ASUS MATRIX GTX580 P/2DIS/1536MD5 Pro Reviews

ASUS has created the best GeForce GTX 580 based video card on the planet with the ROG MATRIX GTX580 Platinum. There is simply no denying this fact. ASUS has not only made a better, and more efficient video card based around the GeForce GTX 580, but has created what could be considered an entirely new video card altogether. This video card barely resembles other GeForce GTX 580 video cards. The entire package was custom designed, from the PCB up, to achieve the highest possible clock speeds on a GeForce GTX 580, and ASUS has succeeded in that regard. The big caveat to the ROG MATRIX GTX580 Platinum performance we have seen here, even when highly overclocked, is that the less expensive CrossFireX and SLI configurations shown can give you just as good or better gaming performance in many cases. Many folks will cry foul when comparing muli-GPU configs to a single GPU card, but we know that many of our readers are comfortable with the comparisons and we thought the options should be included. You can save some money going with CrossFireX or SLI, but the ROG MATRIX GTX580 Platinum still trumps these in terms of the feature set you can experiment with and the card's cool factor is second to none. We achieved the highest overclock we've ever gamed with on a GeForce GTX 580 with the ASUS ROG MATRIX GTX580 Platinum video card. The overclock propelled performance beyond its single-GPU competition. The price is not cheap however, you will pay $529.99 for this beast. If you demand the absolute best GeForce GTX 580 performance on Earth, you will find it in the ASUS ROG MATRIX GTX580 Platinum video card. This video card is built with hardcore gaming enthusiasts like you in mind. Everything about this video card was built around giving you the best overclock, and it paid off. There is no question in our minds that this video card earns our HardOCP Editor's Choice Gold Award. We love to see companies continuing to push the envelope! If we had an Editor's Choice award better than the Gold, we would certainly give that consideration.

The factory overclock pushes this card ahead of the reference GPUs, and the speed to be gained post factory clocks is all there. If I were picking out some new hardware for a serious build, consider this card on my dream team.

And for almost £200 less, that's something of a revelation. You will have to work to get this level of performance out of the Matrix GTX 580 Platinum, but it's there. And in this weird chasm of a price point between the £300 GTX 580 and the £600 GTX 590, it almost seems like good value.

Regardless of its inclusion of features which may be inaccessible to most gamers, this is currently one of the best cards on the market. Why? Because it allows for the best of both worlds: the increased clock speeds and air cooling overclocking headroom gamers want alongside features that professional overclockers will take full advantage of. If anything, the Matrix gives both sides of the high end market something to play with at a fair asking price and that makes it worthy of our full stable of awards.

If it's indeed US$530, ASUS has a very attractive deal here for aspiring overclockers and other enthusiasts. No doubt, the high price of any GTX 580 will deter most casual buyers but even those who don't intend to use the ROG features could be tempted at this price solely for the superior cooler on this card.

Overall, the ASUS ROG GTX 580 MATRIX is part boutique, part badass, with the potential of being a great card for overclockers that take advantage of its voltage control and monitoring features. For gamers who like having just a single graphics card, preferably single-GPU at that, this is the ultimate buy. At US $530, it is reasonably priced for what's on offer.