Gainward GTX 680 Phantom - solid performance

It hasn’t been all that long since the GTX 680 first hit the market, yet Gainward have still managed to release a custom cooled, custom PCB design GTX 680 onto the mainstream market. Yes you read correctly, this card has a custom PCB design.

The significance of Nvidia allowing companies to step off its pre-set path is significant because it allows manufacturers to also step away from the restrictive “GPU Boost” technology Nvidia implemented on its reference PWM. The fact that cards are coming out with non-reference PWM and VRM designs gives hope that GPU vendors will have the freedom to create top-tier overclocking cards - without “GPU Boost” holding them back. As for this card, it reached around 1225MHz (boost clock) before finding instabilities.

When using MSI Afterburner with this card, you can set a specific clock, though GPU Boost still comes into play and will alter it - you’re simply setting a “maximum” core clock, not a static one. In EVGA Precision X, it's the same story as reference, with GPU Boost taking over clock control, and power draw being monitored and throttled when the card is not under heavy load.

The GPU is fed power via a 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-E power plugs, which – the same as reference – have been “stacked” on the top of the card, making for easier connections and removal of the card from your case.

As for the cooler, it does a fairly decent job, never spinning above 2,500 RPM with the stock profile, and never becoming audible, even when run on our open-air desktop. Temperatures stayed at around 68C typically under 3D gaming load, with the maximum load reaching a respectable 76C under 3DMark 11. The card however takes up two and a half PCI slots, so be aware of that if you plan on running SLI on a compact board, as you will need some extra space.

Overall the GTX 680 from Gainward is a nice addition to the GTX 680 family, especially considering it is one of the first models to come out with a non-reference design. If you are looking for some more RAM over the reference GTX 680 however, Gainward are releasing a 4GB variant shortly.