EVGA had a number of new or updated products on display in a suite at the swank Bellagio Hotel, to get in on all of the CES action currently taking place in Las Vegas. In addition to a few killer, high-end graphics cards, EVGA showed off some of the underlying technologies that make their custom coolers tick, some new power supplies, and an assortment of new input devices as well.
The EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Classified pictured above carries on the legacy of the excellent GeForce GTX 780 Classified
we showed you here. The card’s specifications aren’t ready for public consumption just yet, but the EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Classified should be an upgrade over reference GeForce GTX 980 cards in virtually every way. The GTX 980 Classified is outfitted with an over-sized, dual-fan cooling solution that can dissipate more heat than reference models; it will be factory overclocked; and the card packs in a few additional power phases/power connectors as well, to ensure better power delivery when overclocking. The display outputs on the card have also been tweaked so it will fit in only a single-slot should a user decide to outfit the card with a water-block. We’re told EVGA will be including a single-slot case bracket for these users as well.
Another graphics card on display was the GeForce GTX 970 FTW+. The FTW+ features a revised cooler with straight copper heatpipes that is reportedly more capable than the model used on the original FTW. The FTW+ card is also getting additional power phases (6 + 2), a higher power target, a new IO configuration (similar to the Classified), and a backplate that aids in cooling and adds rigidity and strength. The card will likely be overclocked a bit higher than the original FTW as well.
EVGA had a new water-cooled GeForce GTX 980 Hyrdo Copper in the suite as well. The EVGA GeForce GTX Hydro Copper sports a self-contained liquid cooler, complete with radiator and 120mm fan. And like previous Hydro Copper cards, this one will be factory overclocked right out of the gate. We should also note that EVGA plans to sell the liquid cooler on its own as well.
The EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard was also being shown off in the suite. The Z10 features Cherry MX Red keyswitches (linear, non-clicky, lightweight), a metal frame, and a removable wrist rest. The keys are also backlit and the lighting configuration is adjustable via software or via a dial built into the chassis (it looks like a mouse wheel recessed along the top).
Other features of the EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard include a customizable LCD display, which can show PC health data (among other things), a built in volume control dial, USB hub, and programmable macro keys. Expected pricing wasn’t disclosed, but expect the
EVGA Z10 to be competitive with other high-end gaming keyboards.
EVGA also had an array of motherboards on display (nothing new, however), along with a couple of demos that showed their proprietary double-ball-bearing fans / coolers consuming less power than a competing solution. The reason EVGA was compelled to show the power consumption of their coolers is because many graphics cards have a configurable (and limited) power target. And any power consumed by fans, is power unavailable to the GPU.
Speaking of power, EVGA had a portion of their line-up of power supplies on display too. In addition to showing off the powerful T2 series products, EVGA has the GS series on display as well. If you’re unfamiliar with EVGA’s GS series of power supplies, their geared toward quiet operation—the fans in the units don’t even spin up until temperatures hit a specific range.
Finally, EVGA had a trio of new Torq mice on display. We showed you the
Torq X10 here; the Torq X5 and X3 seen here have similar design cues, but are manufactured with less exotic materials and may not include adjustable weighting. As such, these new additions to the Torq family of mice will be more affordable, though final pricing wasn’t disclosed just yet. The Torq X3 will be EVGA’s entry-level gaming mouse, while the X5 tackles the mid-range. We should also point out that the X5 will be offered with either an optical or laser sensor and they should be available soon.
