Alloyed²: ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti DirectCU II

As you can see we’re having a long weekend of graphics here on Tech in Style. While Saturday’s look at the Geforce GTX 550 Ti (DirectCU TOP) was of a card that launched just last week, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti was previously announced back in January. We’re still covering this card though, albeit belatedly, because the GeForce GTX 560 Ti is hugely attractive in price : performance. It has more horsepower than the previously popular GeForce GTX 460 and two SLI’d 560 Ti’s are cheaper than a single GeForce GTX 580, yet offer even more performance in some games!

Also this deluge is partly because ASUS’ graphics guru, Amber, threw several cards my way at once. As a technophile, I can’t pretend that’s a horrible experience though. In fact, it’s like Christmas come early. The Nvidia ride doesn’t stop here either, because very soon we’ll have an SLI’d beast to write about as well; so be sure to keep an eye on our RSS Feed!

Titanium-Copper + Super Alloy Power = Alloy²

The GeForce GTX 560 Ti specs are actually a significant step up from the last generation Geforce GTX 460 – not only has the core count has increased from 336 to 384, but the stock frequency has been significantly boosted from 675MHz to 822MHz (with the shader clocks at 1,350MHz and 1,644MHz respectively). The memory clock has also been boosted from 3.6GHz (effective) to 4GHz (effective), while the bandwidth has remained at 256-bit with 1GB of GDDR5 now being the standard – and only – option.

In typical fashion though, ASUS isn’t happy with just slapping on its sticker and shipping it out – the ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 features a core and shader clock increase to 900MHz and 1,800MHz respectively, while the card itself gets the (now familiar) overhaul with Super Alloy components and the upgraded DirectCU II cooler. Unlike the GeForce GTX 580 DirectCU II we also covered previously, this card stays dual-slot though, but it does still feature the double fan and multiple heatpipe array to handle the physically larger GF114 core.

Additionally the card also is protected on two fronts: a reinforcing PCB bracket to make sure sensitive solder joints aren’t broken should the PCB flex, and also a chunky fuse on the two 6-pin power connectors and PCI-Express power connector in order to protect you should your PSU suffer a failure mid-game, or if your home is prone to power spikes.

At the back there’s two DVI ports and a mini-HDMI ouput (with adapter in the box), and vents above to exhaust some of the hot air. Inside we can see the copper heatpipes and plenty of aluminium fins to dissipate the heat, while the two downward fans also help to directly cool the memory and VRM hardware too.

The Suped-up Super Alloy hardware, upgraded PCB and extra cooling all gives the exclusive Voltage Tweak more legs. While the card ships at an already overclocked 900MHz, with a bit more voltage this can be pushed even further! If you’ve already bought one, or plan to, please let us know how you get on!

What’s in the box?

The box is physically larger than the GeForce GTX 550 Ti DirectCU we saw yesterday, mostly because the packing has been spruced up a bit. Here we have a designer box and foam support to make that open boxing experience feel a little more special.

Inside there are two molex to PCI-Express power adapters, DVI to d-sub and mini-HDMI to HDMI display adapters and the driver disc that also includes ASUS’ software to use the Voltage Tweak function.

Let us know your thoughts on the ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5, in the comments below!