The ZOTAC GTX580 uses Nvidia’s reference design, the same used by ASUS as well. The card has a black shroud with green accents to signify Nvidia’s traditional colours. Unlike the ASUS card, ZOTAC have printed their own sticker to place on the shroud to add some character. The design follows that found on the front of the box, hence the Silver Surfer making a comeback and the omnipresent Pulse. 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. Compared to 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. Very conveniently, all the ports and connectors are protected by a blue plastic cover. The card is approximately 26.8cm in lengthm 6mm short of 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 side profile reveals the ZOTAC emblem printed on the side. The design of the card is very minimalistic but the added curves give the GTX580 some character and appeal.


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.


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.


Like the GTX480 and AMD’s HD6970, the GTX580 has one 6 pin and one 8 pin PCIe power connectors, immediately suggesting high power draw. 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 6 pin-to-8 pin adapter is bundled for power supplies lacking 8 pin power cables.


The ZOTAC card sports two DVI connectors and one mini-HDMI port on the I/O panel. The HDMI port supports the latest 1.4a standard. The ports also support Nvidia Surround technology, without requiring DisplayPort, as long as another GTX580 is used in SLI.