Palit Microsystems is one of several OEMs that has launched a new graphics card series based on Nvidia's Kepler-powered GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost.
On Tuesday, Palit said its new series features the GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB and the GTX 650 Ti Boost OC 2 GB. Both hit the "sweet spot" for PC gamers, providing the ultimate combination of performance, power efficiency and affordability.
According to the company, the OC version is overclocked out-of-the-box at 1006 MHz (base) and 1072 MHz (Boost), 39 MHz more than the standard Boost card's speed. That said, the baseline model has a default clock setting of 980 MHz and a Boost speed of 1033 MHz.
On the VRAM front, the OC card's 2 GB of GDDR5 dedicated memory is also overclocked at 6108 MHz, 100 MHz higher than the default setting of 6008 MHz on the normal card. The VRAM connects to the GPU via a 192-bit interface.
For the OC card, this overclocked combination cranks out 30-percent increased performance in DirectX 11 benchmarks, and 40-percent better performance in PC gaming than the baseline GTX 650 Ti Boost model. It's equipped with Dual Turbofan Blades which provide optimized airflow to efficiently cool down the heat generated from GPU. The Blades also provide a noiseless environment when under Boost gaming mode.
Meanwhile, the base Palit GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB card has a single-fan (Cyclops) cooler. Other hardware specs include 768 Nvidia CUDA cores, a memory bandwidth of 144.2 GB/s, a 6-pin power connector, and a TDP or 140W. The OC version is the same save for the memory bandwidth which is 146.6 GB/s.
"[The] Palit GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost series gives you 66-percent more memory bandwidth, Nvidia SLI, and Nvidia GPU Boost technology that dynamically maximizes clock speeds, delivering class-leading performance to the GTX 650 family," the company said. "Plus, this newly designed GPU offers an impressive 30-percent performance improvement, so you can play all your favorite games at full-HD resolutions and high quality settings."
Nvidia's Boost technology, introduced on Tuesday via the new GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost GPU (opens in new tab), dynamically maximizes clock speeds based on workload of the game. This helps push performance to new levels and bring out the best in every game. The new tech also provides up to 40-percent more performance over the original GeForce GTX 650 Ti GPU introduced last year.
"With a wider 192-bit memory interface and up to 60 percent more memory bandwidth than the original, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost GPU lets gamers play their favorite games at 1080p at high-quality settings with smooth frame delivery and comfortable frame rates for even the most graphically demanding games on the market today, including Crysis 3," Nvidia said on Tuesday.
Palit didn't relay an actual price tag or release date for its two new cards, so stay tuned. However, typically, the base Boost 2 GB and 1 GB models across the board cost an estimated $169 and $149 respectively, so you get a lot of PC gaming punch for the price. This should help establish local cloud-based gameplay once Project Shield hits the streets.