To be or not to be, that is no longer a question.  This is the ROG Matrix Platinum GTX 980 (codename MATRIX-GTX980-P-4GD5)  is all that it can be, with no compromises.  A new hyperbole needs to concocted for something that is actually that good.

Making the decision to invest in such an incredible piece of hardware can sometimes be difficult.  In those times, whatever you do; don't look inside the box.  Because if you come face to face with the ultimate ROG beast, then you'll surely see that the only thing that can satisfy an insatiable hunger for ultimate power lies within, and there's no way you're going to leave the store empty-handed.

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Oh well, sorry.  There's no going back now, I opened it.  

Tucked away snugly beneath the a clear sheet of plastic and protective foam, lies the new Matrix Platinum GTX 980. Inside with it is the User Guide, software disc, two power cables and a beautifully-crafted metal ROG sticker.

After you have taken the card out ever so delicately with both hands, you can hold it up to the heavens and do an reenactment of The Lion King.  You will start to notice this beast of a card was made exactly how you had envisioned it; solidly built and ready for whatever you intend to throw at it (figuratively speaking). On the exterior, you have the traditional ROG red and matte black combination, styled like Spiderman meets Tron.  The only difference being - this is not science fiction.

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The dual-slot card measures 11.3 X 5.4 X 1.6 inches in size.

At the core, it is powered by Nvidia's acclaimed 2nd-gen Maxwell architecture (GM204); their most powerful and efficient architecture to date.  ROG keeps overkill as the minimum settings; it comes factory-overclocked at 1,342MHz (14% boost from 1,178MHz), with 4GB of GDDR5 video memory operating at 7,012MHz (effective) on its 256bit memory bus.

The Matrix is fitted with a DirectCU II heatsink which provides you with 25% greater cooling and three times quieter than reference design. It incorporates a CoolTech fan for multi-directional cooling, making this an exceptional quiet card even when the fans ramp up.  As ROG is obsessed with the details, you might have noticed that even the 10mm heatpipes and heatsink fins are matte-black to match the theme, while on the PCB rear is a brushed-metal, Matrix branded back-plate, which not only look good but also helps spread and dissipate the heat. 

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On the side, there is a ROG color-coded, real-time load indicator that changes color to show the GPU load level - blue for light load, orange for medium, red for heavy and green for safe mode.  This is unique to ROG graphics hardware!

For those using liquid nitrogen, solder in the VGA Hotwire wires and short the available points to unlock LN2 mode, then plug in a 4-pin molex power cable to use the memory defroster. This keeps the memory from freezing up, avoiding cold bugs and the need for excessive insulation that can get in the way of multi-GPU LN2 setups.

The 2,048-core GPU and memory is fed by the DIGI+ VRM with a 14-phase power design, Super Alloy Power chokes and hardened MOSFETs, also its Japanese-made 10K Nichicon GT-Series black metallic capacitors have 20% better temperature endurance and five times the lifespan of standard solid caps.

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ASUS has not factory-overclocked too aggressively, so there is still plenty of headroom left for you to play yourself - which is half the fun! Download and install GPU Tweak and there's enough to satisfy even the most extreme enthusiast. The twin 8-pin power connectors have LED indicators on each to signify if each power cable is installed correctly.

 There are five choices of display outputs: DVI, HDMI 2.0 and three DisplayPort 1.2 (four of which can be used concurrently). Note that if you do wish to take the DirectCU II cooling unit off, you will need to unscrew the six screws on the rear bracket as well.

In case you were curious about what's underneath but still wanted to keep your warranty, we pulled apart the card for you to see:

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Over at ASUS PC DIY there's a new video completely detailing the Matrix GTX 980 - from packaging, to card spec, to disassembly and engineering discussion to live overclocking performance! The chapter marks are linked below the video if you want to jump to a particular area of interest.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJmi_vXD4xw[/video]

Chapter breakdown

0:08 - Introduction
1:20 - Packaging
1:50 - Accessories
3:19 - Maxwell & GTX 980 Architecture
9:45 - Specifications
11:25 - External desgin and display connectivity
17:42 - Disassembly
18:52 - Analysis and breakdown of heat sink and fan assembly
21:00 - Internal analysis and breakdown of PCB, VRM and power topology
28:00 - Thermal performance and fan duty information
33:50 - Overclocking 
38:50 - Wrap up and conclusion

Hardware Canucks has recently reviewed both the Rampage V Extreme and Matrix GTX 980, awarding them both as 'Dam Good' hardware.

