14 DAY TRIAL // NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 750 and 750 Ti graphics cards are very well known around the world, and they have just received a brand refresh, of sorts, as far as customer awareness and choice availability is concerned, thanks to Palit.
The video cards are an odd example of “famous” products. They aren't particularly powerful compared to the other 700 series adapters, but they do use graphics processing units based on the next-generation GPU architecture that NVIDIA is designing.
They were also meant as a low-key, low-performance foreshadowing of what would have come in the early parts or the middle of the second half of the year. Instead, the real Maxwell line has been delayed to late December or January 2015, no one is really sure at this point.
It's all because the TSMC 20nm technology crashed and burned in the meantime, forcing NVIDIA to redesign the Maxwell architecture for the same 28nm node that 700 Series boards are made on.
Because of the extra delay and the associated sacrifices inflicted on the GPU architecture (28nm will be understandably watered-down compared to the intended 20nm Maxwell), the next-gen line of 800-series boards won't be as far ahead of the GTX 750 (Ti) as it would be expected.
This, among other things, may have contributed to Palit's decision to pick up the cards again and release a pair of custom versions.
And instead of just strapping a new sticker on the same cooler or overclocking the things, it went the other way and left the fans out entirely. Thus, the GeForce GTX 750 / GTX 750 Ti KalmX are the first fanless, passively-cooled GTX 750 (Ti) boards ever.
For adapters that are stably entrenched in the upper half of the gaming/performance market, this is a very big deal. Especially since the performance, while not pushed above the norm, wasn't crippled either in order to make it happen.
The adapters are only different in their CUDA Core counts (640 for the GTX 750 Ti, 512 for the other one), the clock of the 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM (5,500 MHz and 5,010 MHz, respectively), and the TDP (60/55W). Otherwise, the numbers are all the same: 1,020 MHz base clock, 1,085 MHz GPU Boost frequency, and 128-bit memory interface.
Finally, the Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti/ GTX 750 KalmX graphics cards each have VGA, mini HDMI and DVI outputs. As for the passive coolers themselves, they are composed of a copper base, two nickel-plated heat pipes and tall nickel-plated fins almost as long as the card PCB. Sadly, prices went unmentioned, so we can't know how far above $110 - $150 / €80 - €110 you have to spend for them.