Since the announcement of the next-generation GeForce RTX 3000 Series graphics cards from Nvidia, major companies across the globe have begun rolling out their custom designs. The latest company to do so is ASUS, and it’s pulling out all the stops for its ROG and TUF lineup of cards.
ASUS will be launching multiple variations of the RTX 3070, RTX 3080, and RTX 3090. The new cards all feature a newly designed heatsink that will disperse heat throughout with the proprietary Axial-tech fans clearing it from the card. As with the mainline Nvidia cards, the specs of the ASUS-built cards remain the same in regards to memory amounts. Where they differ from Nvidia’s own RTX 3000 cards is in the outputs. The ROG Strix cards will feature two HDMI 2.1 outputs as well as three DisplayPort 1.4a ports.
Another difference with the ROG Strix lineup is the size. Each card has a 2.9-slot size, which will take up to three slot spaces in your PC case. A Dual BIOS feature allows a simple change between “quiet” and “performance” profiles with the flip of a physical switch. FanConnect II headers allow the internal PWM fans to be tuned based on CPU and GPU temperatures, which provides extra intake or exhaust for more demanding tasks.
The Dual GeForce RTX 3070 from ASUS features just two fans, making it small enough to fit in more compact systems while still providing high-quality visuals. It also includes a 0dB mode to make it one of the quietest graphics cards released under the TUF branding.
Ampere gets TUF
As mentioned, ASUS is also launching a new lineup of TUF Gaming graphics cards alongside its ROG collection. While the TUF lineup is often viewed as the lesser of the two lineups, ASUS has worked to improve that performance with a redesign of the models. The cards will be slightly smaller than the ROG set, but will come in RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 models and will support the ASUS Aura RGB software.
Firm pricing and launch dates for the new graphics cards haven’t been revealed just yet. It should be expected, however, to follow the release cycle for Nvidia’s in-house cards with the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 launching in September while the RTX 3070 hits store shelves in October.
