Watch Dogs to be bundled with new Nvidia GeForce GPUs

[Scorpus]

Watch Dogs, from developer Ubisoft Montreal, is perhaps the most anticipated game of 2014 and is set to launch in under a month's time. The open-world action game set in Chicago has a huge focus on technology and connectivity, plus the 'next-generation' graphics look seriously impressive, especially on PC.

Nvidia has announced that they will be bundling Watch Dogs with any new purchases of their mid-to-high end graphics cards, replacing the previous Daylight bundle. Any desktop graphics card above and including the GeForce GTX 660 will be eligible for a free copy of Watch Dogs, effective immediately.

Purchases of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti and lower, as well as all 700M and 800M notebooks, aren't eligible for the Watch Dogs bundle, with Nvidia instead providing $150 of free-to-play credit for games such as Warface, Heroes of Newerth, and Path of Exile. If you buy a GeForce GT 640 or lower, you won't receive any free games or in-game content.

Watch Dogs is an Nvidia-optimized title under their 'The Way It's Meant To Be Played' brand, and will include several GameWorks enhancements including TXAA and HBAO+. We've seen these sorts of enhancements before in other Nvidia-optimized games such as Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Batman: Arkham Origins, but you'll find they also work on AMD hardware.

As always, if you plan on purchasing a new Nvidia GPU and want a free copy of Watch Dogs, make sure you shop at a participating retailer or e-tailer, as the game is provided as a voucher with qualifying purchases.

Watch Dogs launches worldwide on May 27, 2014 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/56581-watch-dogs-to-be-bundled-with-new-nvidia-geforce-gpus.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

That's more like it. Now I can go out and buy a Titan-Z (or two) and not feel that the $3000 price tag is a wee bit excessive. Bargain.

 

[Sniped_Ash]

Hopefully this will last until the 880 (or whatever the first 28nm Maxwell will be) comes out.

 

[Experimentongod]

The previous promo was a joke: Daylight, a sub $14 indie game that now sits at 55 Metascore. Glad to see they're back to bundling AAA Ubisoft games. I got 5 games with my GTX 760 back in January (Splinter Cell Blacklist and Assassin's Creed IV from Nvidia and 3 Steam games from EVGA). BTW, the EVGA promo for Rise Of The Triad is still active and you can get it with ANY GTX card (650 and up).

 

[cmbjive]

Yeah, and all I got was Assassin's Creed IV, which I already beat on PS4.

 

[GhostRyder]

That's more like it. Now I can go out and buy a Titan-Z (or two) and not feel that the $3000 price tag is a wee bit excessive. Bargain.

It got delayed due to the fact that it was not going to live up to the 3k price tag. Of course as you said bundling a game makes the deal soooo much sweeter .

At least your getting something now, daylight really was not anything to shake a fist for in terms of a bundle bonus. Heck Intel gives Rome Total War II bundled with the CPU lol

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

It got delayed due to the fact that it was not going to live up to the 3k price tag. Of course as you said bundling a game makes the deal soooo much sweeter .

At least your getting something now, daylight really was not anything to shake a fist for in terms of a bundle bonus. Heck Intel gives Rome Total War II bundled with the CPU lol

It's not much of a choice but it's at least it's something and the game looks OK from what I've seen although I'll wait for it hit the bargain basement before I pull the pin. About my earlier post, I was just being sarcastic (for a change).

 

[GhostRyder]

It's not much of a choice but it's at least it's something and the game looks OK from what I've seen although I'll wait for it hit the bargain basement before I pull the pin. About my earlier post, I was just being sarcastic (for a change).

I know you were I was as well

Yea, I plan on getting it, it honestly looks like its going to be a fun game that I may pick up on console or PC whenever I feel like it.

 

[Jad Chaar]

That's more like it. Now I can go out and buy a Titan-Z (or two) and not feel that the $3000 price tag is a wee bit excessive. Bargain.

Haha yeah.

 

[dividebyzero]

It got delayed due to the fact that it was not going to live up to the 3k price tag.

Not really. It got delayed because no one outside the market where the boards are constructed have any stock. The new launch date (or end of NDA at least) is May 8th.

Yet another example of an IHV tripling the price of their single card for their duallie. Unless you reeeeeeaaaaaallly are space constrained and use a board for mixed FP32/FP64 workloads (preferably using a CUDA path such as the OptiX engined ray tracing for After Effects) for 3D modelling it really won't be on a gamers shopping list.
From a gaming point of view, you may as well buy two Gigabyte GHz Edition 780's (basically 780 Ti performance) for a third of the outlay. Even two overclocked 6GB cards are only going to run $1140.