On the Matrix GTX 980:

"The ASUS GTX 980 Matrix is arguably one of the most eagerly-anticipated graphics cards to be launched this year and looking at raw numbers, there’s no denying the wait was worthwhile. However, in order to truly appreciate its full stable of features and abilities one needs to fall firmly within its target audience of enthusiasts.

...

Allowing the Matrix to run free under air cooling gave us the first tantalizing glimpses of what ASUS has achieved. Core frequencies hit 1466MHz on a consistent basis and memory nearly achieved 8Gbps. It goes without saying that at those speeds performance was extended far beyond what a bone stock GTX 980 can hope to achieve..."

On the Rampage V Extreme (it's a huge and detailed review - a great read!)

"There's so much on this model that has been designed for and by overclockers. It features a Q-Code debug LED display, LN2 Mode jumper (helps remedy cold-boot bug during post at sub-zero temperatures), Slow Mode switch (drops the CPU multiplier to temporarily enhance system stability), power-on Start button, Reset button, MemOk! button (initiates memory compatibility tuning process), and thermal probe header. The two newest button additions are particularly ingenious. If you are overclocking and your system fails to post successfully, you no longer have to hit the CMOS Reset button. Instead you can now press the Safe Boot button and it will power off your system and then boot with default settings allowing you to modify the last configuration to fix the problem.

...

The ProbeIt area features an assortment of actually useful voltage read points, which is something we can't say for most of the other motherboards we have reviewed thus far. It's impossible not to mention the OC Panel either, the cool monitoring and overclocking accessory that comes included with this model. This mighty gadget - that usually retails solo for $100 - has proven itself to be a fantastic addition to many overclockers toolbox, and ASUS have been doing a commendable job on ensuring compatibility across multiple platforms."

2014 is over already? We hope you've got a great night of celebration ahead (or if you're reading this on 1st, we hope the hang-over is not too bad!) . It's been a big year of 'firsts' for Republic of Gamers (and TUF and Strix), with many new product series launching; Poseidon, Striker, new mini-desktops, new series' of gaming laptops, a monitor, new mice, motherboards with new designs and painted PCBs, and much, much more. As it goes into its ninth year in 2015, ROG has evolved well beyond the motherboards and graphics cards that first made its name as the performance gamer's choice.

We've been through the last 35 pages of archives (!!) to dig out the best bits of 2014 as a reminder what ASUS, Strix, TUF and ROG products arrived, month-by-month. What was your 2014 upgrade and what are you looking forward to in 2015? We've got some great stuff in the pipe and it all starts off with CES next week. And no, my lips (well, fingers) are sealed until then!

January 2014:

• First ROG Poseidon launched, with exclusive Direct H2O hybrid cooling design
• World's first G-Sync monitor arrived, with the limited edition Nvidia VG248Q G-Sync upgrade mod
• ASUS R9 290/290X DirectCU II graphics cards launched
• The bigger ROG Nomad backpack launched

February 2014:

• ASUS GTX Titan Black graphics card launched
• ASUS GTX 750 Ti DirectCU II graphics card launched

March 2014:

• Both ROG Matrix GTX 780 Ti and R9 290X graphics cards double-launch
• ROG G750 series gaming notebooks launched
• ASUS GTX 280 DirectCU II graphics card launched
• ROG G56JR gaming notebook launched

April 2014:

• ASUS R9 295X graphics card launched
• ROG introduces Striker series graphics cards, with Striker GTX 760 Platinum
• 4K revolution continues, with ASUS PB287Q

May 2014:

