Graphics Cards Guide
Add to Wishlist
Preview: Palit GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream
The Wind Cometh
The Palit GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream is another factory-overclocked graphics card iteration of NVIDIA’s high-end Kepler-based GPU. Available in two variants, the GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream has a 2GB and a 4GB version. Fortunately, we got our hands on the former, thanks to the folks at the locally-based distributor Ubertech. We first saw the GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream graphics card during NVIDIA’s local launch of the GeForce GTX 680 GPU sometime in April.
The GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream is faster than the reference graphics card from NVIDIA. Palit’s entrant boasts a core clock of 1084MHz and a memory clock of 6300MHz, which are just the same as that of the previously-reviewed Gainward GTX 680 Phantom II. Both cards’ stream processor clocks remain at 1006MHz which complies with NVIDIA’s standard. Given these specifications, we are anticipating the GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream to record benchmark scores close to those of the Phantom II.
Being a factory-tweaked graphics card, the GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream is theoretically hotter than a vanilla-type variant. Hence, Palit has equipped the card with a cooling assembly that does not only make it appear more attractive, but is also more effective in terms of cooling. Aptly carrying the Chinese character ιΆ¨ (which means wind), the GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream’s cooler is equipped with a trio of fans. Two of the fans measure 80mm in diameter, whereas the larger one assigned in the middle measures 90mm and gives off blue illumination. According to Palit, the fans are accordingly positioned to cool down the card’s hot spots. The fans are enclosed in a polygonal plastic chassis which adds to the card’s robust profile. Underneath, the cooler has a finned aluminum heatsink combined with some copper heatpipes.
On the connectivity front, the GeForce GTX 680 Jetstream has a standard set of connectors which includes a DisplayPort, HDMI, and a pair of DVI outputs. The card already uses the current PCIe 3.0 interface and it also has a six-pin and an eight-pin power connector. The arrangement of the power connectors are the same as that of the Phantom II graphics card. Multi-GPU configurations are a possibility through the SLI contacts located on top of the card.
Palit’s Jetstream-inspired cooler design is not limited to the GTX 680, but is also extended to the more mainstream GTX 670. However, unlike in the case of the GTX 680, Palit’s Jetstream variant of the GTX 670 graphics card hosts only a pair of 90mm fans. Gainward’s GTX 680 Phantom II is also packed with two fans. That said, we are expecting that Palit’s Jetstream rendition of the GTX 680 has advantage over the Phantom II in terms of cooling, a matter which we are going to confirm once our tests are completed.