 

[GhostRyder]

Not really. It got delayed because no one outside the market where the boards are constructed have any stock. The new launch date (or end of NDA at least) is May 8th.

Yet another example of an IHV tripling the price of their single card for their duallie. Unless you reeeeeeaaaaaallly are space constrained and use a board for mixed FP32/FP64 workloads (preferably using a CUDA path such as the OptiX engined ray tracing for After Effects) for 3D modelling it really won't be on a gamers shopping list.
From a gaming point of view, you may as well buy two Gigabyte GHz Edition 780's (basically 780 Ti performance) for a third of the outlay. Even two overclocked 6GB cards are only going to run $1140.

I would be inclined to believe that if Asus had not posted on Titan-Z official release and then taken the page down. They were at least expecting orders to go out that day for sure otherwise they would not have posted that much detail then immediately taken it down.

There in actuality is no point to the card, its got a 3 slot design which ruins the idea of "Saving on space". Unless your crammed and can't afford one extra slot, 2 Titan blacks would make way more sense in every scenario.

But this is not the place to discuss Titan-Z in great detail, just the game deal.

 

[dividebyzero]

I would be inclined to believe that if Asus had not posted on Titan-Z official release and then taken the page down. They were at least expecting orders to go out that day for sure otherwise they would not have posted that much detail then immediately taken it down.

Well, your argument doesn't hold water simply because many AIB's post pages regarding upcoming hardware that isn't immediately available. Asus's own GTX 780 Ti Matrix Platinum is an obvious current example. But the real reason Asus took the page down was because Nvidia's NDA hadn't expired - if it had then there would be at least one sanctioned review - and I haven't heard of a single site that currently has the Titan Z on its testbench. W1zzard at TPU certainly hasn't sighted one.

There in actuality is no point to the card, its got a 3 slot design which ruins the idea of "Saving on space". Unless your crammed and can't afford one extra slot, 2 Titan blacks would make way more sense in every scenario.

It has little to do with "one extra slot". Prosumers don't generally buy a single board for workloads - especially when I specifically mentioned:

Unless you reeeeeeaaaaaallly are space constrained and use a board for mixed FP32/FP64 workloads (preferably using a CUDA path such as the OptiX engined ray tracing for After Effects) for 3D modelling it really won't be on a gamers shopping list.

If you value throughput that is FP32+FP64 over initial cost then that is likely the only consideration, as I've already mentioned. Case in point, you can fit eight single-GPU dual slot cards into a Tyan FT77A. Using Titan Z's, you could accommodate 5 boards (10 GPUs) in the same 4U form factor. If throughput trumps cost, then to achieve the same throughput with single GPU cards you'd have to spring for a second FT77A ( at around $US4600 + the cost of two LGA2011 Xeon's). Simple economics if you're in those particular markets.
10 Titans ($10K) + 2 x FT77A ($9600 + 4 Xeon at $400-2600*each+ 2 x ECC RAM)
5 Titan Z ($15K) + 1 x FT77A ($4600 + 2 Xeon at $400-2600 each + ECC RAM)

Anyhow, nice to see some added value, even if the game - like any other offered with a graphics card, will likely be available on eBay for a fraction of its retail price.
System builders and some multi-GPU users will certainly list their key codes to recoup some cash.

 

[GhostRyder]

Well, your argument doesn't hold water simply because many AIB's post pages regarding upcoming hardware that isn't immediately available. Asus's own GTX 780 Ti Matrix Platinum is an obvious current example. But the real reason Asus took the page down was because Nvidia's NDA hadn't expired - if it had then there would be at least one sanctioned review - and I haven't heard of a single site that currently has the Titan Z on its testbench. W1zzard at TPU certainly hasn't sighted one.

Difference between my argument and yours, mine was forcibly taken down which means obviously there are going to be some changes and Nvidia didn't want the card seen. The leaked specs already show a base 705 clock with boost up to 876 I believe which already means its well below 780ti and titan black levels. If it was just a pre-showing, they would have left it up for some early publicity or what not. We will more or less find out if specs change or when the card is actually released which now point to May 8th I believe.