• ROG introduces Maximus VII series with Hero, Gene and new Ranger
• TUF launches its Z97 series Sabertooth and Gryphon
• ASUS GTX Titan Z launches
• ROG launches the G550JK gaming notebook
• Strix launches its first semi-fanless graphics cards with the R9 280 and GTX 780 series
• Strix Pro gaming headset launches

June 2014:

• Computex announcements for ARES III, GR8, Crossblade Ranger, Gladius mouse, GX500 gaming notebook, Maximus VII Formula, Impact, G20 and GK2000 keyboard!
• Computex announcements for PA328Q, PB279Q 4K monitors

July 2014:

• ROG launches the Maximus VII Formula motherboard
• ROG Swift PG278Q G-Sync gaming monitor launches
• Strix GTX 750 Ti graphics card launches
• Xonar U5 USB sound card and headphone amp launches
• Strix series expands its gaming credentials with the Strix DSP headset, Strix Claw mouse, Strix Tactic Pro keyboard and Strix Glide mouse mats launch

August 2014:

• ROG Rampage V Extreme motherboard launches
• ROG Crossblade Ranger motherboard launches
• ROG Maximus VII Impact motherboard launches
• ASUS X99 series motherboards launch
• ROG GM50 mouse mat launches

September 2014:

• Strix R9 285 graphics card launches
• ROG launches the Gladius gaming mouse
• ROG launches the ARES III graphics card
• ROG launches the G20 mini gaming desktop
• ROG launches the G551 and G771 series gaming laptops
• Strix GTX 980 and GTX 970 graphics cards launch

October 2014:

• ROG launches the GR8 mini gaming desktop
• ROG launches the G751 series gaming laptops
• ASUS launches the Z97 Pro Gamer motherboard

November 2014:

• ROG Poseidon GTX 980 graphics cards launches
• TUF launches the limited edition Sabertooth Z97 Mark S - white PCB, white Thermal Armor
• Strix 7.1 gaming headset launched

December 2014:

• ASUS GTX 970 DirectCU Mini graphics card launched for mini-ITX PCs
• ASUS PB279Q 4K monitor launches
• ROG Matrix GTX 980 graphics card launches
• Strix 2.0 gaming headset launches
• Xonar U3 Plus USB mini-sound card launches

Confused about which ASUS GTX 980 to get? Do you need the awesome OC potential of the Matrix; the hybrid cooling for future upgrading with the Poseidon or the semi-fanless Strix? The answer lies in the video below, where the guys at ASUS North America have put together a guide that details and compares the three of them!

Related articles:

1. Unboxing: Strix GeForce GTX 980 And Compared To GTX 780 Ti, Matrix R9 290X
2. Matrix R9 290X And Matrix GTX 780 Ti Review Round-up
3. Official Video: Matrix R9 290X and Matrix GTX 780 Ti

Connect up your ASUS/ROG/Strix together and finish off your SLI build with an ROG SLI bridge. The ROG team has designed SLI bridges available for 2, 3 and 4-way SLI systems, with varying widths between the cards to match ROG motherboards. It's construction uses high-quality aluminum, with a red backlit ROG logo in the center.

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But why do I need a fancy SLI bridge when I get one free with my motherboard? Well, apart from the fact it's been an oft-requested feature (we do listen out to our fans!), when you're spending the $ on a few graphics cards and possibly a new Rampage X99 rig to match, it's a small but very important upgrade because it often sits right behind a case window and it's the first thing you'll see.

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Two French pro-overclockers, StrategosSan and Wizerty, scored a Global First Place record in 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme, with two ROG Matrix GTX 980 graphics cards and a Rampage V Extreme motherboard, achieving a score of 16,872 marks. 

Record Spec:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X @ 5,374 MHz (+79.13%)
• MB: Rampage V Extreme
• VGA: 2 x Matrix GTX 980 @ 2,082MHz (+71.22%) / 2,150MHz (+22.23%)
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 x 16GB DDR4
• PSU: 1,300 Watt
• CPU and VGA cooling: LN2

The previous top scores by 8pack and Vivi, was 16,837 marks and 16,822 marks respectively, however their CPU frequency was slightly higher at 5,625MHz and 5,636MHz.

