoroughly as always, to get you the review.
(No NDA this time, so I expect some sites will post quick articles just to get the extra traffic)
Posted on Reply
#36
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
BulllyWhyyyy sooo late?
Because today's is a textbook paper-launch. Nobody will post reviews today, other than the performance numbers NVIDIA gave.
Posted on Reply
#37
Frick
Fishfaced Nincompoop
radrokAnd 999 Euro here :D

1->1 conversion for computer goods in Europe is awesome :shadedshu
You pay more taxes. So it makes sense.

Anyway nice! I didn't even know it was due so soon. Interestinger and interestinger.
Posted on Reply
#38
cadaveca
My name is Dave
btarunrBecause today's is a textbook paper-launch. Nobody will post reviews today, other than the performance numbers NVIDIA gave.
So, you mean...this is a preview.



:laugh:

I really like the way this card looks. The windows in the heatsink are an interesting idea. I am not impressed with the dual 8-pin though.
Posted on Reply
#39
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
cadavecaSo, you mean...this is a preview.
Less than a preview. The graphs with performance figures are NVIDIA's.
Posted on Reply
#41
jamsbong
Very happy to see Nvidia and ATI pushing the boundaries of PC graphics. This time of course is Nvidia leading the way in efficiency.
Reminded me of the 4870 underdog win. History is repeating again.

I hope Nvidia and ATI continue putting money into GPU business so that we will be less dependant on CPU power.

I've always love companies that steps forward. Nvidia is a good example where they put great efforts to aid software developers to build their software that make use of Nvidia hardware. I mean, people might hate TWIMTBP titles but ATI should have done similar stuff to aid dev to make use of their hardware.
Instead, I think ATI prefer to adapt their drivers to suit a particular game after the game has been opt for Nvidia card. Perhaps it is more economical, but that just means ATI will always trail Nvidia. That said, DX11's strict requirements meant these two cards are very similar in performance, so ATI can always catch up to Nvidia with driver update.
Posted on Reply
#42
mak1skav
The most shocking thing for me is that there are still people out there that find those prices normal and acceptable and they even try to defend the companies that try to get our money with those price strategies.

I think 500-600 dollars/euros should be the price limit for the top of the line VGA cards.
Posted on Reply
#43
LAN_deRf_HA
I would expect realistically for the 7990 and 690 to duke it out at $870-920
Posted on Reply
#44
Frick
Fishfaced Nincompoop
mak1skavThe most shocking thing for me is that there are still people out there that find those prices normal and acceptable and they even try to defend the companies that try to get our money with those price strategies.

I think 500-600 dollars/euros should be the price limit for the top of the line VGA cards.
This thing is a complex beast so I think the price is if not good value it's "ok" in my book. I don't have to buy them.

I mean I get your point but on the other hand these things are BEASTS. They do cost a lot of money to make, especially at an early stage. I don't know how good the production run of the 680 have been though so I can't really comment on that..
Posted on Reply
#45
erixx
Get the crowbar ready W1zzard! :) :) :)
Posted on Reply
#46
N3M3515
FrickThis thing is a complex beast so I think the price is if not good value it's "ok" in my book. I don't have to buy them.

I mean I get your point but on the other hand these things are BEASTS. They do cost a lot of money to make, especially at an early stage. I don't know how good the production run of the 680 have been though so I can't really comment on that..
I can bet you they can sell this card at $600 and still make a LOT of money.
Posted on Reply
#47
raptori
1st they should make the GTX 680 more available
Posted on Reply
#48
Capitan Harlock
radrokAnd 999 Euro here :D

1->1 conversion for computer goods in Europe is awesome :shadedshu
i pray you joke,im italian and if you make the right conversion the price is 999€ for the shit iva at 21% here in italy its the shittest thing in the world have the same price for tax like mafia
Posted on Reply
#49
1c3d0g
MAN! I would kill to see some BOINC/Folding@Home crunching numbers from this monster! :D
Posted on Reply
#50
HTC
Capitan Harlocki pray you joke,im italian and if you make the right conversion the price is 999€ for the shit iva at 21% here in italy its the shittest thing in the world have the same price for tax like mafia
I'll gladly use your 21% if you use my 23%: deal?
Posted on Reply
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