If you value throughput that is FP32+FP64 over initial cost then that is likely the only consideration, as I've already mentioned. Case in point, you can fit eight single-GPU dual slot cards into a Tyan FT77A. Using Titan Z's, you could accommodate 5 boards (10 GPUs) in the same 4U form factor. If throughput trumps cost, then to achieve the same throughput with single GPU cards you'd have to spring for a second FT77A ( at around $US4600 + the cost of two LGA2011 Xeon's). Simple economics if you're in those particular markets.
10 Titans ($10K) + 2 x FT77A ($9600 + 4 Xeon at $400-2600*each+ 2 x ECC RAM)
5 Titan Z ($15K) + 1 x FT77A ($4600 + 2 Xeon at $400-2600 each + ECC RAM)

Well lets go with your scenario for a second and lets take a deep long look at both Titan Black and Titan-Z. Now putting them in the Tyan FT77A as you put up in a link seems like your logic would be sound if all the conditions met were correct. However there is one blaring difference between a Titan-Z and 2 Titan Black cards (Excluding core clocks of course), this of course is the infamous Center fan cooler. As the device you have listed and Most servers that would cram these cards into are designed, they force the air one direction (Normally Front to Back). The problem with a center fan is the air is pushed 2 directions which will cause a problem with a server that focuses on pushing air in one direction. Now based on the FT77A specs, this device routes the air towards the heatsink's that separate the CPU's from the GPU's listed while that air is taken in by the Titans (Im assuming they are titans) is shoving the air out of the case. Titan-Z however will be pushing against the air pressure which is going to cause either heating problems on the GPU, or unnecessary wear and tear on the card itself due to conflicts of interest ill go ahead and call it.

Now in a normal PC environment, we can get around that with proper air flow adjustments in the case. But then again if your using a PC case, chances are you would then just buy Titan Black for cheaper since again we will run into the same problem of taking up to many slots.

Now it could still work in the environment you listed, but its going to struggle having the Hot air that supposed to be expunged from GPU #2 pushed around the cards and possibly right back into the card. But then again only time will tell...

 

[dividebyzero]

Now it could still work in the environment you listed, but its going to struggle having the Hot air that supposed to be expunged from GPU #2 pushed around the cards and possibly right back into the card.

You're thinking like a gamer. The scenario most employed is to reduce fan speed and let the server fans do what they are supposed to - move air through and across the boards. Remember that the server rack is designed for completely passive cards outputting up to 235W each, so the cards fan doesn't have to work anywhere near as hard as in a PC setup.

The centre fan arrangement is largely overblown in any case. There are many instances where similar cards are in use in more airflow constrained scenarios. As an example, here's four GTX 690's stacked up in a Corsair Obsidian ( a chassis I binned for its inability to cool effectively).

 

[GhostRyder]

You're thinking like a gamer.

No im actually not, I work in a server environment on a daily basis I am thinking about it in all senses.

The scenario most employed is to reduce fan speed and let the server fans do what they are supposed to - move air through and across the boards. Remember that the server rack is designed for completely passive cards outputting up to 235W each, so the cards fan doesn't have to work anywhere near as hard as in a PC setup.

A major difference is that those cards are designed to be passively cooled or still use their blower/fan to push one direction or they use the vapor chamber/similar design (or they are so insignificant it does not matter). This card is designed with the Central Axial fan which pushes air Both directions and is not designed with the intention of being cooled passively. Its designed around cooling from that central fan which literally splits the heatsink down the center and will block air being pushed from those fans in the server rack. Unless you literally remove the shroud and fan its going to hinder the cooling performance. On top of that, these are dual GPU cards that are at a 375Watt TDP which is higher than the normal cards.

The centre fan arrangement is largely overblown in any case. There are many instances where similar cards are in use in more airflow constrained scenarios. As an example, here's four GTX 690's stacked up in a Corsair Obsidian ( a chassis I binned for its inability to cool effectively).

I own that case...........................
Second, that's a low airflow situation and not a forced airflow situation. Those cards can maintain themselves on their own as long as the hot air is not being pushed back onto the cards. Even in that situation, the cards fans are pushing the air 2 different directions away from themselves and the other cards. and getting air.

Lastly, the Tyan FT77A you linked saying you could cram a total of 10 GPU's I believe if using the Titan-Z right? I would love to know how you would go about doing that because I looked at the board layout and the PCI-E's are spaced where you could only fit 4 3 slot form factor cards...

http://www.tyan.com/datasheets/DataSheet_FT77A-B7059.pdf

 

[dividebyzero]

Unless you literally remove the shroud and fan its going to hinder the cooling performance.

It's obviously not an ideal situation but like the GTX 690, the airflow front and back is not split 50/50, more like 75/25. Check any close up of the Titan Z (or GTX 690 for that matter) and note the grooved channels in the base that direct airflow from the back heatsink (closest to the front of a chassis) back towards the rear vent.

On top of that, these are dual GPU cards that are at a 375Watt TDP which is higher than the normal cards.

