14 DAY TRIAL // The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti graphics card, one of the only two video boards powered by the next-generation Maxwell technology, has been modified and overclocked by ASUS, creating the Strix GTX 750 Ti OC.
GeForce GTX 750 (Ti) may or may not have been a test run on NVIDIA's part to see how Maxwell architecture could be adapted to the 28nm manufacturing process instead of 20nm.
It is possible that the green GPU maker already suspected, at the time, that TSMC would be unable to deliver the 20nm technology on time, forcing it to rebuild the Maxwell die on the same 28nm used by Kepler.
Either way, the GeForce GTX 750 and 750 Ti are very solidly positioned in the upper half of the add-in video card market, with something of a balance between performance and price ($110 - $140 / €110 – €140, no matter what exchange rates say).
Alas, ASUS was not exactly satisfied with the performance level, or the cooler for that matter, so it took matters into its own hands, as OEMs are wont to do.
That is what led to the creation of the Strix GTX 750 Ti OC, where OC stands for overclocking. Because apparently the base clock of 1,020 MHz and the GPU Boost level of 1,085 MHz were not enough.
ASUS pushed the base speed to 1,124 MHz and the GPU Boost maximum to 1,202 MHz, which is a more than significant leap, of 7.7% to be more precise. Enough that it would have been a great feat to just keep the operating temperature as it was.
But ASUS did not do that. In fact, it went well beyond that level, installing the DirectCU II cooler and driving temperature 58% lower, while also reducing the noise level.
Actually, light gameplay and Blu-ray movie playback, or any other process that doesn't demand many of the computer's resources, won't make the fan speed at all. As long as the GPU temperature doesn't go over 65˚C, the fans won't move at all.
Finally, the new ASUS video adapter boasts 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM at 5.4 GHz (controlled by the 128-bit GPU-memory interface), three video outputs (HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort).
This technology is called the “Strix” and, thus, is the namesake of the Strix GTX 750 Ti OC video card. Add to that ASUS Super Alloy Power components and manual overclock support via GPU Tweak and there isn't much else that the newcomer could have featured. Sadly, we won't know the price until the end of the month (July 2014).