Features and Specifications
These come direct from Gigabyte’s product page for this GTX 650 OC 2GB GPU.
My thoughts can be found under each category in blue text.
GIGABYTE HD Experience Series
- GIGABYTE HD Experience Series
- Powered by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 GPU
- Integrated with the first 2048MB GDDR5 memory and 128-bit memory interface
- Features Dual-link DVI-D*2 / HDMI / D-Sub
- Core Clock: 1110 MHz
- Support PCI Express 3.0 x16 bus interface
- Support NVIDIA 3D Vision™ Surround technology
- Support NVIDIA® CUDA™ Technology
- Support NVIDIA® PhysX™ Technology
- Support NVIDIA® FXAA / TXAA Technology
- Support NVIDIA® Adaptive Vertical Sync Technology
- System power supply requirement: 400W
Ultra Durable 2
Using high quality components on graphics cards is the key factor for having a long lasting, stable and reliable product. GIGABYTE is again setting a new standard by using Ferrite Core Chokes, Low RDS (on) MOSFET and Lower ESR Solid Capacitors, providing the stability and reliability from their high-end graphics solution. In addition, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 2 Edition graphics cards now feature a sophisticated layout topology. This state-of-the-art power design from GIGABYTE delivers the ideal integration of thermal, electric characteristics, digital signals, power circuitry and optimum placement of components for enhanced graphics performance.
Everything here is very nice. Everything here is also found on the vast majority of GPUs in production now.
100 mm Triangle Cool fan
This new “Triangle Cool” fansink integrates a patented triangle-shaped aluminum block into the aluminum extrusion module. The triangle design not only minimizes the turbulence between extruded aluminum fins, but also enhances heat dissipation to improve cooling efficiency for the whole fansink.
A well designed heatsink is nice. This one looks wildly excessive, which I approve of.
Gold plated HDMI
Gold plated, durable large contact area connectors have been used for optimum signal transfer between connections
It’s a digital signal. It either makes it or not. There is no quality of picture difference between gold plated or not, nor between cables.
OC GURU ll
Brand-new instinctive user interface, easier to monitoring and adjusting all important settings. Users can set up MONITORING, GPU CLOCK, MEMORY CLOCK, FAN, GPU VOLTAGE, Memory VOLTAGE, OSD, ONLINE SUPPORT and update driver, BIOS directly.
I’m hoping this software has gotten better. I’ll be excited if we really can change GPU and memory voltage.
PhysX Technology
NVIDIA® PhysX™ is the next big thing in gaming!Delivering physics in games is no easy task. It’s an extremely compute-intensive environment based on a unique set of physics algorithms that require tremendous amounts of simultaneous mathematical and logical calculations. The best way to get real-time physics, such as explosions that cause dust and debris, characters with life-like motion or cloth that drapes and tears naturally is with an NVIDIA®PhysX™-ready GeForce® processor. PhysX software is widely adopted by over 150 games, is used by more than 10,000 registered users and is supported on Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PC. PhysX™ technology will take gaming to a whole new level.
CUDA Technology
NVIDIA® CUDA™ technology unlocks the power of the hundreds of cores in your NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics processor (GPU) to accelerate some of the most performance hungry computing applications. The CUDA™ technology already adopted by thousands of programmers to speed up those performance hungry computing applications.
NVIDIA® 3D Vision™
NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ brings a fully immersive stereoscopic 3D experience to the PC. A combination of high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software 3D Vision transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D. Users can even watch 3D movies and 3D digital photographs in crystal-clear quality.
I don’t have a 3d monitor, can’t really say much about this.
Microsoft Windows 7
Microsoft Windows 7 is the next generation operating system that will mark a dramatic improvement in the way the OS takes advantage of the graphics processing unit (GPU) to provide a more compelling user experience. By taking advantage of the GPU for both graphics and computing, Windows 7 will not only make today’s PCs more visual and more interactive but also ensure that they have the speed and responsiveness customers want
Yay?
RoHS Compliant
As a citizen of the global village, GIGABYTE exert ourselves to be a pioneer in environment care. Give the whole of Earth a promise that our products do not contain any of the restricted substances in concentrations and applications banned by the RoHS Directive, and are capable of being worked on at the higher temperatures required for lead free solder. One Earth and GIGABYTE Cares!
Gigabyte also cannot sell this card in the EU if it isn’t RoHS certified.
Now let’s check out the specs.
| Chipset | GeForce GTX 650 |
| PCB Form | ATX/PCI-E |
| Core Clock | 1110 MHz (standard : 1058 MHz) |
| Shader Clock | N/A |
| Memory Clock | 5000 MHz |
| Process Technology | 28 nm |
| Memory Size | 2048MB |
| Memory Bus | 128 bit |
| Card Bus | PCI-E 3.0 |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 |
| DirectX | 11 |
| OpenGL | 4.2 |
| I/O | Dual-link DVI-D*2 HDMI*1 D-Sub*1 |
| Digital max resolution | 2560 x 1600 |
| Analog max resolution | 2048 x 1536 |
| Multi-view | 4 |
| Tools | N/A |
| Card size | H= 42mm, L=187 mm, W=129 mm |
| Power requirement | 400 W |
This card gets a decent boost over normal clock speeds, though not huge. The only other thing worth noting (other than a laughable short length) is the 400 W PSU requirement. Fear not, if you’re using a halfway honest/decent PSU you don’t need anything close to that. I’ll give some power use numbers in the testing section. Right now it’s time for pictures.
