The Fermi cards have now been out (and only just available) for the just over a month. Like the AMD 5xxx series, the first cards used reference PCBs and reference coolers - the only way you could distinguish between the different companies was by the branded sticker on the large chunky cooler. Given time, and knowledge of the system, custom coolers were just around the corner. This is what we see in the new Inno3D GTX 470 Hawk.
What we have is essentially an Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme cooler on top of a GTX 470 chip - three PWM controlled fans that run from 900 to 2,000 RPM on top of aluminium fins in a five-heatpipe design. Inno3D claim the Hawk gives a maximum noise level of 30dB, and is 22ºC cooler than the reference design. Two DVI-D connectors and a HDMI with integrated audio port are provided as standard.
This is, in our opinion, a bit of an ugly card (at least compared to the Galaxy 470 reported on earlier), that won't be taking home many beauty awards. By taking up three PCI slots with a massive cooler, the Hawk may annoy those wishing to run other peripherals that require slots, or even running 2 or 3 in SLI, as the layout of most motherboards gives two slot spaces between PCI-E 2.0 x16 connectors. The last caveat is that this card comes out the box at stock speeds, however, with any luck, Inno3D will also market a pre-overclocked version.
No word of exact release date or pricing at this time, but expect to pay the cost of a normal GTX 470 + $30~50 on top.
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IanCutress - Friday, May 7, 2010 - link
Almost everyone loves performance, but certain market segments also cater for style - especially the LAN gamer segment. This card will look odd in most cases in most scenarios, so for a LAN gamer, may not be the card of choice.In terms of SLI, again, there are market segments, particularly those on performance or GPU computing, that prefer two smaller cards rather than a big one. For example, I'm currently running 2x 5850s. Here in the UK, these together cost the same as a GTX480, however in all benchmarks, the 2x 5850 setup works better. If they were triple slot cards, I'd have to make sure I had the right board. This board I have, I bought before the 5xxx series came out, comes with dual PCI-E spacing - so I really wouldn't like to buy another board for triple slot cards.
It's always a case of seeing which areas of the consumer base would preferentially use the card. What may or may not be important to you may or may not be important to others.
;)
All the best,
Ian
Mr Perfect - Saturday, May 8, 2010 - link
That could make for an interesting reader poll, actually. See just how many people are using SLI/Crossfire and/or overclocking their cards. The general assumption(by everyone) is that readers of tech sites automatically have multiple video cards overclocked to the raggedy edge.Personally, I was rather surprised by Anandtech's reader poll just before the launch of, if I remember correctly, the i7s. Judging from the emphasis many review sites put on overclocking in their reviews, I expected to be in the minority when I cast a vote saying CPU overclocking tests weren't important to me. It turned out about 75% of the reader based agreed!
Leyawiin - Friday, May 7, 2010 - link
I've had two cards I've put tri-fan AC Accelero coolers on (an 8800 GTX and GTX 260) and have been very happy with the results. I don't need the other expansion slots so the three slot size isn't a problem either. What I do care about is noise and cooling and they have excelled at those two functional requirements. If this card does as well I'd be happy to give it three slots.JonnyDough - Saturday, May 8, 2010 - link
I can imagine the only people buying these cards live in cold regions, pay little for electricity, and only have expensive gas heat (or maybe they hate cutting wood for the stove).3 fans? Am I the only one who thinks this is ridiculous? I think NVidia must really want to see how far they can push the "too much heat/too much electricity needed" envelope and find out exactly how dumb consumers will be. I would NEVER buy this card. Not when it would force me to jump outside in my neighbors pool every five minutes during the summer just so I don't die of heat exhaustion. Fans might cool the card, but they don't magically get rid of all that wasted electricity and thermal energy being blown off the card into the room. Your air conditioner has to do that. Which increases your utility bill which is already high just from powering the video card. No thanks.
JonnyDough - Saturday, May 8, 2010 - link
I would add however, that with the crazy coolers that people buy for their CPUs and how games today are still somewhat GPU limited this does sort of make sense. However, when you consider the competitions offerings I think the answer is clear.Cullinaire - Saturday, May 8, 2010 - link
Turn that frown upside down, make lemonade of the situation! If I had this card, I would duct the exhaust to an oven. Make dinner by playing games, what could be better?Leyawiin - Saturday, May 8, 2010 - link
People like to game. Decent gaming hardware produces heat, regardless of CPU or GPU chosen to do the job. If you're that worried about electrical consumption or taxing your air conditioner I doubt you would understand a gamer's mindset anyway.JonnyDough - Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - link
LOL? Understand a gamer's mindset? I'm 30. I've been a "gamer" for well over a decade. I played Oregon Trail on an Apple II, Empire Deluxe off a single floppy, the original Alone in the Dark off of about eight floppies, etc. You think all gamers don't care about the environment, or have unlimited funds to spend? Get real.Mr Perfect - Saturday, May 8, 2010 - link
I wouldn't harp on this particular card for having three fans. This GTX 470 would produce the same amount of heat as any other GTX 470, even though those card only have one fan. Given the choice between a GTX that will slowly roast itself, or one that effectively drops the heat into your room, this would be a better choice.nsx241 - Monday, May 10, 2010 - link
You obviously missed the part where they said this was just an aftermarket cooler (Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme) on a reference GTX 470. The triple fan Accelero Xtreme has been around since the HD2900/9800GTX days, so this is nothing new. And given how effective these coolers are, even more appropriate for cards like the GTX 470/480.