• HWBot Link – 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme 2 x GPU – 16872 marks
• HWBot Link – 3DMark Fire Strike 2 x GPU – 31024 marks

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The Strix GTX 960 is a new performance-mainstream graphics card, with a 1,291MHz factory-overclocked GPU and 1,317MHz GPU boost clock in OC mode, giving it a 12% faster than reference boost. The Strix cooler still features the critically acclaimed 0dB design in low temperature (and power) modes, with dual fans keeping cool under heavy gaming loads. In addition there's 5-phase Super Alloy Power hardware and the compact design and short PCB is great for smaller systems, yet doesn't shortchange on display connections, which include three DP, one HDMI And one DVI.

For more details hit the press release button below the gallery.

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JJ explains the tech and killer features of the new Strix GTX 960 graphics card in the ASUS PC DIY video below. Give their channel a sub if you want to see more vids like this!

A in depth look at the design, features, functionality and performance of the ASUS NVIDIA GeForce STRIX GTX 960. In addition we look at overclocking the GTX 960 to provide insights into what is expected and how you can easily overclock it. If you have been looking for a new graphics card that is cool, quiet and fast and OC friendly look no further than the STRIX GTX 960. It is a perfect graphics card for PC gamers looking to upgrade from 600, 500 or 400 series graphics card. The card offers impressive 1920 x 1080 gaming performance while allowing you to also maintain or enabled advanced image quality settings.

Related articles:

1. Video: STRIX Graphics And Strix Pro Review By Hardware Arena [Turkey]
2. Video: Strix Graphics 0dB Fan Technology – See It In Action
3. Video: Matrix Platinum: Definitive Overview

If you're an Nvidia fan, arguably the best mainstream enthusiast graphics card comes from the just-released ASUS Strix GTX 960. If you're playing at Full HD resolutions and are looking to upgrade from an old (and probably hotter and more power-hungry) graphics card, this will fit the bill. Its Strix semi-fanless design is compact and ultra-quiet making it perfect for HTPCs or smaller PC mods, or you may just want a card with great value to overclock the hell out of it!  Without further ado, let's look at what's inside the box.

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Inside contains another box which contrasts the outer box, so you have a choice of what kind of box collection you want to have (if you prefer not to keep the outer box, it is a great decoy box for birthdays and Christmases). Apart from the Strix GTX 960 itself, you will find the DVI to VGA adapter (and if you need it, then please also consider that ASUS has a great product line of modern LCD displays!), a user's guide, a software disc and a Strix bumper sticker.

As the successor to the GTX 760, the ASUS Strix GTX 960 packs the super power-efficient Maxwell processor architecture, but utilizes the new GM206 GPU built on the 28nm process, rather than the GM204 found in its big brothers; GTX 970 and GTX 980. The Strix GTX 960 packs 1024 CUDA cores, 16 streaming multiprocessors, 32 ROP units and 64 texture units.  With a 1,253MHz factory-overclocked GPU base clock (up from 1,127MHz) and a 1,317MHz GPU boost clock (up from 1,178MHz) in OC mode, it performs 12% faster than reference.  It is 12% faster in Assassin’s Creed Unity and Battlefield 4, and runs the 3DMark 11 Extreme (in FullHD) benchmark 6.5% faster than reference designs.  It is fitted with 2 GB of high-speed 7GHz (effective) GDDR5 video memory with a 128-bit bus; which is balanced given Nvidia Maxwell's highly efficient use of memory bandwidth.

With great overclockability and twice the power efficiency compared to GTX 660 and 33% compared to previous generation Kepler cored 700-series products, there's still room for the same new tricks as the GTX 970/980 such as the Voxel Global Illumination lighting technique (VXGI), VR Direct, Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR), Multi-Frame Anti-aliasing (MFAA) and more.

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The dual-slot card is packing a dual-link DVI port, an HDMI 2.0 port, and opting for a trio of DisplayPort 1.2 ports.

