Asus’ new GTX 950 ditches the power connector without downgrading performance

If you’re in the market for a new graphics card, it might appeal to you that Asus’ latest debut — the GeForce GTX950-2G — omits a principle component, namely, the power connector. It’s missing from the Taiwanese computer company’s most recent offering.

As expected from a GTX 950 card like this, the new product headlines a trimmed-down GM206 GPU that promises an energy-saving 75W power limit through its PCI-Express slot — which clearly explains the exclusion of a 6-pin connector. Nonetheless, even without the power attachment, Asus’ new hardware still exhibits better specs over Nvidia’s reference speeds.

ASUS GeForce GTX950-2G specs:

• Graphics Engine: Nvidia GeForce GTX 950
• Bus Standard: PCI Express 3.0
• Video Memory: GDDR5 2GB
• Engine Clock: OC Mode – GPU Boost Clock : 1,228MHz , GPU Base Clock : 1,051MHz
• Gaming Mode (Default) – GPU Boost Clock : 1,190MHz , GPU Base Clock : 1,026MHz
• CUDA Core: 768
• Memory Clock: 6,610MHz
• Memory Interface: 128-bit
• Resolution: Digital Max Resolution: 4,096 x 2,160
• Interface: DVI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (DVI-I)
• HDMI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (HDMI 2.0)
• Display Port : Yes x 1 (Native) (Regular DP)
• HDCP Support : Yes
• Power Consumption: up to 75W, no additional PCIe power required
• Software: ASUS GPU Tweak II & Driver
• Dimensions: 8.3″ x 4.5″ x 1.6″ Inch, 21 x 11.3 x 4 cm. This is a 2-slot graphics card design.

In the wake of a handful of rumors indicating the arrival of a more capable GeForce GTX 950 build, there’s little doubt that Asus is one of the first to take advantage of it.

With both the Overclock Mode and Gaming Mode of the GTX950-2G having beaten out the Nvidia’s reference speeds — including a GPU boost clock of 1188MHz, a GPU base clock of 1024MHz, and a memory clock of 6.60GHz — Asus’ card appears to be the definitively better option. Especially when you consider the reference model’s power-hungry 90W spec necessitating the 1×6-pin power connector compared to Asus’ 75W limit.

Although we criticized it for its bulky physical proportions, our review of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 950 called it “the new gold standard for budget gaming.” As far as the cost of Asus’ model, it’s unfortunately yet to be revealed.