14 DAY TRIAL // We've seen many video cards, and if there is any constant on that market it is that strong video cards just don't fit inside small cases, unless they are specifically made with high-end hardware in mind.
ASUS is taking a step outside the norm right now, by releasing a high-end video board in a form factor that fits even inside mini-ITX cases.
For those that need clarification, mini-ITX is a step below even micro-ATX, and even HTPC form factor (home theater personal computer).
Mini-ITX cases, and by extension motherboards, have a width (they are usually square) of 20 centimeters (7.87 inches), or thereabouts.
The GeForce GTX 670 from NVIDIA, apparently, can become shorter than even that. ASUS's GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini is clear proof, measuring 17 cm (6.69 inches).
“So you've got a mITX and you want a small graphics card that can pull a punch and still fit in your case. ASUS has you covered with our new 17cm long GTX670 DirectCu Mini. That's right, it's the same length as a mITX board” the company said on its Facebook page.
ASUS didn't give the specifications, but we can assume they are more or less the same as on the normal card.
In other words, 915 / 980 GPU clock (Base/GPU Boost), 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM (6 GHz), a 256-bit interface and support for all the NVIDIA technologies (3D Vision, 3D Vision Surround, CUDA, DirectX 11, PhysX, SLI, TXAA, Adaptive VSync, GPU Boost, FXAA).
The differences lie in the power supply (a single 8-pin plug instead of two 6-pin) and the cooler with a thick metal plate (for the VRM and memory, on the back) and a round aluminum fin stack on the front (a single 80 mm fan cools it).
Right now, ASUS is testing to see how much interest there is in something like this, so no price or availability info exists.