The Inno3D GTX570 follows Nvidia’s reference design, sporting a black shroud with green accents signifying their accustomed colours. Inno3D have opted to use the same box cover design on their graphics card rather than leaving the shroud blank like ASUS. Nonetheless, it is a vibrant design which doesn’t detract it from its performance pedigree. The front end of the shroud is slightly slanted and lowered to accommodate the fan and to allow more air to flow through in tight SLI configurations. Unlike the Nvidia GTX480, the top of the metal heatsink has not been left exposed, most like because of the new cooler type being employed, which we will look at later on. The card is approximately 26.8cm in length, 6mm shorther than AMD’s HD6970.


The back of the card reveals the black PCB that has become favoured for its greater appeal in recent times. There is no backplate installed for additional cooling, indicating Nvidia’s confidence in a cooler and more efficient running card. Part of the VRM circuitry can also be seen at the back, making greater use of space to place the MOSFETs. The shroud below is attached using torx screws, shying away from the traditional ones used. The heatsink on the other hand is secured using spring loaded screws.


The fan uses a finned blower design to push air towards the rear of the card and hence out of the case. The fan supports PWM functionality and can be controlled by users or temperature based profiles. The fan is similar to those found on most blower style cooler, even ones from AMD such as that used on the reference HD6970. Inno3D have placed a sticker on the fan rotor to signify that it is pre-overclocked.


On the side of the card are two SLI connectors. The GTX580 can be used in a quad-SLI setup should the motherboard permit (NF200 chipset required). If not tri-SLI is also supported.


Unlike the GTX580, the GTX570 only requires two 6 pin PCIe power connectors, immediately suggesting lower power draw than its sibling. It also has to be noted that the HD6970, this card’s direct competitor, requires one 6 pin and one 8 pin PCIe connectors, making it more power hungry than the GTX570. These are conveniently situated on the side rather than at the end to ensure that the cables do not get in the way of HDD cages or other components. One dual Molex to 6 pin adapter has been provided in addition.


Nvidia are not as generous as AMD when it comes to connectivity. The Inno3D card has two DVI connectors on the I/O panel and a single mini-HDMI port supporting the latest 1.4a standard. The ports also support Nvidia Surround technology, without requiring DisplayPort, as long as another GTX570 is used in SLI.


As mentioned previously, the GTX570 is shorter than AMD’s reference HD6900 series of cards, coming at 26.8cm, allowing compatibility in all mid tower cases. The reference GTX560 Ti is even shorter at 22.5cm.