Axial-tech Upgrades

Our Axial-tech fan design has been optimised for a new, larger heatsink that features more fins and surface area than last gen. The blade count has been increased on all three fans, with 13 on the centre fan and 11 on the auxiliary fans. The barrier ring on the side fans has been slimmed down to allow for more lateral intake and to provide better airflow through the cooling array. The centre fan's extra blades and full-height ring provide boosted static pressure to blast air directly onto the GPU heat spreader.

New Directions

The fans have been smartly tuned with a reversed rotation for the centre fan, which reduces turbulence, and with a fan-stop mode that kicks in when the GPU temp falls below 55 degrees.

MaxContact

To get heat up off the die and into the heatsink array to benefit from the new fan design requires special attention. We use a manufacturing process that polishes the surface of the heat spreader to improve smoothness at the microscopic level. The extra flatness allows for better contact with the die for improved thermal transfer. 2.9-slot Design The heat spreader draws heat up into heatpipes that carry it through a fin stack that fills a large 2.9-slot footprint. Increasing the heatsink size compared to the last generation provides more thermal headroom to account for the new high performance chipset.

Premium Components

Top-shelf capacitors, chokes, and MOSFETs are selected to effortlessly deliver hundreds of watts at a millisecond’s notice. The Super Alloy Power II parts are soldered to the PCB using our advanced AutoExtreme automated manufacturing process. Smooth joints on the rear of the PCB and the elimination of human errors ensures each graphics card meets our rigorous specifications.

FanConnect II

The rear of the ROG Strix graphics card sports two PWM FanConnect headers that provide additional DIY flexibility. Chassis fans can be directly attached to the GPU and tuned with a curve that is based on CPU or GPU temperature, providing extra intake or exhaust for demanding 3D tasks.

It’s Cooler Out Back

1. Stainless Steel Bracket

2. GPU Bracket

3. Dual BIOS

4. Vented Backplate

Flipping the card around reveals more design improvements. A wide backplate vent and shortened PCB allows hot air to escape towards chassis exhaust fans instead of being recycled by the GPU’s circulating cooler design. A GPU bracket provides extra stability to the critical connection between die and heat spreader. The I/O bracket is made from stainless steel to protect ports and provide a more secure mount. A conveniently placed Dual Bios switch allows quick selection between “performance” and “quiet” mode for basic customisation of the card’s default behaviour without software.