14 DAY TRIAL // Back in September, NVIDIA released the GeForce GTX 650 graphics card, which used the standard mid-range cooler and a 6-pin power connector to get enough energy. ASUS' two new video boards drop both of those things.
That NVIDIA's reference cooler would not be used on a pair of custom-designed ASUS video controllers isn't all that shocking.
After all, most every OEM out there switches from the standard design to a cooler of its own or some other expert's making, even if it doesn't happen from the very start.
ASUS did more than just change the cooler though. The company also adjusted the components and the PCB so that there was no need for a PCI Express power connector on either adapter.
The two new video boards are called GTX650-E-1GD5 and GTX650-E-2GD5. They are the same, except for the memory capacity.
As the names may suggest, the former has 1 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, while the latter boasts 2 GB of the same type of memory. Both newcomers run the graphics processing units at 1,071 MHz and the memory at 5 GHz.
The feature list continues with a graphics card longevity 25% longer than normal, thanks to a dust and particle-resistant construction.
There is also mention of the GPU Tweak technology, which modifies clock speeds, voltages, fan performance and other parameters straight from Windows.
Furthermore, ASUS utilized premium alloys when it made the power delivery components, hence the lower heat even when the performance is 15$ better and the lifespan is 2.5 times longer than reference.
ASUS' GTX650-E-1GD5 and GTX650-E-2GD5 video cards ship with DVI, VGA and HDMI outputs. The prices have not been discovered, but with the reference card at $100 / 100 Euro ($110-130 / 110-130 Euro for the 2 GB cards), we can assume they will be a bit higher than that, but not by too much.