Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB Review
Written by
Mike Jennings
June 13, 2012 | 07:34
Tags: #best-graphics-card #dual-gpu #dual-gpu-graphics-card #fastest-graphics-card #gtx-690
Companies: #nvidia
1 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB Review2 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — The Card3 — Test Setup4 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — ARMA2 Performance5 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Battlefield 3 Performance6 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Dirt 3 Performance7 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Skyrim Performance 8 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Power and Thermals9 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Conclusion
Manufacturer:Nvidia
UK price (as reviewed):£879.99 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $1050.99 (ex tax)
click to enlarge
We knew this would happen. Every year Nvidia and AMD queue up to release their latest high-end GPUs and, just as tick follows tock, they’re swiftly followed up by a card that makes all but the richest of gamers weep: the dual-GPU monster.
This time around it’s Nvidia’s turn and, as the firm’s naming convention dictates, it’s the GeForce GTX 690. Let’s get this out of the way immediately: the GTX 690 costs £880.
There’s no sign of the economies of scale potentially caused by using one heatsink, enclosure or PCB to contain two Kepler cores, and Nvidia has been upfront about the cost of one GTX 690 mirroring that of two GTX 680s.
It’s not quite as simple as slapping two of those GTX 680 cores on one PCB, though. As usual with dual-GPU cards, the top-end specification has been trimmed back slightly for the dual-core version.
The GK104 core, for instance, was launched at a headline grabbing 1,006MHz — just 6MHz more than the 1,000MHz which AMD unveiled with its first current-generation card, the Radeon HD 7870.
Here, it’s dialled down to a still-superb 915MHz. Nvidia’s GPU Boost technology is still here, so the card will reach the heady heights of a guaranteed 1,019MHz if any game demands that level of power — a step down from the 1,058MHz of a single GTX 680, but a still a deeply impressive figure.
Click to enlarge
There’s no option of having four gigabytes of RAM attached to each core, either, as is possible with the most expensive GTX 680 cards. The GTX 690 still includes 4GB of GDDR5 RAM across the whole board, and it’s still clocked at 6,008MHz.
Click to enlarge
The fundamental Kepler architecture is still in place. There’s no deactivation of streaming multiprocessors or CUDA cores: the GTX 690 boasts a mighty 3,072 stream processors across the card. They’re divided into eight of Nvidia’s Graphics Processing Clusters, each of which contains two of its Streaming Multiprocessors. There’s the small matter of seven billion transistors included – the most we’ve ever seen on a graphics card.
Its price of around £880 is a little more than twice the price of the GTX 680, and that puts the GTX 690 on another level compared to every current generation product — at least, we assume, until AMD releases a dual-core Radeon HD 7000-series card.
Specifications
- Graphics processor Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB, 915MHz
- Pipeline 2 x 1,566 stream processors, 32 ROPs
- Memory 4GB GDDR5, 6GHz effective
- Bandwidth 2 x 192GB/sec, 256-bit interface
- Compatibility DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.1
- Outputs/Inputs 3 x DVI, mini DisplayPort
- Power connections Two 8-pin
- Size 279mm long, dual-slot
1 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB Review2 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — The Card3 — Test Setup4 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — ARMA2 Performance5 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Battlefield 3 Performance6 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Dirt 3 Performance7 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Skyrim Performance 8 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Power and Thermals9 — Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB — Conclusion
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690 review
42points
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
Why is Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690 better than the average?
- Memory bus width?
512bitvs252.
57bit - Texture mapping units (TMUs)?
256vs152.01 - Render output units (ROPs)?
64vs58.44 - 3DMark Vantage Texture Fill result?
181.9GTexels/svs90.02GTexels/s - 3DMark Vantage Pixel Fill result?
25.6GPixel/svs10.98GPixel/s - DVI outputs?
3vs0.73 - Multi-GPU?
4vs2.73 - Mini DisplayPort outputs?
1vs0.01
Which are the most popular comparisons?
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
AMD Radeon RX 580
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
MSI GeForce GT 710 2GB
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
AMD Radeon RX 560
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
AMD Radeon RX 570
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 SOC
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
vs
AMD Radeon RX 6400
Price comparison
User reviews
Performance
GPU clock speed
915MHz
The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.