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If you take off the DirectCU II cooler, you will find a 5-phase Super Alloy Power design that enhances energy efficiency by 15%, widens voltage modulation tolerance, and improves overall stability and longevity (by up to two and a half times!) compared to reference designs. Note that for people experienced with removing the coolers, this time you won't need to remove the screws on the IO backplate.

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DirectCU II cooling technology makes the card 30% cooler (220% more heat dissipation) and three times quieter than reference. It's 0dB fan technology will especially come in handy in HTPCs for totally-silent operation when getting some light gaming in or watching videos, and it is still impressively quiet even during intense gaming sessions. The heatpipes sit evenly over the GPU, as they go to the fins they are arced providing more surface area and volume to increase cooling without adding length to the card.

Enhancing its cooling even further, the Strix GTX 960 has a strong, rigid backplate that helps dissipate heat from components on the backside quickly and provides an extra measure of protection against physical card damage (or possibly liquid-cooling spillage) - in addition to having something great to look at in your case.  The backplate can be removed by unscrewing seven screws from the topside of the card (positions can be seen below on the backplate).

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Strix GTX 960 uses a single 6-pin power connector, providing cleaner cable management, and has a convenient connection indicator LED to let you quickly see if the power cable is plugged in properly.

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DirectCU II design coupled with the already power-efficient Maxwell is a recipe for great overclocking, and the Strix GTX 960 works with the existing GPU Tweak software for monitoring and overclocking. GPU Tweak provides the ability to fine-tune GPU speeds, voltages and video memory clock speeds in real time. Some people have overclocked it past 1,400MHz (core) / 1,450MHz (boost) / 1,900MHz (memory) without touching temperature profiles or voltage!

GPU Tweak also includes a customized version of the XSplit Gamecaster streaming tool and a free one-year free XSplit Premium license. XSplit Gamecaster lets you record and share on-screen action over the internet in real time, meaning your friends can watch you dominate the competition live.

For reference, here's the Strix GTX 960 and Strix GTX 970 side by side, to show you what differences there are. Both share the same owl-eyes fans and similar shroud design, but the Strix 960 is significantly more compact.

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The Strix GTX 960 measures 21.5 (L) X 12.1 (H) X 4.1 cm (W) whereas the Strix GTX 970 is six and a half centimeters longer and slightly taller, measuring 28 X 14 X 4 cm.  Instead of having two DVI ports, the Strix GTX 960 has one less (DVI-I only), and replaced them with two more native DisplayPort 1.2 ports.  Both have dual fans, but less power is required to power the GTX 960, so this allows slightly smaller fans to be installed on the more compact card.

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 Whether you just want to build a compact PC that packs a punch, a super-quiet HTPC, craving some overclocking fun, or simply can't miss the deal of the year, Strix GTX 960 won't disappoint.

Quick update on the graphics card front: ASUS has recently launched a double-memory update: the Strix GTX 750 Ti 4GB (STRIX-GTX750TI-DC2OC-4GD5), pushing it to 4GB VRAM for those who find the standard 2GB too limiting in modern titles.

Secondly, there's a new 'mini-ITX' version of the GTX 960: the ASUS GTX 960 Mini series (GTX960-MOC-2GD5), which follows the recently launched GTX 970 DirectCU Mini (GTX970-DCMOC-4GD5). Both the GTX 970 and 960 versions use a single CoolTech fan, squeezing the card's dual-slot size down to just 17cm in length.

Strix and ASUS cards both feature Super Alloy Power tech as standard and have pre-OC'd GPU cores.

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ASUS ROG will this week launch its ROG OC Showdown: Formula Series; the first to accommodate exclusively for overclockers who are air and water cooling on either of the ASUS Z87 and Z97 platforms.

Note that Extreme Series participants are not eligible to enter the Formula Series, so ASUS expects more open playing field for those without access to extreme cooling techniques such as liquid nitrogen. Extreme (Subzero) overclockers; get ready for the OC Showdown 2015 Extreme series, Round Two, which will kick off soon!  The Extreme Series targets overclockers with Z97 or X99 motherboards from ASUS, ASUS ROG or ASUS TUF, further details and competition schedule are available here.

