EVGA has launched a new Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 based graphics card bundled with an all-in-one water cooling solution. The EVGA GeForce GTX 980 HYBRID offers users a complete plug-and-play solution of a GTX 980 GPU combined with water cooling setup. It's interesting to see this combination of GTX 980 GPU and liquid cooler when custom air coolers have been seen to provide competent "barely audible" cooling performance. However greater overclocking headroom is always better – how much is possible from this product remains to be seen.
An all-in one liquid cooler with 120mm radiator and fan is built onto the EVGA GeForce GTX 980 HYBRID graphics card to chill the Maxwell GM204 core. A blower unit remains upon the card to provide cool airflow over the memory and VRMs. EVGA is keen to point out that the AiO cooler is available separately to those who wish to upgrade any 'reference style' GeForce GTX 980 graphics cards. This add-on kit includes a custom shroud, necessary to facilitate its fitting.
Thanks to the water cooling the HYBRID card is overclocked by default up from stock 1126MHz base and 1216MHz boost to 1291MHz base and 1393MHz boost frequencies. Memory clocks for the HYBRID are a standard 7010MHz by default. For reference HEXUS has previously overclocked air-cooler cards such as the PNY GeForce GTX 980 OC2 Pure Performance to 1378MHz (with 1500MHz-plus boost) core and 8240MHz memory without any issues.
Looking at EVGA's own results for the GTX 980 HYBRID cooling performance users should enjoy a card running around 25°C cooler or so compared to a stock GTX 980. Buyers can push this new HYBRID card to the max using EVGA's bundled Precision X 16 overclocking software which lets you; fine tune GPU and memory clocks/offsets, implement target temperature control, make in-game screenshots and more.
The EVGA GeForce GTX 980 HYBRID is listed on the EVGA site at €779.00, the HYBRID cooler on its own is €119.90. Availability in Europe is still flagged as 'notify me'.
