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ASUS demonstrates its 0dB Strix GPU fan technology (video)

by Mark Tyson on 29 May 2014, 09:49

Tags: ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), AMD (NYSE:AMD), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qacewj

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ASUS has introduced a new cooling methodology with its 'Strix' range of graphics cards. We are told that these gaming cards will run absolutely silent, 0dB, even when indulging in some "light gaming". In fact the Strix card cooling fans never kick into action unless the GPU temperature surpasses 65˚C.

ASUS says that the Strix name comes from the ancient Greek and Roman name for Owl.

Two cards make up the current Strix lineup. These are the Strix R9 280 and Strix GTX 780 – HEXUS readers will know that these punchy gaming GPUs from the AMD and Nvidia stables respectively, due to the nomenclature. The combination of ASUS Strix technology and the ASUS DirectCU II thermal design means that these new graphics cards can run "up to 15% faster, 20% cooler and 3X quieter than reference," which is a good result.

STRIX-GTX780-OC-6GD5

• NVIDIA GeForce® GTX™ 780

• PCI Express® 3.0

• 6GB GDDR5 memory

• 889MHz base clock speed, 941MHz boosted speed

• 6008MHz memory clock

• 384-bit memory interface

• 1 x DVI-D output

• 1 x DVI-I output

• 1 x DisplayPort output

• 1 x HDMI output

STRIX-R9280-OC-3GD5

• AMD® Radeon™ R9 280

• PCI Express® 3.0

• 3GBGDDR5 memory

• 980MHz engine clock speed

• 5200MHz memory clock

• 384-bit memory interface

• 1 x DVI-D output

• 1 x DVI-I output

• 1 x DisplayPort output

• 1 x HDMI output

So these cards run in passive mode until the GPU hits 65˚C. ASUS says that once the dual fans do start up they do so very gently, at 300RPM. After this they ramp up as necessary to maintain the best performance. It's recommended to have good airflow thoughout your PC system to make the most of this passive silent tech.

ASUS also equips these cards with DIGI+ VRM technology, "an ASUS-exclusive 10-phase power design that reduces power noise by 30% and enhances energy efficiency by 15%, compared to reference designs". This tech also is supposed to boost stability and hardware longevity.

Pricing and availability are yet to be announced.

Incidentally ASUS has now also announced its GTX Titan Z graphics card.



HEXUS Forums :: 19 Comments

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This looks more like a fan profile than anything else, but seems like it's the new PWM abilities that allow for this.

Silent at idle is a real boon, especially for video.
You do have to take in to account effect on overall system temps, over a long period of use.
So it's not 0db, it's just doing nothing until the GPU gets hot and relying on passive cooling. It would be nice to know the db levels once it kicks in to cool the card down. And who would indulge in “light gaming” with a 780 or a 280 unless these cards are being targeted at video/image editors.
Can't watch video at the moment but the idea of this just seems…wow…

I may be in the minority here but I would pay top bucks for one of these on a lower end card, meaning that there is even more silence potential as the lower end gpu would produce less heat.

I don't think we will be seeing these on the R9-290/X cards though…
You can do the same thing for any other card using MSI's Afterburner?
LeetyMcLeet
You can do the same thing for any other card using MSI's Afterburner?

yep, pretty sure all of that is done via some asus software anyway, because i doubt nvidia and amd would release different drivers for asus ( or you would be forced to use asus modified drivers , which is hassle on its own, so its probably asus afterburner alike)