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The
Card:::...
Dainty
it ain't but compared to the industrial strength 5800
this card is a lot more compact and doesn't give the
sense that it's on the verge of meltdown. Heatpipe
technology is still used to ship heat around to strategically
placed fins but it's just a much more elegant and
efficient solution than we had to contend with for
the last launch.
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Card
- Front View (Click For a Larger image)
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Although
I don't want to spend too long on the cosmetics due
to this being nothing more than a reference sample,
I want to cover the basics as I doubt we'll see huge
variations on this design from most partners.
Maybe
it's just me but has anyone else wondered why we're
still placing the GPU on the underside of graphics
cards? Surely in most cases these days there's more
room for exotic cooling on the opposite side? Plus
the heat would be better able to dissipate upwards
and get drawn out by the PSU fans. Just a thought.
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Card
- Rear View (Click For a Larger image)
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Dual
DVI shows that the death knell is sounding for the
CRT, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of us relying
on out dongles to get a signal to "old"
analogue monitors.
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Card
- End View
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The
picture below is Photochopped showing the side profile
from both sides of the card. In the majority of cases
you should find the 6800 Ultra doesn't encroach into
the adjacent PCI slot which would probably have SFF
users salivating were it not for the horrendously
high quoted power requirements which NVIDIA have now
toned down a bit. Even so I doubt most SFF PSU's would
be happy supplying juice to this electron-sucking
monster for too long a stretch without suffering for
it.
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Card
- Side Profiles
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Card
- Angled View
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Compared
to the 5800 Ultra, the 6800's PCB is a fraction longer....
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Card
- 5800 Ultra Comparison
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...but
not as thick and clearly requires only one free slot
to fit.
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Card
- 5800 Ultra Comparison
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Here
you can see the dual power connectors. NVIDIA are
now claiming that only one power feed need be used
for regular operation with the second feed being to
allow the kind of warranty disabling stunts most enthusiasts
get up to, like overclocking. I don't see any real
drawback to needing two power feeds so long as you
happen to have a couple free to begin with. It's certainly
not a deal breaker in my book, but then again I DID
have a couple spare for testing didn't I?
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Card
- Dual Power Connectors
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As
the sample needed returning I didn't go peeling off
labels looking for evidence as to who made the fan,
assuming there was any evidence to found under there
of course. Suffice to say it works damned well and
though far from quiet, it doesn't threaten the 5800
Ultra's fan for its volume crown.
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The
Fan
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All
told I really quite liked the design and layout and
can imagine it looking quite impressive with a few
logos and a little extra colour added, as will almost
certainly happen when they hit retail.
Like
probably everyone who has handled this card before
me, I wanted to peep under all that cooling to see
what was going on...and so I did.
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