GHz Edition
The Matrix card is based on the Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition. For more details on that card you can read our review here.
The GPU on the Platinum version is overclocked to 1050 MHz and a turbo frequency of 1100 MHz. The non-Platinum Matrix 7970 runs at 1000 MHz standard with a turbo of 1050 MHz. The card has 3 GB of GDDR5 video memory, that has been overclocked quite a bit to 1650 MHz. ASUS must have selected specific chips, because officially the fastest GDDR5 memory that is available runs at 1500 MHz.
You get six monitors connectors, consisting of two DVI (one dual-link) ports and six DisplayPort. That means you can use a single card for an Eyefinity 6 setup. Two Crossfire connectors let you combine up to four cards.
The cooler that ASUS used is a big one. Five 8 mm heatpipes rise from the baseplate and connect to two heatsinks that sit beneath two 10 cm fans. The heatpipes are in direct contact with the GPU, something ASUS claims is more effective but in reality is a way to save money because then a baseplate is not required. Either way, the cooler works great, which you will see in our tests.
However, the Matrix is secretly designed with the idea that people will remove the cooler and instead use LN2, and ASUS included a smart solution for this. In the box is another heatsink which you can attach to the back part of the card when you use LN2 cooling, and it will ensure that the VRMs stay cool under those circumstances.
A separate heatsink for the VRM for when you replace the standard heatsink with an LN2 tube.
