Nvidia GeForce GTX 590 dual-GPU video card released

Hot on the heels of AMD's recently released Radeon HD 6990, Nvidia introduced its own new flagship video card today, the GeForce GTX 590.

Nvidia's first dual-GPU video card since the GTX 295 in early 2009, the GTX 590 unites a pair of GF110 GPUs (the kind used in the GTX 580, the fastest single-GPU card on the market) on a single card. This means you get of 1,024 CUDA processing cores, 128 texture units, 96 ROP units, and 32 tessellation engines. The card's graphics clock runs at 607 MHz, its processor clock at 1,215 MHz, and its memory clock at 3,414 MHz. It's loaded with 3,072MB of GDDR5 memory for the frame buffer, which operates over a 384-bit memory interface.

Also present on the GTX 590 are a centrally located fan for cooling and a unique variety of display outputs: three DVI ports and one Mini DisplayPort jack. (This lets you easily connect up to three monitors at once for use with Nvidia's Surround multimonitor system, or 3D Vision Surround, if you want to add stereoscopic 3D to the mix.)

Because this is a big card, it's got some big power requirements: You'll have to have a PSU capable of pushing at least 700 watts, and you'll need at least two eight-pin power connectors free. You'll also need to have a good chunk of change on hand to pay for it: The GTX 590 is priced at $699—the same price as the 6990.

How do the two cards compare? Read our review of the GTX 590 to find out. And if you're interested in an up-close look at the GTX 590, check out Nvidia's video below touting its features and speed.

This article, written by Matthew Murray, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.