Overview & Unboxing: ASUS GTX 970 DC Mini

To build a mini-ITX rig for serious gaming requires you to overcome many obstacles; the toughest is probably being able to obtain enough cooling and graphics power in a small amount of space. This is where the GTX 970 DC Mini is a pocket rocket that delivers.  Do not be deceived by the little box, what lies inside contains enough power to put to shame top-of-the-line graphics cards from just a few years back; not only is it more powerful but also much cooler and half the size!  

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Imagine going back in time and rocking up to a party with this, then watching people's faces turn as you show them your mind-blowing benchmark score.  Fast forward to the present day, it is STILL mind-boggling how a card almost half the size can still be faster than a reference GTX 970!

In the grand scheme of things it is Nvidia’s 10th-generation GPU architecture, following Kepler.  Praised in raving reviews, this architecture possesses twice the energy efficiency and better performance per shader than its predecessor, at the same time running remarkably cool. The ASUS GTX 970 DC Mini uses a 28nm GM204 GPU, packing 1664 shader units, 104 TMUs and 64 ROPs connected to 4GB of 7GHz (effective) GDDR5 memory. It is factory-overclocked, with an increased GPU Base Clock (1,050MHz to 1,088MHz) and Boost Clock (1,178MHz to 1,228MHz) compared to the reference design.

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Even in DirectCU Mini form, this proprietary design allows the design to be 20% cooler AND much quieter than reference.  You can check out the video below to see how efficient and quiet the custom vapor chamber technology is; which incorporates the new advanced 360-degree CoolTech axial fan.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=totFkHQftaI[/video]

The clean and aggressive black aesthetics will compliment almost any system build.  While the gorgeous brushed metal back-plate with the logo was made to dissipate heat from the back of the PCB and so you can show it off in your gaming rig if the card is visible from the outside.

The new GM204 core in the ASUS GTX 970 DC Mini features new Nvidia technologies such as Multi-Frame sampled Anti-Aliasing (MFAA), Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR), Voxel Global Illumination (VXGI), GeForce Experience, Nvidia GameStream, Nvidia G-Sync, Nvidia GPU Boost 2.0, Nvidia Adaptive Vertical Sync, Nvidia Surround with up to Four Monitors, and Nvidia SLI Technology (Click here to find out more).    

This is a dual-slot card with a DisplayPort, a HDMI port, two DVI ports and an air-vent.  Note that to remove the cooling unit, the six screws next to the display ports need to also be removed along with the ones on the backplate. A single 8-pin connector is needed to power the card.

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The DC Mini is so compact and powerful, yet it can still run exceptional cool, it's built so that there is still headroom beyond the factory-overclocked settings.  So you can overclock it even more with GPU Tweak.  It provides real-time intuitive graphics tuning and includes streaming, it can also check and update your driver and BIOS.

 

Inside, exclusively-formulated alloy components boost performance by reducing power loss, enhancing durability, and achieving cooler operation. SAP chokes work to eliminate noise under full load while capacitors assure a 50,000-hour lifespan (2.5 times longer than traditional capacitors).

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DirectCU Mini measures just 17cm in length – making it the perfect choice for compact gaming PCs and super HTPCs.  Compared to the ROG Matrix at 29.72cm long, it is almost half the length!  When you can't squeeze a Matrix in your mini-ITX rig, the ASUS GTX 970 DC Mini is exactly what you need.

Both of these cards are dual-slot and unbeatable in their class.  One for bedroom and one for the living room then?