Single-PCB GeForce GTX 295 Pictured

[Cookie Monster]

Link

Looks nice

Me want!

 

[Blazer7]

Me does not. Half of the heat is dumped back inside the case. I think that it makes more sense to wait for the G300. Still, nice try. That's definitely better than the 2-pcb design. I wonder whether we will see many of those out there.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by: Blazer7
Me does not. Half of the heat is dumped back inside the case.

Ive always liked this HSF design ever since its debut with the 7900GTX. But like you said, it does dump half of the heat back to the case, but in return both GPUs will be evenly cooled. In comparison to the HD4870X2 HSF, the GPU core further away from the fan is alot hotter than the one near the fan.

With a well ventilated case, its a win-win situation although this isnt always the case.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Blazer7
Me does not. Half of the heat is dumped back inside the case. I think that it makes more sense to wait for the G300. Still, nice try. That's definitely better than the 2-pcb design. I wonder whether we will see many of those out there.

It is pretty neat. But how is it better than a 2 PCB design? Other than the fact that you know there is 1 PCB instead of 2 (which comes down to a "mental" footnote) what are the true advantages of this over a 2 PCB design? Unless we see some benches showing this card consistently winning out over the standard GTX295, and the price being equivilent, I see no advantage.

And it looks like all the heat from the back end sink will be dumped in the case, like you mentioned.

And I agree about waiting on the GT300. That should be an interesting piece of hardware.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Keysplayr

Originally posted by: Blazer7
Me does not. Half of the heat is dumped back inside the case. I think that it makes more sense to wait for the G300. Still, nice try. That's definitely better than the 2-pcb design. I wonder whether we will see many of those out there.

It is pretty neat. But how is it better than a 2 PCB design? Other than the fact that you know there is 1 PCB instead of 2 (which comes down to a "mental" footnote) what are the true advantages of this over a 2 PCB design? Unless we see some benches showing this card consistently winning out over the standard GTX295, and the price being equivilent, I see no advantage.

And it looks like all the heat from the back end sink will be dumped in the case, like you mentioned.

And I agree about waiting on the GT300. That should be an interesting piece of hardware.

I'd image it's cheaper to produce - 1 PCB is easier to produce than 2 plus the extra rigging needed to keep them together. Similarly, it's that much harder to physically break. But I'm not sure a lower price and being a bit harder to break is any kind of significant benefit when weighed against the fact that one GPU is dumping heat in to the case.

 

[Blazer7]

Yeap, well said. It should be quite cheaper and not only because of the pcb but because of the cooling solution also. A "std" cooler will most definitely cost less and will be easier to replace if needed. Try do that with the 2-pcb version.

 

[Keysplayr]

Does anyone here believe that the single PCB has the same amount of layers as the two PCB version? And I'm not so sure it will be priced lower. The novelty of it alone would command a higher price tag for those who would be convinced that this card is somehow better than th original. And lastly, I don't see how either card is any more or less breakable than th other, unless by breakable, you mean when someone takes it apart to apply his/her own thermal compound, which I'm sure some will do.

 

[Blazer7]

It is a possibility but even if the new pcb has more layers it should still cost less. This, along with the simpler cooling solution should make this card somewhat cheaper. Besides, there?s no point for anyone to get in the trouble to redesign such a complex product unless the new design brings forth some tangible advantage. With the G300 out in the next few months (hopefully) a radically new design is probably the only way that can keep the 295 in the market.

 

[Tempered81]

I know there isn't much advantage 1 pcb vs. two. Doesn't it cost less to make, and the memory is clocked 100mhz faster.

 

[error8]

It will surely be priced the same as the current gtx 295, but being cheaper to produce, will give Nvidia a bigger profit per card. If it's not cheaper to make, then there wouldn't be any point in making this card.

Too bad that the gpus are too far apart of each other, so it's impossible to place the fan in such a way that it will exhaust all the hot air outside the case. And it would have been a good bonus for this card, if it had the "missing" memory chip, so that it would end up at a round 2X1024 mb of video memory, instead of the ugly 1792 mb, knowing how memory hungry too gpus in SLI can be.

 

[Rusin]

http://resources.vr-zone.com//...96/Galaxy_GTX295_1.JPG
According to VR-Zone cooling solution on new GTX 295 is much much better: More cooling performance while it's more silent. Isn't that RPM number pretty similar to GTX 260 55nm?

 

[1ManArmY]

I don't see any temperature readings in the image?

 

[Rusin]

Originally posted by: 1ManArmY
I don't see any temperature readings in the image?

That pic doesn't have load temperatures..just temps of both GPUs right after 3dMark run.

[TIP: Celcius..]

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: Blazer7
It is a possibility but even if the new pcb has more layers it should still cost less. This, along with the simpler cooling solution should make this card somewhat cheaper. Besides, there?s no point for anyone to get in the trouble to redesign such a complex product unless the new design brings forth some tangible advantage. With the G300 out in the next few months (hopefully) a radically new design is probably the only way that can keep the 295 in the market.

Consider that the PCB for many cards is around $10 of the BOM, they could cut that in half and you still aren't looking at something worth talking about cost-reduction wise.

I think keys has the right points here in his posts. Also one really has to ask the question "why now?".

There's nothing technology-wise preventing single-PCB GTX295 up till now...so what would compel NV (or a board vendor) to create a "novelty" item now, at this stage in the timeline?

I could see value in such a product from a density standpoint for the Tesla marketspace. But the top of the top of the GPU marketspace? What market size exists for them? 1k units world-wide?

 

[MrK6]

There are some excellent points made in this thread. I don't see any advantages of the new design with the exception of a quieter cooling solution. Seeing as how it dumps heat back into the case (and this card puts out a LOT of heat), that would worry me; at least in the older design, the heat was pushed out the vents alongside the add-on slots that most cases have. I also wonder if cramming both GPU's on to the same PCB means they had to cut corners in some areas (power delivery?). The card seems to overclock just as well as other GTX 295's, so maybe that isn't the case. As far as "why now?" who knows. My best guess is this is a proof-of-concept card that they might have use for in future generations (like the 3870X2 was for the 4870X2).