The Formula Series, Round One, starts on March 6th. If you want to join in here are more details regarding making entries, T&Cs and eligibility.

Besides the bragging-rights to overclocking domination, ASUS is also packing in the prizes with top-end Strix graphics, Maximus VII Formula and Impact motherboards, with complementary prizes from partners Intel, Enermax and HyperX offering some awesome prizes, such as  the ones shown below as incentives, plus more!   Here is the full list of prizes.

The Formula Series competition name is a wink and nod to ROG Maximus' Formula series motherboards, with hybrid CrossChill cooling that can be cooled by air or water cooling.

The Formula Series competition is divided into three challenging stages where contestants have the opportunity to get the best results for 

• Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU),
• Catzilla 720p
• MaxxMem Read Bandwidth.  

If you want to know more hit the press release below.

The first event of ASUS Republic of Gamer's global online overclocking competition, the Extreme Series 2015: Round One, has drawn to a close.  Targeting extreme overclockers who use dry ice, liquid nitrogen or any other cooling apparatus to achieve subzero cooling conditions on ASUS, ROG or TUF (Z97 or X99) motherboards, and graphic cards (for the 3D benchmarks).  

Round One ran from January 30 to March 2, with 39 participants from the HWBot Extreme Series showcased their overclocking skills in the quest for overclocking glory in Cinebench R11.5, Intel XTU and 3DMark-Fire Strike Extreme.  Here are the rankings after the completion of round one of the Extreme Series. Round Two will kick off April 17 until May 18.

Congratulations to the top three overclockers from each the Elite league and the Extreme League, their awesome prizes are listed below. 

For the first time ever, prizes are awarded to top competitors from different leagues to accommodate all eager overclockers, providing a more fair and open playing field.  The Extreme Series consists of the Elite League comprising The top crop of the overclocking world; plays with LN2, engineering samples and in touch with the hardware industry, and the Extreme League who are The most eccentric people you will find in the overclocking world; ready to battle each other with retail hardware and liquid nitrogen.  

Winners of the Elite League:

1. Dancop from Germany (Winner the ASUS Open Overclocking Cup 2014 in Russia(AOOC))
2. Wizerty from France
3. Xtreme_Addict from Poland

Winners of the Extreme League:

1. Laoshu1919 from China
2. Bullshooter from Germany
3. Fahmi_thebull from Indonesia

Lucky draw winners – each to receive: 1 x ROG OC Showdown t-shirt + 1 x Enermax TwisterStorm 12cm fan + 1 x Enermax HDD/SDD mobile rack

1. Foyle from Poland
2. Achill3us from Hungary
3. Rkinslo from USA
4. Rollerkoster from Indonesia
5. Loul from France

 Stages details:

• Stage 1: Cinebench R11.5

1. Dancop: Achieved the Global first place with a quad-core CPU i7 4770K running at 6,469MHz (+84.84%) on Z97 Maximus VII Impact.

• Stage 2: XTU limited at 5.5GHz

1. Wizerty: Reaching perfect efficiency with the Rampage V Extreme with 2257 marks.

• Stage 3: 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme

1. 8pack:  10119marks – Broke the 10k mark with a single GPU Matrix GTX 980 (2200MHz (+80,92%) GPU clock / 2,175MHz (23,65%) memory clock) and the Rampage V Extreme. 

The Strix GTX 960 has had a double-memory bump to 4GB, so look out for the STRIX-GTX960-DC2OC-4GD5 in April. 

The card features 4GB of 7,010MHz (effective) GDDR5 memory for bigger resolutions, surround gaming and higher in-game settings, and offers factory-overclocked GPU core speeds of 1,291 MHz, and 1,317 MHz GPU Boost, compared to reference speeds of under 1,200MHz.

The critically acclaimed, semi-passive Strix DirectCU II heatsink is unchanged from the 2GB version; it features a large aluminium fin heatsink (220% larger than reference) that's chilled by a pair of fans that stay off until a temperature threshold is reached. This means the card remains completely silent unless you're gaming (or adding sustained GPU load via other apps). On the back are three DisplayPort 1.2, one HDMI 2.0 and one dual-link DVI port. It's powered via a single 6-pin PCI-Express power connector that has white/red LEDs to indicate whether the plug is installed correctly, and inside it's got the usual Super Alloy Power hardware upgrade. 

