EVGA's Quad-Slot 2WIN Gemini Dual-GTX 680

Going by its Computex 2012 exhibition, EVGA is one of the companies that will launch a super-powered version of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics adapter.

We have to say that this 2WIN Gemini video card took us by surprise, and not because of its actual performance parameters. In fact, beyond the existence of 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM memory and two GK104 chips, the card's specs were left, for the most part, shrouded in mystery. This is not so different from how ASUS showed off the dual-GPU Mars III monster, but neglected to mention what speeds the GK104 GPUs sported.  EVGA's 2WIN Gemini is even more of a dual-chip monster. You can tell just by looking at it though. After all, it's not every day that people get to see a quad-slot video board. That's right, EVGA's video board will take up more space than the ASUS 8 GB Mars III itself (three slots).

Strangely, the 2WIN Gemini needs so much room even though it has half the memory of the Mars III (4 GB GDDR5 VRAM instead of 8). That said, EVGA implemented a 16-phase PWM with 8+8+8 power section design and clock speeds higher than those of the GTX 690. For those who don't remember, the 690 has a 915 MHz base speed and a GPU Boost frequency of 1,019 MHz, while the 4 GB GDDR5 VRAM operate at 6 GHz. We don't know by how much EVGA will outclass these parameters.

At any rate, when the product does appear on sale, it will doubtlessly bear a price tag far above the $999 / 900 Euro mark of NVIDIA's reference adapter. Keep your bank accounts ready and brace yourselves for the fact. You might also want to check out the various dual-GPU Radeon HD 7970 X2 that AMD's partners have been introducing.

Posted in: Hardware, Preview