Ever since NVIDIA unveiled its flagship GPU chipset, the GTX 980, I had been waiting for somebody to take it, combine it with better cooling, give it a cool design, and add on a power tweak. Frankly, the basic reference GTX 980 card that NVIDIA sent to us before had really blown my mind away. What would it be like more when it’s updated by a third-party manufacturer? For the month of January, my prayers had been answered as ASUS decided to give the GTX980 its own flair by adding in some proprietary enhancements. Thusly, the ASUS ROG GTX 980 Matrix Platinum had been born. Boy oh boy, I can’t wait to test this baby out!
SIMPLY RED
The ROG, aka ‘Republic of Gamers’ line by ASUS has always been infamous among gamers - in a good way. Users can expect high quality as well as better performance ratings when they acquire a product that is sold in this line. The GTX 980 Matrix Platinum is no exception. Coming in within a very large red box, a usual identity of the ROG, it is surprisingly sparse as the contents within comprise the GPU - safely cocooned in a shell of foam, an ROG sticker, the necessary drivers as well as some adapter cables to use if your PSU does not come with the 8-Pin GPU power connector that the card needs.
RED IS THE WORD
Having tested the original reference design GTX 980, the ROG GTX 980 Matrix Platinum is as different as night and day. ASUS has replaced the reference cooler with its own DirectCU II system, a proven platform that is renowned for having the best cooling solution out there. The improved dual Cooltech fan, combined with the 10mm heatpipe is 25% cooler, hence giving it much better performance headroom when it is under any load. The new design also ensures that it is also three times quieter. In terms of design, the heatsink is now pure black, making it look even cooler than the previous incarnation of the Matrix Platinum. Two red accents also add to this awesome look. At the side, an LED-lit ASUS ROG logo can be found. The LED will change colour depending on the GPU’s load so you know when it is being pushed. Perfect for casings that have massive side windows. To make sure the graphics system does not bend under its own weight (believe me, it’s really heavy), ASUS provided a large back aluminium plate on it. This helps disperse heat during operation as well as add to the overall awesome look of the card.
RED ARROW
Complementing the good looks of the ROG GTX 980 Matrix Platinum is the tweaked high performance it offers. Out of the box, ASUS has overclocked the card to run on a bumped up clock speed of 1241Mhz. This can boost up to 1342Mhz. Too slow for you? Don’t worry as the card also rocks three BIOS add-ons. The first is normal speed settings while the second unlocks the highest value the GPU can achieve, which can be then overclocked by the user, and the third is a safe mode, a function that will revert the graphics back to its original settings. To ensure that you will get a stable overclock, the modified GTX 980 sports a dual 8-Pin GPU connector. Note: this is totally different from the dual 6-Pin plug found on the reference system. To make it easier for users to overclock the card, ASUS has also included the ASUS GPU Tweak app - a direct, easy to learn overclocking tool made specifically for ASUS GPUs. Not only does it lets you change the GPU clockspeed, it also manages the Voltage and keeps track of the temperature levels as well.
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
Knowing that some extreme overclockers love to use liquid nitrogen for their work, you will find a 4-Pin Molex connector at the back of the card. This is for the Memory Defroster function - a system that will quickly defrost frozen memory module due to negative temperatures that are usually associated with nitro-cooling. With it, the ASUS graphics entry will instantly be ready without having to wait for it to warm up. It also sports ASUS’ DIGI+ VRM to ensure a stable power supply is always present during overclocking.
FOUR IN RED
At the rear of the ROG GTX 980 Matrix Platinum, ASUS has decided not to follow the NVIDIA reference that sports two DVI jacks, one HDMI port, and a DisplayPort. Instead, this GPU has only one DVI slot, one HDMI connector, and three DisplayPorts. This is due to the growing number of monitors that are using DisplayPort as well as the higher bandwidth offering that DisplayPort supports. The GPU itself is made for 4K gaming as well as multiple monitor setups. Feeling that a single card is not enough? Well the GTX 980 Matrix Platinum can be combined with three other ROG GTX 980 Matrix Platinum graphics platforms in a FOUR WAY SLi combination. I can’t imagine why one would need a four-way SLi when one card is enough. Then again, the potential is there if you want it. What I love about the SLi tab is that ASUS has raised it a little, making it easier to plug in the SLi ribbon without interfering with the rest of the system.
RED HOT
I tested the ASUS GTX 980 entry using a Samsung 120Hz gaming monitor and set all of my games on the highest possible settings. For Battlefield 4, the graphics processor performs admirably well with frames going at a constant high 100~80FPS. On Titanfall, it is the same story as my fragging session had been as smooth as a baby’s bottom. I also tested it on a triple monitor setting, running racing sim, Asetto Corsa. It still just marched along fine without any lag or stutter. The ROG GTX980 Matrix Platinum card is honestly the best card out there. Hands down.
VERDICT
Overkill is under-rated so ASUS went all out!
SPECS
Dimensions (W x H x D) 297.2 x 152 x 40.6m
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
Bus PCI Express 3.0
Memory GDDR5 4GB
Clock 1241Mhz (1342Mhz Boost)
Memory Clock 7010 MHz, GDDR5
Memory Interface 256-bit
Digital Max Resolution 4096 x 2160
Output 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort