The basis for the STRIX 1070 is the now well-known DirectCU III cooling solution. Adopting a triple fan configuration, this cooler consumes the card. Later in the article we’ll analyse the different aspects of our cooler in plenty of detail.
Overall the design with the plastic shroud looks aggressive, appealing to the eye and will likely pair up with other hardware very well – especially since we can modify the LED lighting strips (seen around the cooling fans), using ASUS Aura software. Our only criticism is that we’re dealing with plastic here; a card carrying such a price-tag should be using more robust materials such as metal.
The actual size of this graphics card is: 29.8 x 13.4 x 4 cm, which is slightly bigger than the Founder’s edition which sits at: 26.67 x 11.11 x 4 cm.
Flipping the card over, on the reverse we have a large steel backplate which protects the components on our graphics card and also prevents it from flexing or bending. Having such a feature on a graphics card is encouraging as it provides rigidity and prevents potential damage. There are pockets of ventilation for significant components.
This backplate also features the ROG logo which acts as an LED – this lighting can be tweaked via the AURA software and changed to a colour of preference.
As seen on other DirectCU III coolers, the STRIX 1070 arrives with three WingBlade cooling fans which ASUS claim will deliver 30% better cooling and 3X quieter performance. During light load these cooling fans will cease to spin – rendering the card completely silent.
Running along the edge, ASUS has placed Republic of Gamers branding which also synchronizes with the LED lighting.
STRIX 1070 also has multi-SLI ports which allows us to pair up this card with more than one other graphics card. The GTX 1070 also has the added benefit of using SLI HB (High Bandwidth) meaning the bandwidth is now doubled from 1GB/s to 2GB/s.
The GTX 1070 arrives with an assortment of video out ports which include:
• 1x Dual Link DVI-D port (Up to 3K)
• 2x DisplayPort 1.4 (8K @ 60Hz)
• 2x HDMI 2.0 port (4K @ 60 Hz) (VR + display)
The inclusion of 2x HDMI over 3x DisplayPort + 1x HDMI means that users can still use one of the HDMI ports for display while using the other HDMI port for a VR headset.
The selection of ports here should entertain most users, it’s great to see DP 1.4 being used as this now supports up to 8K output and was only released a matter of months ago.
The Founder’s Edition of GTX 1070 requires a single 8pin PCI express connection and likewise, this STRIX edition also arrives with an 8pin connector – which comes as a surprise given the custom PCB, factory overclock, upgraded components and not to mention the RGB functionality.
Like other STRIX cards the 1070 has tiny LEDs next to the PCI express connections – these LEDs indicate whether the plug is connected properly. A white LED signifying a good connection while RED showing a problem.
At the end of the card there are two fan headers. The idea being – you can connect up cooling fans which are nearby for targeted cooling when the graphics card is under heavy load. Usually fans which are connected using the headers on the motherboard will factor in CPU temperatures – this nifty inclusion will help to drive down temperatures specifically when the GPU is being taxed.