EVGA 04G-P4-2690-KR GeForce GTX 690 4GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Pros: SLI in one card; space saving for mATX and smaller; extremely high performance even at stock clocks; stock HSF actually cools well.

Cons: Multi-monitors annoying to setup (see below); not quite as fast as two GTX 680s in SLI or two 7970s in Xfire.

Other Thoughts: I got this card so that I could have a very fast single card for my mATX build. It performs that job amazingly. Doesn't need to be OC'd at all except for benchies (20k graphics score on 3DMark 2011). The one annoyance with this card is setting up multi-monitors. You'd think that you just plug them in and go, but you must use two DVI ports only on GPU 2 AND the DisplayPort must be used at the same time. I had to order a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable to achieve this. Took me ages to figure this out, and the instruction manual had no information. Not worth docking an egg though.

Pros: I love u NEWEGG and i love Nvidia 2 Run my games all at Max

Cons: NOTHING NADA RIEN!

Pros: If you're researching this card, you've likely already seen the benchmarks. It's fast, obviously.

Here's why I would recommend this card over 2 GTX 680's in SLI: First, heat and power consumption. If you don't mind a slightly higher power bill and slightly more heat being pushed out into your room, the 680's might be better for you. Second, the availability of PCI-e ports. You will likely need 5 available PCI-e slots to accommodate two 680's, assuming you leave 1 port worth of space between them for ventilation. If you're not concerned with future expansion (tri-SLI) or motherboard space is not an issue with your setup (such as watercooled setups) then the 680's may be a better option.

And finally, on the topic of future expansion, the 690 gives you the option of doubling your power by simply adding one more card. Three 680's will take up more space and produce far less performance than two 690's.

Two 680's in SLI will produce slightly better performance than one 690. So if none of the concerns above apply to you and you're simply after the most FPS, the 680's are a solid option. However, I like the fact that the 690 runs quieter, cooler, leaves more open space in my case for airflow, and consumes less power. Those positives, to me, are worth sacrificing a few frames per second here and there. You can make up your own mind for what best fits your situation.

Cons: -- For anyone using their GTX 690 for HDMI audio out:

There is an issue with the HDMI audio out that for whatever reason does not seem to like my hardware setup. I feed my audio/video straight from the GTX 690 into my home theater receiver for true 5.1/7.1 digital surround sound for the few games that support it.

However, when the card is under load, the audio pops, clicks, and hisses constantly. I've been through three different GTX 690 cards and all have the same problem. My other hardware is brand new, and I've tried every single troubleshooting test I can manage. After posting in countless forums, getting the generic "Your card must be defective, please replace it" reply from EVGA, and trying the card in other builds with other audio receivers (amps, TVs, etc), I've come to the conclusion that there is a design flaw somewhere in the HDMI audio out design that conflicts with certain hardware. It's not a latency issue, not a cable/wiring issue, and not a BIOS setting/PCI-e configuration issue.

I've seen forums with other users experiencing the same problems, with no solution ever having been found. It could perhaps be a driver issue that will one day be fixed with an update to the HD Audio driver, but until then, users with similar hardware as me (listed at the bottom of this review) who use their video card for digital surround sound to their theater receiver via HDMI may want to take caution if they do not have a dedicated sound card. My solution was to buy an ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.3 sound card (they're not easy to find these days) which is one of the few sound cars that has an HDMI output for 7.1 uncompressed audio.


-- For anyone hoping to someday game in 4k resolutions:

If you plan on buying a 4K TV in the future, be aware that 2GB of memory is not optimal for these resolutions. You'll be able to get by, but recent tests have shown that you WILL likely run out of VRAM in graphic-intensive games with only 2GB of memory per card. Although the 690 says "4GB", you are in reality limited to 2GB per card, which does not increase overall memory capacity even when run in SLI. This is more than enough for 1080p on a single monitor, so memory is only an issue if you plan on Ultra HD resolutions or multi-monitor play. The GTX Titan, by comparison, has 6GB of memory in just a single card, so make sure memory isn't an issue for you when buying this card.

Other Thoughts: With the release of the HD 7990, the debates against the GTX 690 will surely heat up. The 7990 will push a few more frames per second and will run as much as 10db quieter than the GTX 690 depending on the load. And it also has more memory, which will make it better suited to handle 4K resolutions. But it will consume a good bit more power, it will not have nVidia's level of driver support, and to be honest, it's a massive letdown in the looks department. Aesthetics shouldn't be a make-or-break factor when talking about top-end video cards, but in my personal opinion, the GTX 690 truly looks the part of an "enthusiast card", while the HD 7990 does not.

