Index
Review: Signature 2 cooler proves great match for GTX 680
EVGA’s GTX 680 Superclocked Signature 2 graphics card (we call it GTX 680 SC SIG 2) is factory overclocked, but the Signature 2 cooler is what makes this card to stand out from the pack. EVGA uses Signature 2 branding for all in-house designed coolers with two fans. Depending on the graphics card series, the Signature 2 cooler can differ in size and thus in cooling performance. Its main purpose is to ensure reduced noise and better cooling for the GPU compared to the reference coolers.
We reviewed the GTX 670 FTW Signature 2 a few days ago here, which features the same Signature 2 cooler. Additionally the GTX 670 FTW SIG 2 uses the stock GTX 680 PCB design and can be easily mistaken for the GTX 680 SC SIG 2. The picture below first shows the GTX 670 FTW Signature 2, followed by the GTX 680 SC SIG 2.
The GTX 680 comes with eight SMX units and 1536 CUDA cores, while the GTX 670 has seven SMX units and 1344 CUDA cores. Of course, additional transistors on the GTX 680 translate into more heat. Factory overclocking on the GTX 680 SC SIG 2 must be addressed with better cooling, and we hope that EVGA’s Signature 2 cooler will do job.
For the GTX 680 SC SIG 2 the GPU base clock is set at 1098MHz, while the typical GPU boost clock is 1163MHz. In comparison, the stock designed GTX 680 runs at 1006 MHz with a typical GPU boost clock of 1058MHz. The reference memory clock is 1502MHz (GDDR5 6008MHz) but the memory on GTX 670 SC SIG 2 is overclocked out of the box to 1552MHz(GDDR5 6208MHz).