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A Page In History: The World’s Fastest Dual-GPU Card

Asus' ROG Ares II: Four Dual-GPU Graphics Cards, Compared
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Asus ships this flagship card in a briefcase that you might expect to see a spy carrying around in a movie. Is it full of money? Does it contain the pieces for a sniper rifle? Or will you find the Ares II in there? The low profile, unassuming look might not have been Asus' intention, but it certainly fits well. When you combine this card's high price and gratuitous power consumption, we're not surprised the company only chose to manufacture 1,000 of them.

Apparently, it didn't have any trouble selling them, though. At least here in the U.S., they aren't available anymore.

Asus did hit its target of manufacturing the fastest dual-GPU graphics card on the planet, though. HIS could have worn that crown if the company had put its prototype into production. The Radeon HD 7970 X2 was overclockable, and might have matched the Ares II. However, Asus took that additional step, earning it a well-deserved, if largely symbolic, victory.

There's one other variable we didn't bring up in this story, but have in the past: using frame limiting to address micro-stuttering. AMD needs to learn from the RadeonPro tool we've tested previously and further develop what that utility does to smooth out performance. Software advances would go a long way toward making AMD's real-world experience a lot better.

Make no mistake, Asus' Ares II is the fastest graphics card around. But it really only performs on the GeForce GTX 690's level once you use frame limiting to get stuttering under control. Nvidia's GeForce GTX 690 is less expensive and consumes a lot less power under full load. If you missed out on your chance to own an Ares II, let that be your consolation. Asus' board is bigger, badder, and commands more attention, but almost a year after its launch, the GeForce GTX 690 remains the most elegant high-end card we've ever used.

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  • 3 Hide
    acasel , April 2, 2013 10:58 PM
    nice video card.

    hope it doesnt cost a kidney :) 
  • 2 Hide
    Ceee9 , April 2, 2013 11:01 PM
    last picture on the last page seem..., i think it oversize
  • 0 Hide
    UltimateDeep , April 2, 2013 11:13 PM
    I think you can get 2 690s or least 3 680s for the price of an ARES 2. The benchmarkers didn't evaluate Performance per watt, or Performance per dollar and the flipping size and length of each card which is the reason why I still stand by the GTX 690 in this article... For all these cards, all of that personally needs to be taken into consideration.

    I've nothing against the Dual 7970s but just want to let consumers be aware of the pros and cons especially the cards are not for the meek of wallet.
  • 6 Hide
    killerchickens , April 2, 2013 11:17 PM
    So about that FCAT ........... sigh
  • 2 Hide
    slomo4sho , April 3, 2013 1:48 AM
    Wonder if Asus will re-release this card into the US market as the 7990.
  • 1 Hide
    ASHISH65 , April 3, 2013 2:26 AM
    WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • -9 Hide
    dkcomputer , April 3, 2013 2:29 AM
    Classic statement whenever you talk about AMD - "If only the software were better" or "When the software catches up" - how about "If only this component would be relevant when the software its made for exists"
  • -7 Hide
    PadaV4 , April 3, 2013 2:59 AM
    So is the fps for radeon dual cards already divided by 2 or must the reader do it by himself?
  • 3 Hide
    ShadyHamster , April 3, 2013 3:30 AM
    Quote:
    You can't buy it anymore, but we got our hands on one and are adding it to our database of performance data.


    If you live in Australia and have a spare $1900 you can still get your hands on one.
  • 8 Hide
    damianrobertjones , April 3, 2013 3:44 AM
    "the GeForce GTX 690 remains the most elegant high-end card we've ever used."

    I actually had a chance to own a 690 so I went for it and, upon the next reboot, I was greeted by a black screen. Yay. I looked on the web and, as expected, others were suffering with the same issue. An ebay auction later and I'm back to 2x 660s in sli. The moral of the story is: Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it'll work :( 
  • 3 Hide
    Memnarchon , April 3, 2013 3:45 AM
    Why not testing with FCAT? Or any frametime measurement? I think anyone who wants to spend so much money for a GPU would like to know this too.
  • 2 Hide
    eric4277 , April 3, 2013 3:54 AM
    Why did you include 7970 Crossfire and not 680 SLI?
  • 1 Hide
    utroz , April 3, 2013 3:59 AM
    Would have been nice to see the ARES II with the newest drivers as well just to see how much performance has increased since launch...
  • -6 Hide
    Cataclysm_ZA , April 3, 2013 4:57 AM
    No frame latency using FRAPS? Your readers consider it the industry standard now, Tom's, you should be implementing it on all your reviews in future. Even though FCAT is more work, timestamping using FRAPS is still an accurate and reliable measurement.
  • -4 Hide
    Marko Brekic , April 3, 2013 5:35 AM
    A true NV fanboy review...disturbing...
  • 5 Hide
    hero1 , April 3, 2013 5:54 AM
    Nice review. Those cards are awesome. But the Ares II is a beast of them all. ASUS should have made more of them, find a way to cut down on power consumption and market it for $1200. I would have snagged one as it is more than enough for my 2560x1440 Dell. The question is, will the true 7990 made by AMD deliver what ASUS and HIS did but with lower power and heat?
  • -1 Hide
    Onus , April 3, 2013 5:56 AM
    So sorry, but without FCAT measurements all of that work is for nought. I realize this article may have been researched and written before the significance of FCAT was realized, but that makes it an editorial task to not release it until it has been reworked, or even scrap it if it simply is no longer relevant.

    http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-GeForce-GTX-Titan-GeForce-GTX-690-Radeon-HD-7990-HD-7970-Cross-6
  • 3 Hide
    the great randini , April 3, 2013 8:06 AM
    What a cool test, it is surprising how little power the titan uses.
  • 0 Hide
    nforce4max , April 3, 2013 8:23 AM
    Nice card and they should have made more as they would have sold well. The saving grace for this card isn't just the performance but the thermals and acoustics. The price however puts this card far out of reach for all but the 1% D:
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