People love backplates, so the ASUS graphics team has made sure to add a brushed aluminum one to keep the rear-side GDDR5 memory chips cool and protect the PCB.  Meanwhile, on the software front it's bundled with ASUS GPU Tweak with new XSplit Gamecaster for GPU overclocking along with game streaming.

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Free Games Alert! 

Upcoming epic, Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is now available free with every ASUS, Strix or ROG GTX 980, 970 or 960 series graphics card. Grab your code and redeem it when the game launches in ~May.

For more information see our Witcher 3: Wild Hunt microsite.

 The ROG Enthuiast SLI Bridge will soon be available from key ROG system builders and retailers. It represents a great looking upgrade with brushed aluminum and red LED backlit ROG logo for PC cases where the hardware is on show. Available in 2, 3 and 4-way options with varying 2-way sizes to fit different slot gaps. Compatibility is detailed in the press release below the picture gallery.

Product Range:

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2-way, 3-way and 4-way SLI:

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More details about compatibility and setting up the logo LED:

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We are excited to announce that with your next upgrade to an eligible ASUS graphics card, you will receive for free - a 1-year ASUS XSplit Premuim License worth US$99.95/year!  Using XSplit Gamecaster makes streaming and recording your greatest gaming triumphs a cinch so you can share your gameplay with the world.  ASUS GPU Tweak helps you modify clock speeds, voltages, fan performance and more in real-time, and all this via an intuitive interface.  Having both combined, you now have ultimate control of your system and streaming without exiting your game.

 Here are the eligible graphics cards, the 14-day premium license is effective from March 1st, 2015, while the 1-year license is effective from March 15th, 2015.

The activation process is as easy as one, two, three... and four (if eligible for the redemption procedure).

Why get the exclusive ASUS x XSplit Gamecaster utility apart from the fact that it's free?   How about extra functionality and control so won't have to leave the game and more!

Get the upgrade you've been waiting for and while you're at it, get a 1 year FREE XSplit Premium License!  Find out more.

ASUS is releasing a limited edition set of 20th Anniversary Golden Edition GTX 980's to celebrate 20 years of making graphics cards. Out the box the 20th Anniversary Golden Edition GTX 980 is the.fastest.GTX 980. you can buy, with a core clock set to a whopping 1,431MHz! To put that in perspective it's 18% higher than the Boost of a reference card and the ROG Matrix Platinum has a Boost of 1,342 MHz - 100MHz less.

While ASUS has been making motherboards since 1989, since 1995 it started development of graphics cards and innovations to differentiate them in the market. Since then not only have many of these upgrades have become industry standards, collectively our media awards have made ASUS the best-selling and most award-winning graphics card brand, and the most popular brand on Futuremark's 3DMark leaderboard.

You can see the ASUS history of graphics cards on our 20th Anniversary website, including the pre-production (dual-GPU) Extreme N6800GT-DUAL/2DT/512M not shown, and you can see more about the Golden Edition GTX 980 on its product page or hit the PR button below the gallery.

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ASUS GTX 970 Turbo Edition

To commemorate 20 years of making graphics cards, ASUS is releasing in limited numbers the fastest GTX 980 graphic card money can buy.  This highly-collectable card comes in a very special package for a very special occasion.  For fans who love collecting boxes, you don't want to miss out on this one.

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In the box, you will find the essentials like the power cables, software disc and setup guide.  Apart from the special edition graphics card, there is also a special edition super-sized mouse mat.

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 The main attraction comes in the form of a matte-black and gold Nvidia GTX 980 with ASUS-exclusive technologies.  The ASUS back-plate and all ports are gold-plated, making this the perfect card for a gold/yellow mod, or for adding a touch of class and quality in your build.  

