GTX680
Surprisingly, the graphics card is much smaller than anticipated measuring just 25.5cm long which is smaller than both a GTX580 and HD7970, matching a GTX470 in length which is quite a feat when you consider graphics cards seem to be getting bigger with every launch. ZOTACs example features the reference cooler with their own sticker atop.
Comparison
Compared to other cards on test, the GTX680 is a fair bit smaller than the HD7970 (top) which is sure to delight those who work with a small enclosure. The HD7870 (bottom) is a little smaller but as we will see later in the review, significantly less powerful.
Card Rear
Flipping the card over we see that the GTX680 comes with a black PCB which is made in China. It is interesting to note there is a blue print for a backplate on the core area yet none is fitted.
Card Profile
The side of the card is adorned with a 'GeForce GTX' coloured in NVIDIA's own colour. This is not removable as it is embossed into the plastic cooling shroud.
I/O Backplate
The backplate area features a HDMI port, twin DVI ports and a single DisplayPort. On top of these ports is a vented area which is relatively small compared to most GPU's and considering this card is a closed unit, meaning this is the only area by which to exhaust how air, NVIDIA appear confident this card will run cool.
SLI
Being a flagship card, the GTX680 is SLI compatible allowing the end user to link multiple GTX680's together if one wasn't enough!
Power Ports
One of the oddities seen in pre-release photos was the strange implementation of PCIe power ports. A graphics card will normally either have the ports sitting adjacent to one another at the end or side of the card. The GTX680 however is the first card to have one sitting on top of the other. While this may look odd it works very well and should keep cables a little tidier should they be attached from above or below the card.
It was also nice to see NVIDIA did not require an 8pin power port with the GTX680 making do with twin 6pin PCI ports. This equates to a theoretical maximum of 225W (75+75+75) however NVIDIA claim a max power draw of 195W. To power this card ZOTAC recommend a PSU with an minimum output of 550W with 38A being available on the 12V rail.
Let's strip the card back to the bare essentials shall we?
