Here it is, the first ASUS graphics card from GeForce 900 series.

In terms of design, not much has changed since GTX 780 and R9 280X. By comparing these cards we notice less heat pipes near PCI-E interface, which is probably due to lower thermal requirements.

The cooler shroud is exactly the same. DirectCU II cooling features two fans, which only start working when GPU temperature exceeds 65 C. From that point fans start to spin slowly (500 RPM) until finding the sweat spot between temperature and generated noise. There are some concerns though, that letting GPU heat up so quickly may reduce the lifespan of the processor.

The packaging reveals that STRIX GTX 970 has DIGI+ VRM, 4GB GDDR5 memory and it’s a factory-overclocked solution. Clock speeds were not revealed.

GeForce GTX 970 has 1664 CUDA cores, which in connection with 256-bit interface make a reasonable Kepler GK104 replacement.

Judging from rumored information, this card should cost around $400 – $450. ASUS STRIX GTX 970 will launch on September 19th.