Moving the GTX295's cores to a single PCB to save money and power.
We've looked at the GTX295, and we've even done some very naughty things to it, but NVIDIA have decided to put their designers backs into the card to force one of the only updates to the line yet.
Currently the board consists of two identical PCBs, one flipped vertically and both cores facing each other, meaning that there's twice the PCB used and a lot of heat generated.
The redesign seems to rework this layout so that the entire card, from power regulation to both GT200 cores, can fit on a single PCB at the same length.
Managing heat in a smallish space is tricky enough for a small core like the 4870X2's, but we imagine the updated GTX295 will be able to cope with a similar cooling performance - just don't expect too much overclockability out of it.
Head to Expreview to see some pics of what the card is likely to look, though we'll wait until we grab a sample before we begin musing on clockspeed changes.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012