At the core, it is powered by Nvidia’s acclaimed 2nd-gen Maxwell architecture (GM204); their most powerful and efficient architecture to date.  This factory-overclocked beast runs at a whooping 1,431MHz (18% boost from 1,178MHz so this is even faster than the mighty ROG Matrix Platinum!), with 4GB of GDDR5 video memory operating at 7,012MHz (effective) on its 256bit memory bus. There are five display outputs in total: DVI, HDMI 2.0 and three DisplayPort 1.2 (four of which can be used concurrently), so you can run games on multiple displays.

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On the side, there is the 20th Anniversary logo which is also a color-coded, real-time load indicator that changes color to show the GPU load level – blue for light load, orange for medium, red for heavy and green for safe mode.  By pressing the Clear VBIOS button, your GPU default settings will be restored so you can overclock with confidence.  The dual-slot card measures 11.3 X 5.4 X 1.6 inches in size.

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The Golden Edition card is fitted with ASUS-exclusive technologies like the DirectCU II heatsink which provides you with 15% greater cooling and three times quieter than reference design. It incorporates a CoolTech fan for multi-directional cooling, making this an exceptional quiet card even when the fans are at full-speed.  The Direct CU II heatsink combined with the CoolTech fans and 10mm heatpipes make 0dB Fan Technology possible so you can have ultra-silent operation without water-cooling.  Details do matter, so matte-black is applied to the heatsink and heatpipes match the theme, while on the back of the PCB is the gold version of the premium brushed-metal back-plate, which doesn't only look fantastic but also helps spread and dissipate the heat from components and the PCB. 

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Even though ASUS has factory-overclocked the card, this was built to still have plenty of headroom left for you to play around with! Download and install GPU Tweak, there’s enough features to satisfy even the most hardcore enthusiast. The twin 8-pin power connectors have LED indicators on each to indicate if each power cable is installed correctly.

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The 2,048-core GPU and memory is fed by the DIGI+ VRM with a 14-phase power design.  Concrete core chokes, hardened MOSFETs, as well as Japanese-made 10K black metallic capacitors are all here, to bring you 30% less power noise, 20% better temperature endurance and five times the lifespan of standard solid caps.  All these technologies and components provide stability, silent operation, and even more overclocking headroom that you'd come to expect from ASUS.

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For those using liquid nitrogen, simply solder in the VGA Hotwire wires and short the available points to unlock LN2 mode, then plug in a 4-pin molex power cable to use the memory defroster.  When you're dealing with subzero overclocking, this will keep your memory from freezing up, say sayōnara to cold bugs and the need for excessive insulation.

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Some people like to go crazy, but there's nothing wrong with that.  By all means, go crazy!  And this is what crazy looks like.  How about the 20th Anniversary Golden Edition GTX 980 times two?  Oh and don't forget about the ROG SLI Bridge...

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You can also check out the history of ASUS graphics cards on our 20th Anniversary website.

Been holding off for an upgrade?  Here is a deal that will be hard to resist - two of the most anticipated games of the year come FREE when you upgrade to a Strix GTX 980 or Strix GTX 970!   For a limited time, you can get The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Batman: Arkham Knight then use that money you saved to go toward your new graphics card.  To play these two titles the way they intended, these two graphics cards are surely great choices if you haven't got one already (and if you already have one, it's the perfect time to get a second or even a third one).   Strix GTX 980 and 970 are high-end graphics cards which will serve you well for basically any game you throw at it (fortunate 4K'ers may require the assistance of a second card for intensive titles such as these).

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt utilizes the latest features and effects available to bring you graphical fidelity like never before.  Details of objects like hair, clothes, cloth for example don't only look realistic, they move like it too.  Apart from the ooos and aaaahs from the visual feast, the game is actually highly-anticipated for a very good reason - the gameplay.

Batman: Arkham Knight will also feature cutting-edge graphics of course, so you can kick ass and look good doing it, in dark, rainy, and foggy environments enhanced by the newest technologies.   This time round, you have more than one of the DC Comics villains to deal with, good luck with that.

The free game bundle promotion is offered in participating regions (North America and Europe) and retailers only.

Here is the full list of participating countries: