EVGA GeForce GTX 295 Plus Dual-GPU Powerhouse

Name: EVGA GeForce GTX 295 Plus Dual-GPU Powerhouse - Page 2
Brand: EVGA

by Marco Chiappetta — Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 09:00 AM EDT

As we mnetioned in our article covering the launch of the GeForce GTX 295, the GPU used on the cards is built using a 55nm manufacturing process and the reference specifications call for 576MHz core, 1.24GHz shader, and 2GHz (1GHz DDR) memory clock frequencies. EVGA's "Plus" offering, however, has slightly increased frequencies across the board--594MHz for the GPU core, 1256MHz for the shaders, and 2052MHz (1026MHz DDR) for the memory.

EVGA GeForce GTX 295 Plus

Each GPU on the GeForce GTX 295 is outfitted with 240 stream processor cores--for a total of 480-- the memory interface is 448-bits wide and it's got 28 ROP units per GPU. Max board power is rated for 289 watts, which is right on par with the Radeon HD 4870 X2, and as such, the GTX 295 requires both 6-pin and 8-pin supplemental PCI Express power connectors.

The card itself is reminiscent of the dual-GPU powered GeForce 9800 GX2. There is a perforated shroud that surrounds the entire PCB, with an air inlet at one end near the barrel type fan. The fan pulls air into the interior of the card, where it is blown across heatsinks and then ultimately expelled from the system through vents in the card's case bracket. Outputs on the GeForce GTX 295 consist of a pair of dual-link DVI outputs and an HDMI output, but the pictures also reveal a couple of diagnostic LEDs. One of the LEDs indicates whether or not the board is receiving sufficient power and the other shows whether or not a monitor is properly connected and being detected.

With the GeForce GTX 295, each GPU (and its frame buffer memory) resides on its own PCB. And sandwiched in between the PCBs is a single, large heatsink and fan that cools the GPUs and RAM. The rear of each PCB features a cut-out that allows air to be pulled in from either side, where it is funneled through the center of the card and ultimately exhausted from the system. The entire assembly, with the exception of the backside of the second PCB, is encased in a perforated, metal shell that not only protects the components inside, but also helps dissipate heat. EVGA adorns the front side of the shell with a custom decal and a bracket on the back side features the EVGA logo as well.

Tags: Nvidia, GeForce, graphics, GPU, evga, GTX

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com