Asus launches its Republic of Gamers Mars II graphics card

TAIWANESE HARDWARE MAKER Asus has launched its limited edition Republic of Gamers (ROG) Mars II graphics card for hardcore gamers.

Asus has produced a giant of a graphics card in the Mars II, which is apparently 22 per cent faster than a Geforce GTX590. The firm claims its dual GPU card and 3GB of GDDR5 RAM make it capable of running DirectX 11 games in higher than HD 1080p resolution on full detail settings.

Asus said, "The limited-edition card is built on twin NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 GPUs and a mammoth 3GB of GDDR5 video memory, with a proprietary ROG design that combines extreme cooling and extensive tuning facilities that cater to the most demanding power user."

The monster sized card houses two 120mm fans for a 600 per cent increase in air flow and has a DirectCU II copper design that results in a 20 per cent drop in temperature compared to a GTX590. There's a Turbo Fan button on the card that sets the fans to full speed for those extra demanding gaming sessions.

Asus has used an "extra stable" 21-phase "super alloy" design to ensure constant wattage and prevent power loss. It claims this also yields a two and a half times longer lifespan and 35 degree cooler operation temperature compared to a Geforce GTX590.

The card has a "Tweak utility" that allows users to modify parameters such as clock speed, fan speed and voltages from a user interface for overclocking. Just so you know it's special, the collectors' edition will have a laser-carved, sequentially-numbered aluminium plate to advertise its status.

The card will need to be powered by three (3) 8-pin PCI-Express power connectors, so you'll need make sure your power supply unit can handle it. It will offer two HDMI and two DVI ports.

We don't have an exact price yet for the Asus ROG Mars II graphics card, but we expect it to retail for £700 or more. A Geforce GTX580 graphics card costs around £400. µ