GPU turbo
1019MHz
When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
pixel rate
59.6 GPixel/s
The number of pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.
floating-point performance
5.62 TFLOPS
Floating-point performance is a measurement of the raw processing power of the GPU.
texture rate
234 GTexels/s
The number of textured pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.
GPU memory speed
1502MHz
The memory clock speed is one aspect that determines the memory bandwidth.
shading units
Shading units (or stream processors) are small processors within the graphics card that are responsible for processing different aspects of the image.
texture mapping units (TMUs)
TMUs take textures and map them to the geometry of a 3D scene. More TMUs will typically mean that texture information is processed faster.
render output units (ROPs)
The ROPs are responsible for some of the final steps of the rendering process, writing the final pixel data to memory and carrying out other tasks such as anti-aliasing to improve the look of graphics.
Memory
effective memory speed
6008MHz
The effective memory clock speed is calculated from the size and data rate of the memory. Higher clock speeds can give increased performance in games and other apps.
maximum memory bandwidth
384GB/s
This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.
VRAM (video RAM) is the dedicated memory of a graphics card. More VRAM generally allows you to run games at higher settings, especially for things like texture resolution.
memory bus width
512bit
A wider bus width means that it can carry more data per cycle. It is an important factor of memory performance, and therefore the general performance of the graphics card.
version of GDDR memory
Newer versions of GDDR memory offer improvements such as higher transfer rates that give increased performance.
Supports ECC memory
✖Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.
Features
DirectX version
DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenGL version
OpenGL is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenCL version
Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing.
Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.
Supports multi-display technology
✔Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
The graphics card supports multi-display technology. This allows you to configure multiple monitors in order to create a more immersive gaming experience, such as having a wider field of view.
load GPU temperature
A lower load temperature means that the card produces less heat and its cooling system performs better.
supports ray tracing
✖Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
Ray tracing is an advanced light rendering technique that provides more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections in games.
Supports 3D
✔Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
Allows you to view in 3D (if you have a 3D display and glasses).
supports DLSS
✖Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an upscaling technology powered by AI.
It allows the graphics card to render games at a lower resolution and upscale them to a higher resolution with near-native visual quality and increased performance. DLSS is only available on select games.
PassMark (G3D) result
This benchmark measures the graphics performance of a video card. Source: PassMark.
Ports
has an HDMI output
✔Gigabyte GeForce GTX 690
Devices with a HDMI or mini HDMI port can transfer high definition video and audio to a display.
HDMI ports
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
More HDMI ports mean that you can simultaneously connect numerous devices, such as video game consoles and set-top boxes.
HDMI version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Newer versions of HDMI support higher bandwidth, which allows for higher resolutions and frame rates.
DisplayPort outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using DisplayPort.
DVI outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using DVI.
mini DisplayPort outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using mini-DisplayPort.
Price comparison
Which are the best graphics cards?
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 graphics card
Specifications
Drivers
Price
| Name: | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 |
| Series: | GeForce 600 |
| GPU architecture: | Kepler |
| GPU model: | 2×GK104-400 |
| Base clock (Boost): | 915 MHz (1019 MHz) |
| Memory speed: | 6 Gbps |
| Memory: | 4 Gb GDDR5 (512-bit) |
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 video card is based on a 28 nm process technology and is based on a 2×GK104-400 GPU.
The card supports Directx 12 API.
NVIDIA placed 4096 megabytes of GDDR5 RAM, which is connected using a 512-bit interface.
The graphics processor runs at 915 MHz, which can be increased to 1019MHz., with a speed of 6000 Mbps.
The power consumption of the video card is 300W, and the recommended power supply is 650W.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 supports Microsoft DirectX 12 API and OpenGL 4.2.
