ASUS Prepares Radeon HD7970 DirectCU II Graphics Card

[Final8y]

ASUS has started working on a Custom Variant of the Radeon HD7970 GPU which would feature the DirectCU II Heatsink. Specifications have not been revealed yet however the card would certainly come Factory Overclocked with Tougher Power Phases and Electrical Components to ensure enthusiastic overclocking.

The DirectCU II Heatsink would occupy 3 expansion slots which means that only two of the cards can be Crossfire’d. A direct touch heatsink transfers heat to the large aluminium fin block through multiple heatpipes which is blown away by two fans. Display outputs include 4 Mini Display Ports (Eyefinity) and 2 DVI-D. Power Connectors are said to include 2 x 8-Pin Connectors.

http://wccftech.com/asus-prepares-radeon-hd7970-directcu-ii/ Picture

 

[Carl_Bennetts]

takes 3 slots

 

[stulid]

Bored of that cooler design now.

 

[Daze]

Bored of that cooler design now.

Same. Looks ugly.

 

[dave_beast]

Pro: Stonking card
Con: Looks like Batmans hairdryer

 

[OptimaLnrg]

Con: Looks like Batmans hairdryer

That's a con?

lol

 

[arc@css]

Nice cooler, though it would be nice to see something new, even if the present design is cool and quiet.

 

[jonnylaris]

these coolers put too much stress on the motherboard for my liking. i havent seen one yet that doesnt hang down at the end.

 

[chaotic_uk]

these coolers put too much stress on the motherboard for my liking. i havent seen one yet that doesnt hang down at the end.

i have said this for years but was told "don't be stupid"

 

[Johnmcbob]

They are ugly and far too big

Plus that whole hanging down at the corner, even if it doesn't affect anything it'd just look daft having 1 corner hanging lower than the other 3 :S

 

[gurusan]

the hell is wrong with you people. Ugly? Big? Do you realize that surface area is needed to remove heat?

 

[elmarko]

i have said this for years but was told "don't be stupid"

Get a silverstone raven rv-03 - solves that little problem

 

[drunkenmaster]

i have said this for years but was told "don't be stupid"

Because cards bend, bigger gpu's or ones with a heavy heatsink have been bending for donkeys years, it doesn't harm them, nor have I EVER seen anyone complain of a broken card from being slightly bent, nor have I ever heard of someone whose pci-e/agp slot finally gave way due to the weight, etc, etc, etc.

It's not made of 48 layers of reinforced steel, cards bend, motherboards bend, soundcounds bend, they are designed to not break instantly with a little bend in them. it just doesn't matter. If you're concerned, support the weight of the card by propping up the "sagging" corner of the card.



Anyway the Asus CU isn't a great design and never has been, the shroud should ONLY go from the fans to the heatsink not around the heatsink, it actually blocks off a large portion of the air's escape path from the heatsink, which will actually slow down the airflow and decrease cooling efficiency. I've had an Asus CU card before, temps were better, but no where near the temps you can get on a Prolimatech/Thermalright type heatsink, which while both are bigger, both are designed to fit more cards and aren't nearly as "tight" to the pcb as a heatsink designed purely for one card could be.

Few if any of the AIB's custom coolers are anywhere near as good as they should be.

 

[ManikMiner]

cant u just lay ur computer flat if ur bothered? or not?

 

[dave_beast]

You probably need to buy the HIS weight lifter for this card

http://cdn5.tweaktown.com/content/4/5/4512_06_his_hd_7970_3gb_overclocked_video_card_review_full.jpg

Here is the mystery item in the box of accessories; the documentation calls it a “Weight Lifter” — its purpose is to take some of the pressure from the heavy card off of slot and motherboard. To date, a heavy video card has yet to pose a problem for me, but as the cards get larger and heavier, it is plausible to envision a scenario where the extra heft becomes an issue. The “Weight Lifter” was not used during testing, but for a 24/7 setup, I would recommend utilizing it. Better safe than sorry!
Finally, the moment has arrived to take a closer look at the GPU itself.

http://www.overclockers.com/hd-7970-graphics-card-review/

 

[Combat Fighter]

One word - fugly.

 

[pc_monkey]

too thick and looks heavy, also ugly

 

[insejn]

Yikes, wonder how much that thing weighs? Wouldn't put that in my case, sorry

 

[MichaelM]

Haha two 8 pin connectors and people expect it to be compact?

Does anyone overclock here any more?

 

[bridder]

Well I'm going to buck the trend here and give it a thumbs up, although it's a little out of my price range. What some of you are forgetting is the excellent connectivity this gives you, I have 4 monitors (will take 6) hooked up to my 6950 DirectCU II for productivity, this is primarily why I bought this card. The fact that I can also eyefinity on 3 of them at 5760x1200 is just a bonus to me as I'm not a massive gamer, in addition to this, anyone who likes a quiet PC will appreciate the design, it is virtually silent and hardly makes anymore noise when gaming. Aside from the obvious downside of being a three slot jobbie I think it is great...

J.