For a mixed FP32/FP64 workload, boost is disabled. The 375W specification is with boost enabled (FP32, FP64 at 1:24). There isn't any reason to add boost (overclock) when precision is the prime requirement. The Titan, Titan Black, Quadro K6000, Tesla K20, K20C, K20X, and K40 all have this feature.

that's a low airflow situation and not a forced airflow situation. Those cards can maintain themselves on their own as long as the hot air is not being pushed back onto the cards. Even in that situation, the cards fans are pushing the air 2 different directions away from themselves and the other cards. and getting air.

Using that logic, the interior of the chassis would build up heat as the cards dumped hot air into the chassis. Take a look at the setup- it's a negative pressure situation.

Lastly, the Tyan FT77A you linked saying you could cram a total of 10 GPU's I believe if using the Titan-Z right? I would love to know how you would go about doing that because I looked at the board layout and the PCI-E's are spaced where you could only fit 4 3 slot form factor cards...

ROFL, it doesn't matter if the slots are one slot apart

For what its worth, I was using the Tyan as an example. Here's another couple of boards that are used in the 4U form factor. The SuperMicro X9DRX+-F, a favourite amongst the rendering crowd,

...and Trenton's BPG8032

 

[GhostRyder]

It's obviously not an ideal situation but like the GTX 690, the airflow front and back is not split 50/50, more like 75/25. Check any close up of the Titan Z (or GTX 690 for that matter) and note the grooved channels in the base that direct airflow from the back heatsink (closest to the front of a chassis) back towards the rear vent.

Its still pushing against the wind and it is also higher power usage than a 690. On top of that it is still a central fan that is blocking the air flow in general. Its not going to be ideal and run very well while all cards are in use.

For a mixed FP32/FP64 workload, boost is disabled. The 375W specification is with boost enabled (FP32, FP64 at 1:24). There isn't any reason to add boost (overclock) when precision is the prime requirement. The Titan, Titan Black, Quadro K6000, Tesla K20, K20C, K20X, and K40 all have this feature.

So? Its still going to use more power than a single titan and even without boost the power usage is not going to drop that far. It will drop but were not going down to below a single titan which is my point when having that much extra heat on one board with a fan pushing against air flow. This card was not designed with a server environment in mind and was more designed for a PC setup rather than a standard rack server setup. There is a reason most of the professional grade cards are designed with a standard blower.

Using that logic, the interior of the chassis would build up heat as the cards dumped hot air into the chassis. Take a look at the setup- it's a negative pressure situation.

Its going to pull air from somewhere unless its air tight. I had a negative air flow at one point as well on my setup and the HD 6990's pulled air from where ever they needed to cool off (Albeit, its a different fan design, its still a central fan). They never overheated and they would also handle themselves since nothing was against the current (Though adding a fan pushing air up in the 800D from the GPU's dropped the temps 5-10C).

ROFL, it doesn't matter if the slots are one slot apart

That looks like a mining rig...in the professional world you would have a hard time convincing a company to hang a 3k video card from zip ties (Or whatever) over a motherboard like that. A home render who would be the one more likely to do something like this, but they would also be the one not willing to spend the money since a single Titan Black could be had for 1/3 the price roughly.

 

[dividebyzero]

Its still pushing against the wind and it is also higher power usage than a 690.

Only by 75W, hardly a space heater...in fact its exactly the same TDP at the HD 6990 which you say works just fine with minimal airflow.

On top of that it is still a central fan that is blocking the air flow in general.

...and shoots himself in the foot by talking up two central fan design 375W (same at the Titan Z ) with a more inefficient cooling ability not overheating in a minimal airflow situation:

I had a negative air flow at one point as well on my setup and the HD 6990's pulled air from where ever they needed to cool off (Albeit, its a different fan design, its still a central fan). They never overheated and they would also handle themselves since nothing was against the current (Though adding a fan pushing air up in the 800D from the GPU's dropped the temps 5-10C).

:SMH:

Its not going to be ideal and run very well while all cards are in use.

As I've already mentioned. Dual GPU cards are never "ideal" in any sense of the word, but the Tyan barebones is compatible with the GTX 690, as shown by the systems builders that include the board in the options list.
Now, who to believe....recognised system building companies, or some random on the net with a proven track record of exhibiting a limited knowledge base. Not a tough choice is it?

That looks like a mining rig...in the professional world you would have a hard time convincing a company to hang a 3k video card from zip ties (Or whatever) over a motherboard like that. A home render who would be the one more likely to do something like this, but they would also be the one not willing to spend the money since a single Titan Black could be had for 1/3 the price roughly.