Specifications for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690
| GPU specifications: | |
|---|---|
| Model: | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 |
| Series: | GeForce 600 |
| GPU model: | 2×GK104-400 |
| Architecture: | Kepler |
| Process: | 28nm |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPC): | 8 |
| Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs): | 16 |
| TMUs: | 256 |
| Base clock: | 915 MHz |
| Boost clock frequency (Boost): | 1019 MHz (+104 MHz) |
| Number of transistors: | 2×3. 5 billion |
| Memory specifications: | |
|---|---|
| Memory capacity: | 4 Gb |
| Memory type: | GDDR5 |
| Memory bus: | 512-bit |
| Memory speed: | 6000 Mbps (6 Gbps) |
| Memory clock: | 1502 MHz |
| Texture Fill Rate: | 234.2 GTexel/s |
| Display support: | |
|---|---|
| Maximum digital resolution: | 3840×2160@30Hz or 4096×2160@24Hz via HDMI. 4096×2160@60Hz via Displayport |
| Maximum VGA resolution: | 2048×1536 |
| Standard connectors: | Two Dual Link DVI-I. Dual link DVI-D. Mini-Displayport 1.2 |
| Multi-monitor support: | Yes, up to 4 monitors |
| HDCP: | Yes |
| HDMI: | Yes |
| Audio input for HDMI: | Internal |
| Thermal characteristics: | |
|---|---|
| Maximum GPU temperature: | 98℃ |
| Energy consumption (TDP): | 300 W |
| Recommended Nutritional Requirements: | 650 W |
| Additional power connectors: | Two 8-pin |
| Video card dimensions: | |
|---|---|
| Height: | 11. 11 cm |
| Length: | 27.94 cm |
| Width: | 2 slots |
| Technologies and capabilities: | |
|---|---|
| CUDA: | Yes |
| Ansel: | Yes |
| SLI: | Yes |
| G-Sync: | Yes |
| PhysX: | Yes |
| 3D Vision: | Yes |
| Blu Ray 3D: | Yes |
| 3D games: | Yes |
| Surround: | Yes |
| DSR: | Yes |
| GPU Boost: | Yes |
| DirectX: | 12 API |
| Vulcan API: | Yes |
| OpenGL: | 4.2 |
| Tire: | PCI Express 3.0 |
| Support OS: | Microsoft Windows 7-10, Linux, FreeBSDx86 |
Please note: The table shows the reference characteristics of the video card, they may vary by different manufacturers.
New drivers for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 69 graphics card0055
Driver language:
Russian
Operating system:
Windows 10 64 -by
Windows 8 64 -by
Windows 7 64-bit
updated:
08.02.202.202.2055 For free
License Agreement
Driver Information:
Release Notes (v472.12) (PDF)
Control Panel User’s Guide (PDF)
Information update: 02/15/2023 2:46
The GeForce Game Ready Driver version 474.11 WHQL is also suitable for all video cards from subsidiaries: Asus, Gigabyte, Zotac, MSI, Palit, and so on.
Obsolete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690
drivers
Operating system:
Windows 10 64-bit
version:
391.35 WHQL
Date of Output: 9005 27 27, 2018 March
version:
391.
35 WHQL
Release date:
March 27, 2018
Download [329.12 MB]
Status:
555555
Operating system:
Windows 8 64-bit, 8.1 64-bit, 7 64 -by
Version:
391.35 WHQL 9005
Release: 9005 [403.45 MB]
WHQL
Release Date:
July 14, 2016
Download [256.6 MB]
Status:
Outdated
Driver for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 video card is downloaded from the official site!
Or use the GeForce Experience program — it will automatically select the necessary driver for your video card.
Price in Russia
Kepler architecture
Video cards with 4 Gb memory:
Video cards with GDDR5 memory type:
Video cards with 512-bit bus:
Video card GeForce GTX 690 [in 5 benchmarks]
NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 690
- PCIe 3.
0 x16 interface - Core frequency 915
- Video memory 4096 MB (2048 MB per GPU) GDDR5
- Memory type GDDR5
- Memory frequency 6008 MHz
- Maximum resolution
Description
NVIDIA started GeForce GTX 690 sales on May 3, 2012 at a suggested price of $999. This is a desktop video card based on the Kepler architecture and 28 nm manufacturing process, primarily aimed at gamers. It has 4 GB (4 GB on the GPU) GDDR5 GDDR5 memory at 6.01 GHz, and coupled with a 512-bit (256-bit on the GPU) interface, this creates a bandwidth of 384 GB / s.
