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Nvidia on March 24 introduced the GeForce GTX 590, which the company claimed is the fastest dual graphics card available, as well as the world’s quietest. Powered by dual Nvidia Fermi-class graphics processing units on a single card, the GTX 590 is designed for “??ber enthusiasts” and individuals looking to build an ultra-high-performance PC gaming rig.
With a combined 1024 Nvidia Cuda architecture cores, 3GB of GDDR5 (graphics double data rate, version 5) memory, 6 billion transistors and more than 2,200 individual components all packed into an 11-inch dual slot card, the GTX 590 delivers 32 tessellation engines designed to power today’s cutting-edge DX11 games at resolutions of 2560 by 1600 and higher. Carrying an estimated selling e-tail price starting at $699, the GeForce GTX 590 is available from a variety of add-in card partners, including Asus, EVGA, Gainward, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, POV, Palit and Zotac.
The GeForce GTX 590 sports four separate video outputs on each card, allowing consumers the ability to configure their PC with four independent displays, or they can span their gaming across three 3D displays, at a resolution up to 5760 by 1080 for an immersive, stereoscopic gaming experience using Nvidia 3D Vision Surround technology.
“The GTX 590 is the best dual GPU product ever built,” Drew Henry, general manager of GeForce GPU business at Nvidia, said in a statement. “With leading performance, support for multi-monitor 3D gaming, Quad SLI and an acoustic envelope that begs to be heard for how quiet it is, the GTX 590 epitomizes what a perfect dual graphics card looks, performs and sounds like.”
Like all the company’s “DX11 Done Right” GPUs, the GTX 590 delivers the world’s fastest performance for DX11 games, when compared to HD Radeon 6990 across 12 DX11 games and benchmarks at a 2560 by 1600 resolution. With the company’s SLI technology, gamers can increase their PC’s gaming performance by adding a second GeForce GTX 590, for a Quad SLI gaming mode.
The company engineered the GTX 590 to be the world’s quietest dual GPU product. It features a special cooling system and dual vapor chambers, which deliver enhanced performance and acoustics. Measured with a standard decibel meter, the GTX 590 clocks in at 48dB, more than two times quieter than the closest competitive product under full graphics load, according to a company release. To the human ear, this difference means the GTX 590 delivers a 3D gaming experience that is typical of a quiet library, Nvidia claimed.
“The fact that the GTX 590 is the fastest card ever made doesn’t surprise me. We’ve come to expect that with each new release from Nvidia,” Kelt Reeves, president and CEO of custom PC manufacturer Falcon Northwest, said in a statement. “What floors me is the low noise level this card produces. At full speed, it’s more than 10 decibels quieter than competing dual GPU cards, which means it’s literally half as loud. The fastest card at half the noise-impressive.”
“Our initial testing has shown that a quieter, faster card than the GTX 590 simply doesn’t exist, which is sure to make it popular with our power-hungry customers,” said Randy Copeland, president and CEO of custom computer specialist Velocity Micro. “In short, the GTX 590 is remarkably quiet for such a powerful card.”