Only 10% of ASUS cards end up in the Matrix class

Oct 10, 2015 13:35 GMT  ·  By

After launching the successful initial version of custom-made STRIX series GTX 980Ti, ASUS unveils the next step in developing an overclocked version of NVIDIA’s powerful GTX 980Ti graphics adapter. Welcome to the Republic of Gamers Matrix GTX 980Ti Platinum.

After announcing a slew of other gaming-oriented products like two new UHD displays with 144Hz at Republic of Gamers Unleashed event in San Francisco, ASUS made public its next iteration of premium custom models of the GTX 980Ti, under the Republic of Gamers brand.

Featuring a custom PCB design and a power delivery subsystem with 14-phase power regulation, that allows higher and more stable overclocks, the new card is effectively part of ASUS’ top end Matrix class of extremely overclocked GPUs.

To prove this, ASUS claimed that only the top 10% of GPUs are selected to be part of the Matrix class of cards and are carefully oveclocked by ASUS employees to offer over-the-top performance compared to the factory default GTX 980Ti.

Cooling-wise, ASUS mentioned that in order to keep the card cool, the company equipped the new Matrix GTX 980 Ti Platinum with a customized DirectCU II cooling system featuring two fans and 10mm copper heat pipes.

This decision is a bit debatable since copper in pure form attracts heat very fast but doesn’t cool down quickly. Materials used to build cooling pipes for graphics cards are usually different metal alloys, including copper, to aid against its heat releasing issues.

It even has a defroster!

Right now the card doesn’t have any liquid cooling parts, or a water block to cool it off, so it’s hard to believe this current ROG model will be truly dedicated to oveclocking enthusiasts unless, of course, they pull out the cover and start pouring nitrogen on the GPU.

And in case you do that, or decide to play games outside in mid-winter, ASUS equipped its card with a defrosting feature which will keep condensation down under subzero temperatures.

Additionally, the card has an internal BIOS that will remember your last safe settings before starting to push the card too far and end up with a catastrophic failure. In that case, all you have to do is push the reset button and the previous BIOS settings will be enabled and the card will run fine once again.

The shroud color apparently has changed again, choosing gunmetal grey instead of red and black, which has the fancy official name of Plasma Copper ROG color scheme.

Unfortunately, ASUS did not disclose any technical details or specs about the new card, nor any availability or pricing, but we expect more details will arrive soon when the card is around in time for holidays.