VR Features

Squishing a pair of GPU chipsets together to form a single dual-slot graphics accelerator is no mean feat, especially if you think of it as an act of melting a pair of 8800 GTS 512MB into one. Melting, is exactly what will happen if the design thermals are not taken care of.

Then again, heat isn't going to be a tripping stone for NVIDIA this time around.

Back when the NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 was released, the front-to-back design proved to be an engineering challege for thermal management. Enough surface area had to to be garnered from a heatsink half the width of an expansion slot, while noise had to be kept in check when attempting to reduce turbulence from drawing air through a small gap.

A literal nightmare for overlclockers without the creative touch indeed. The old GX2 made its mark only in the hands of Italian overclocking artisans and those who engaged custom 'water' blocks (Shamino).

Today, we see a totally new approach to the design of the "stack." The 9800 GX2 now has its PCB halves back-to-back, clamping two GPU faces and associated components onto a common heatsink. Heatpipes are a notable feature, showing up through the black paint that has been applied to the assembly.