It really is hard to convey the size of this card – having dealt with the mid-range nVidia cards recently (e.g. GTX460, GTS450), I had got used to their medium size. This card is massive in comparison!

The GTX580 requires 1X 8pin and 1x 6pin PCI-E power inputs. I was a little surprised – and had expected 2x8pin sockets. I guess this means that whilst this card uses a similar amount of power to the GTX480, it should give better performance for that same amount of power.

The back of the PCB looks very busy. I quite like that Inno3D has used a black PCB – it looks smart and in line with the cards characteristics.

Having reviewed Inno3Ds GTX460 OC recently, I can’t help but feel that they haven’t put the same amount of effort into designing the plastic shroud for this HSF. The GTX460OC has some nice aggressive vents and styling, whereas this card looks quite “reference” HSF.

Whilst the shroud itself doesn’t have much in the way of design, the sticker design itself looks quite good, although I can’t help but feel it’s more of a marketing opportunity than anything else – what with it having “3D Vision Surround, Physx, CUDA” written on it.

At the base end of the card, things are quite simple. We have a bit of a vent for the HSF’s air to exit, but other than that – it’s quite simplistic.

On the I/O end of the card, we’ve got a nice air-vent along with 1x mini-hdmi and 2x DVI outputs. The PCI-E bracket itself is painted a nice metallic/graphite black. It looks quite smart.

Packaged with the Inno3D GTX580 OC are; Molex to 6pin PCI-E adapter, DVI->VGA adapter, 2x Driver CDs, a serial key for Starcraft 2 and most interestingly, a Inno3D iChill mouse matt. I quite like the addition of the mouse mat – it’s typical of Inno3D to make the owner feel that little bit more catered for.

And here’s a photo of most of the cards on test today. The Inno3D GTX580OC overshadowing them all.

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