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A Closer Look:::...
And this is how the big lass looks stripped bare naked. If this kind of gratuitous nudity gets you drooling you know you're a geek, plus all the sexual references drag in a few unwary wanderers who managed to mis-Google themselves.
One of the two GPUs is rotated by 45 degrees, presumably to ease memory placement or to simplify trace routing.
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Laid Bare |
Again I'm not sure if that slightly "last minute" looking green wire on the reverse of the card (below) made it to the retail versions, not that you'll ever see it under normal situations, and I mean who cares so long as it works and stays working?
Unlike the ASUS version, Gigabyte's 3D1 was clearly a clean sheet design rather than a careful shuffling of existing card design. The challenge they must have faced in splitting the eight memory chips per GPU between the front and rear of the card shouldn't be underestimated, this is no simple task and involves some serious reworking.
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Laid Bare And Flipped! |
Speaking of the memory chips, Gigabyte plumped for 1.6ns K4J55323QF Samsung GDDR3 which is rated by Samsung to 600MHz. Although I, like many, assumed this to be a 1.6ns part and thus theoretically good to 625MHz, Samsung's spec sheet very clearly states a 600MHz rating.
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Memory Chip |
I have absolutely no experience with the type of thermal pad used for the memory chips, though I find it rather difficult to imagine any none-metallic compound this thick can be a very efficient conductor of heat. Feel free to correct me if you know different.
 Thermal interface Pads |
If Gigabyte haven't scored enough Brownie points with V-Tuner2 and a totally fresh board design, how about a completely redesigned power circuit that eliminates the need for dual PCI-e auxiliary power connectors and replaces them with just a single connector? What's been going on at Gigabyte mansion? Have they sacked the lot and hired a crack team of engineers?
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Redesigned Power Circuit |
They're certainly not the same purveyors of mediocre OEM friendly hardware that I remember from a few years back. Of course one flash of brilliance does not a great company make, but there's no denying they're on a bit of a roll at present. Let's hope it lasts.
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Redesigned Power Circuit |
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