14 DAY TRIAL // We've just finished detailing the new GeForce GTX 650 graphics cards from Gigabyte, and now we have two similar boards from ASUS, both of which are based on NVIDIA's very same board.
As if to celebrate NVIDIA's latest game bundle, where in-game currency for free-to-play multiplayer games is bundled with GTX video cards, ASUS has launched two GeForce adapters.
It didn't install the same type of oversized fansink as Gigabyte did for its GV-N650D5-1GI (1 GB) and GV-N650D5-2GI (2 GB).
That doesn't make the GeForce GTX 650-E 1 GB and 2 GB any less noteworthy though.
In fact, the boards, since we are looking at two memory options, have an advantage in that they don't need PCI Express power connectors.
Since their power draw is of 60-75W, they can live on the energy provided by the PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot alone.
It makes the newcomers very good additions to computers that don't have special power ports for VGA cards. No new PSU will now be required.
That said, the 28nm GPU-based adapters have 384 CUDA cores, a GPU clock of 1,071 MHz, a memory speed of 5 GHz, a memory interface of 128 bits, and maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels (over D-sub) and 2560 x 1600 pixels (over DVI).
Finally, the GTX650-E-1GD5 and GTX650-E-2GD5 each have three output ports: D-Sub, DVI and HDMI (HDCP-ready).
As for the cooler, it has fan blades shaped in a way that restricts dust build-up and maintains heat dissipation over long periods of time.
Coupled with the solid state capacitors on the PCB and the other Super Alloy Power components, this makes for a long-lived and stable video board.
Sadly, ASUS did not say what prices the GTX650-E-1GD5 and GTX650-E-2GD5 GTX 650-E graphics adapters sport. Online stores should reveal them eventually.
