GeForce GTX 980 Models (Non-Reference)
ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Strix
ASUS will also be releasing a GeForce GTX 980 Strix Edition. It will have ASUS’s DirtectCU II cooling solution. The DirectCU II cooling features dual fans, which will only start working when the GPU temperature exceeds 65C. From there the fans will start to spin at 500 RPM until finding its sweet spot between temperature and generated noise. While the clock speeds of the card have not been revealed we do know it will carry a factory overclock, has DIGI+ VRM and 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.
Colorful iGame GeForce GTX 980 (More Info)
Colorful brings us the first known non-reference GeForce GTX 980 graphics card, the iGame GeForce GTX 980. The first thing you will notice about this card is that it carries with it a custom cooling solution. Here we have a dual slot cooler that makes use of three 90 mm PWM controlled fans that sit on top of a dual large aluminum heatsink stacks that are connected by two 10 mm and four 8 mm copper heatpipes.
Looking under the hood we have one very beefy card! The custom-designed PCB features a 12+2 Phase design, SPT PCB (Silver Plating Technology), high quality solid state capacitors and MOSFETs. This is very impressive in terms of power and performance and just what people are looking for in a high-end card. The card itself is powered by dual 8pin PCI-Express connectors. We also know that the card will have a factory overclock out of the box, which will reach boost speeds of up to 1300 MHz!
Inno3d iChill GTX 980 (More Info)
As you can see this card is using a rather unique cooling system. At first look we can see a tri-fan cooler that sits on top of a large aluminum heatsink stack that has multiple heatpipes. The cooler shroud has a very aggressive look made up of aluminum and plastic. The red accents you see on the card will actually light up as well.
If three fans is not enough to keep the GM204 cool you actually have a third fan on the top edge of the card. Inno3d is calling this their A.P.C.S. (Active Power Cooling System). It is made up of a two way heatspreader with a 50 mm silent fan. Under the hood there is a large 8 mm flux heatpipe that connects to the cards VRM and brings the heat generated there up to the top 50 mm fan. This card will come with a factory overclock and will boost all the way up to 1329 MHz. No word yet if it will be available on launch day.
