Sparkle Calibre X680
Overview
Hardware: Video CardsWHAT WE LIKED:
Excellent performance; high Boost Clock; low noise; low temperatures; great priceWHAT WE DISLIKED:
Limited availability in North AmericaDiscuss in the Forum
Introduction
With Nvidia’s Kepler lineup fully deployed, we’ve seen the gamut of 600 series card, from flagship to budget products. We’ve been impressed overall, as there’s been good competition against AMD’s lineup, not to mention seeing some innovative features from Nvidia in the Kepler architecture.
It’s not surprising that we’re seeing more custom cards now, as board partners are looking to differentiate themselves, and also keep interest alive until the next product cycle hit the market. One of those partners is Sparkle, perhaps not as popular in North America as a few other offerings, but today we’re looking at a flagship card that looks very interesting: the Sparkle Calibre X680.
With a custom heatsink that has a design with the fans mounted below the fins, the Calibre X680 looks different from most other models we’ve seen. Touted as a quiet solution for discerning consumers, the X680 also comes with an aggressive Boost Clock out of the box to provide a horsepower bonus as well. And for those who are cost conscious, it comes with a very competitive price tag of $490 as well, which is considerably cheaper than many competitors’ custom offerings.
Looks good on paper. Let’s push onward and see if the Sparkle Calibre X680 can match up well in action.