FFS, you seem intent on arguing a non existent point. Since you seem totally unaware, you can use PCIE risers in a standard ATX case- let alone a 4U rackmount. Here's one of our members doing just that.
FWIW, I picked the mining rig picture because it clearly shows the risers. :SMH:
Oh, and just in case you doubt Greg's use of risers in an ATX case, here's another example (to get separation between cards for better cooling)

I think I'll leave this thread to you since in addition to making a point I also have to explain how hardware fits inside a chassis.
Go ahead, post how you "already knew that" and were just "joking". Don't worry about trying to rephrase it since it will sound just as hollow as all the other times you've used the same meek comeback.

Your one of the few who think Titan-Z is worthwhile.

Bullsh*t. Not only is your knowledge base rudimentary but you seem unable to read adequately. Please show me a post I made saying the Titan Z is worthwhile? You can't because it doesn't exist.
Adios.

 

[GhostRyder]

Only by 75W, hardly a space heater...in fact its exactly the same TDP at the HD 6990 which you say works just fine with minimal airflow.

There is a difference between minimal airflow and working against airflow. You obviously have not comprehended that difference since your saying cards with no airflow as the argument. Im saying your pushing against the airflow with Titan-Z which is what the Center axial fan will do in a server situation...

...and shoots himself in the foot by talking up two central fan design 375W (same at the Titan Z ) with a more inefficient cooling ability not overheating in a minimal airflow situation:

Again difference between minimal airflow and working against airflow. Put a fan blowing against the card as its pushing air out and see what happens compared to having no fans pushing air in.

As I've already mentioned. Dual GPU cards are never "ideal" in any sense of the word.

They are never idea, but when its crammed in a dual slot config, there is more of a point then cramming it in 3 slots on the reference design because that ruins the point of saving on space which is generally why people buy dual GPU cards.

FFS, you seem intent on arguing a non existent point. Since you seem totally unaware, you can use PCIE risers in a standard ATX case- let alone a 4U rackmount. Here's one of our members doing just that.
FWIW, I picked the mining rig picture because it clearly shows the risers. :SMH:
Oh, and just in case you doubt Greg's use of risers in an ATX case, here's another example (to get separation between cards for better cooling)

I think I'll leave this thread to you since in addition to making a point I also have to explain how hardware fits inside a chassis.
Go ahead, post how you "already knew that" and were just "joking". Don't worry about trying to rephrase it since it will sound just as hollow as all the other times you've used the same meek comeback.
Adios.

You seem intent about defending this card to the ends of the Earth just because its made by Nvidia which is a clear pattern by you. Theres a difference between an ATX case and a rack mount. In the rack mount cases doing that would be a horribly choice due to room constraints and other issues with the idea of a rack mount case. They are designed to have the cards inside the case and on the motherboard with the brackets holding them in place, not leaning on just the backets (Plus what you have shown is also a different orientation).

So on top of not understanding the difference between low airflow and working against the airflow you have tried so hard to find a situation to make an overpriced card work. You can always say "but but theres this one scenario" but that does not make the card worth its asking price or the fact it can't fit into a proper situation for its use. Your one of the few who think Titan-Z is worthwhile and its apparent with your whining on the other PC forums when everyone is saying the same thing about its value that you try and defend it with your usual shallow arguments. Enjoy pretending with the minority that are filled with fanboys that the card is worthwhile.

Oh and btw, I won't post here after this so enjoy your pointless attempts at proving an invalid point like you usually do by yourself.

Bullsh*t. Not only is your knowledge base rudimentary but you seem unable to read adequately. Please show me a post I made saying the Titan Z is worthwhile? You can't because it doesn't exist.
Adios.

I would find this insulting if it wasn't for the fact that this was coming from someon who does not understand the difference between a negative air flow setup and a setup pushing air against the flow. You obviously have not real experience with servers if you cannot comprehend that a central fan design is not meant for a rack mount environment and that is why most professional cards come with a normal blower fan that pushes air out of the case. Also then what you have admitted is that you have made another pointless argument (A common thing with you).

 

[cliffordcooley]

Oh and btw, I won't post here after this so enjoy your pointless attempts at proving an invalid point like you usually do by yourself.

That is a strange comment to make after being the only member to challenge DBZ and you always stand alone.

As for the fan stopping airflow, I'm calling BS. Air will not move in any direction without turbulence. In fact without turbulence, air would likely pocket inside the GPU. You are making it sound as if the GPU's are a major duct for case ventilation.