In terms of compatibility, this is a two-slot PCIe 3.0 x16 card. Reference version length — 27.9See Connection requires an additional 2x 8-pin power cable and power consumption is 300W.
It provides poor performance in tests and games at the level of
14.07%
from the leader, which is NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
GeForce RTX
4090
Compare
General information 9999 (A100 SXM4)
Value for money
To obtain an index, we compare the characteristics of video cards and their cost, taking into account the cost of other cards.
- 0
- 50
- 100
Features
GeForce GTX 690’s general performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core clock, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. They indirectly talk about the performance of the GeForce GTX 69Ol000
9999000 (H200 SXM5 969 ° C) 2x 3.
130 gflops
Compatibility and dimensions
Parameters related to GeForce GTX 69 compatibility0 with the rest of the computer components. Useful for example when choosing the configuration of a future computer or to upgrade an existing one. For desktop video cards, these are the interface and connection bus (compatibility with the motherboard), the physical dimensions of the video card (compatibility with the motherboard and case), additional power connectors (compatibility with the power supply).
| Bus | PCI Express 3.0 | |
| + |
RAM
Parameters of memory installed on GeForce GTX 690 — type, size, bus, frequency and bandwidth. For video cards built into the processor that do not have their own memory, a shared part of the RAM is used.
| Memory type | GDDR5 | |
| Maximum memory | 4 GB (4 GB on GPU) GDDR5 | out of 128 (Radeon Instinct Mi250x) |
| Memory frequency | 6008 MHz | of 22400 (GeForce RTX 4080) |
Video outputs
Types and number of video connectors present on GeForce GTX 690.
As a rule, this section is relevant only for desktop reference video cards, since for laptop ones the availability of certain video outputs depends on the laptop model.
| Video Connectors | 2x Dual Link DVI-I. 1x Dual link DVI-D. 1x Mini-Displayport 1.2 |
Technology
Technology solutions and APIs supported by GeForce GTX 690 are listed here. You will need this information if your graphics card is required to support specific technologies.
| 3D BLU-RAY | + | |||
| 3D Gaming | + |
07
All of these scenarios are based on the direct use of the processing power of the GPU, without the use of 3D rendering. This option uses the Khronos Group’s OpenCL API. 
Usually the result is measured in mhash / s — the number of millions of solutions generated by the video card in one second. | Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) | 156 Mh/s |
Is the GeForce GTX 690 good for gaming?
FPS in popular games on the GeForce GTX 690, as well as compliance with system requirements. Remember that the official requirements of the developers do not always match the data of real tests.
Relative performance
Overall GeForce GTX 690 performance compared to its nearest desktop counterparts.
AMD Radeon R9 280
100.92
AMD Tonga
100.14
AMD Radeon HD 7990
100.14
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690
100
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
99.64
AMD Radeon E8950
99.
15
NVIDIA P106-100
98.51
AMD competitor
We believe that the nearest equivalent to GeForce GTX 690 from AMD is Tonga, which is approximately equal in speed and lower by 2 positions in our rating.
Tonga
Compare
Here are some of AMD’s closest competitors to the GeForce GTX 690:
AMD Radeon R9 280
100.92
AMD Tonga
100.14
AMD Radeon HD 7990
100.14
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690
100
AMD Radeon E8950
99.15
AMD Radeon HD 7970
94.46
AMD Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
93.89
Other video cards
Here we recommend several video cards that are more or less similar in performance to the reviewed one.
Radeon HD
7990
Compare
Radeon R9
280
Compare
GeForce GTX
760 Ti OEM
Compare
GeForce GTX
670
Compare
GeForce GTX
770
Compare
Radeon R9
M295X Mac Edition
Compare
Recommended Processors
According to our statistics, these processors are most often used with the GeForce GTX 690.
Core i7
3770K
3.
2%
Core i5
3470
2.6%
Core i3
9100F
2.4%
Core i7
4770K
2.4%
Core i5
10400F
2%
FX
6300
1.8%
Core i7
3770
1.8%
Core i5
6500
1.6%
Ryzen 3
1200
1.4%
Core i5
4460
1.2%
User rating
Here you can see the rating of the video card by users, as well as put your own rating.