Also, there is always risk involved in buying a top-level video card. That risk comes with the knowledge that by this time next year, there will likely be another card out (possibly a dual-Titan card) that will make you regret spending $1,000 on a much slower card instead of just waiting for the latest and greatest. But that's just how technology works.


If you have the money, in my opinion, the GTX 690 is still the king of GPUs, all things considered. So if you're on the fence about Titan vs. 690 vs. HD 7990, I would say get what best fits your PC and situation. But my vote goes to the GTX 690 for sure.


My hardware:
Intel i7 3930
ASUS Rampage IV Formula
OCZ Vertex 4 SSDs
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W PSU
Corsair Vengeance LP RAM

Pros: The heatsink is a beauty in performance, The quality is all metal and cannot be matched by any plastic shroud now days. That said, The quality of the PCB is superb aswell.
This card overclocked to 13% out of the box and I wont be upgrading for another decade. I use this mostly for gaming on a 2560X1400 screen and I play crysis 3 on ultra with not dips in the FPS. The problem comes from the artifacts during a video cutscene. Look at the cons

Cons: The major problem is that the artifacts come up on every cut scene I have down every problem solution trick but non seem to help. I called up EVGA support but all they said was to send them the card. I can't get any help with this problem as small as it is.

Other Thoughts: I would like to love this Video Card but the artifacts stop me from liking it. The build quality is on par and the Metalic Shroud and heatsink keep it very cooled. The quality control must have passed inspection on this batch.
I will have to return the card for repairs that will cost me nearly 100 dollars for insurance and shipping. I will do an update as soon as I get the card back in working order

Manufacturer Response:

Hello,

This is certainly not the behavior we expect from this product, please contact me directly at bbrunson@evga.com so i can work with you on this matter.

Thank you,
Brandon B

Pros: EVGA precision X allows for easy overclocking and monitoring, however liquid cooling would make it more viable for higher overclock speeds. Dual GPUs make this card a powerhouse for years to come.

Cons: single GPU ratings are not a match for the newer titan cards but when compared side by side from a cost analysis, you get 2 processors that can outperform the titan single processor in almost every aspect

Other Thoughts: Wish the card was not discontinued from EVGA. wanted to get the hydrocopper sig but, it was unavailable ended up using EK waterblocks reference design instead.

Pros: Fastest single slot card period. tested a Titan in the same gaming rig against this GTX 690 and this video card it was 10% overall faster than the Titan in all the games I tested. Glad I made the right choice ,I only game at 1920/1080P single monitor so v ram is not an issue for my gaming needs. Max out every single game out there. Cool running , great stock cooler.

Cons: none

Pros: I do believe that the GTX 690 is the best card in the world and will stay that way for a long time. Although a great idea for the GTX series cards would be to make a dual GPU card using two titan GPUs. Thus doubling the CUDA cores that the titan lacks over the 690.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: none

Pros: I upgraded from a GTX 560 Ti (448 Cores) to this. It gives you SLI performance in one package. It handles every, single game out there with ease including some of my more graphically intense games such as Crysis 3, The Witcher 2, BioShock Infinite, and Skyrim. I have not had a single game where I could not run on Ultra or above type settiings at 2560x1440 and not dip below 60 FPS. I recently installed the GeForce Experience software from NVidia and it makes configuring my games super simple and easy. It also keeps my drivers up to date without any sort of issue. The card is great. Get it. That is all there is to it.

Cons: While I wish this were a little cheaper, you get what you paid for in this case. I never thought I would buy a video card over $350, but now I don't think I could get anything less than a top shelf card such as this if I can afford it.

Other Thoughts: This card outperforms the GTX Titan. I had been looking at the Titan, but due to card shortages (they sell out as soon as they get them), I thought about holding out for the Titan, but got this instead. I don't regret it one bit. If you are looking at a Titan, but can't get one, this is a great substitute for it.

Pros: Fast and powerful. Well worth the $1K price tag expecially considering the fact that it's two gpu's and only takes up two bay slots.

Cons: None. just with I had another one :(

Pros: Handles anything I've thrown at it--the true test will be how well it handles triple screens-once I get my cables, but for right now, running on a single monitor, can easily handle Skyrim, Ac3, Crysis 2 (haven't tried the third)--completely lag free, crisp, clean picture. Haven't messed with boosting it, but at default, it operates at a clean 50 degrees C.

Cons: Wish I bought it in december, when EVGA had some great add-ons :(

Other Thoughts: Its a bit big, and keep in mind that this is a dual-core GPU, with 2GB per core, not single core, with 4GB. Great product--keep it up EVGA!