[McG]

Quite some time after releasing the GeForce GTX 470 Super Overclock (SOC) graphics card, Gigabyte managed to design a high-performance PCB that facilitates better overclocks for the GeForce GTX 480, under a new SKU, the GV-N480SO-15I. Its most notable features include the WindForce 3X cooler, Ultra Durable VGA+ construction, and GPU Gauntlet (GPU selected out of a performance binning process). The card sports a blue PCB, and makes use of a strong VRM to support out of the box clock speeds of 820 MHz (core, vs. 700 MHz reference), and 950/3800 effective MHz (memory, vs. 924/3696 MHz).

The cooler makes use of three 90 mm fans to circulate air through a large aluminum fin array to which heat is conveyed by heat pipes and a copper plate. The PCB holds a strong 12+2 phase VRM to give the card enough juice for the clock speeds it comes with, plus keep some room for DIY overclocking. The Ultra Durable VGA+ construction gives the card high-grade components such as low-latency memory chips, 2 oz copper PCB, ferrite-core chokes, and low RDS (on) MOSFETs. The card also features two BIOS chips, which are selectable using a switch. Unlike many graphics card vendors that use a similar feature leaving one BIOS holding a high-performance profile and the other holding a failsafe reference clock profile, Gigabyte loaded both BIOS ROMs with high-performance profiles, one holding an SOC profile (with the above mentioned speeds), and another "LN2" profile perhaps holding even racier clocks and/or voltage settings, but requiring liquid-nitrogen cooling to sustain stability. Gigabyte's latest creation will release soon, priced at around 440 EUR.

Izvor: techPowerUp, Guru3D i NordicHardware

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