Graphics Cards Guide

Compare This

GeCube Gemini 2 (Dual Radeon X1650 XT)

18 May 2007

Shown previously at CeBIT 2007, GeCube's dual GPU graphics card is finally ready for the market. Featuring two Radeon X1650 XT processors in CrossFire, this is not your ordinary mainstream card.

Tags: (none)

Filter by Manufacturers

HWZ's Overall Rating: 7.0

<div id="product-review" class="article">
			<h2 class="header-green">GeCube Gemini 2 (Dual Radeon X1650 XT)</h2>
		<span class="byline">Reviewed by Vincent Chang on Friday, 18 May 2007</span>
		<div class="share">
	<div
		id="addthis_div_519f822ca57e0" 
		class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style"
		addthis:url="http://www.hardwarezone.com/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt"		addthis:title="GeCube Gemini 2 (Dual Radeon X1650 XT)"	>
		<a class="addthis_button_google_plusone" g:plusone:count="false"></a>
		<a class="addthis_button_facebook"></a>
		<a class="addthis_button_twitter"></a>
		
		<a class="addthis_button_email"></a>
	</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 		//AddThis thing
		addthis_share = window.addthis_share || {};
		addthis_share.url_transforms = {
			add: {
				utm_source: 'addthis',
				utm_medium: 'referral',
				utm_campaign: 'addthis',
				utm_content: 'GeCube%2BGemini%2B2%2B%28Dual%2BRadeon%2BX1650%2BXT%29'
			}
		}
		
		addthis_config = window.addthis_config || {};
		addthis_config.data_track_clickback = true;
		addthis_config.data_ga_property = 'UA-166763-1';
		//window.addthis && addthis.toolbox (".addthis_toolbox");
		 
	});
//]]>
</script>		<div class="content resizeable">
						<div id="page-1" class="page">
		 		<h2 class="page-title">Introduction</h2>
		 		<h3 class="page_title">Introduction</h3>
<p>It's been a while since we saw the last of those giant dual graphics cards that integrated two graphics core on a single PCB. Usually, these custom cards are created as a demonstration of a manufacturer's innovation (or hubris) and more often than not displayed exclusively at conventions or trade shows. There were few of these cards for retail and those that were sold were hideously expensive - NVIDIA's official dual-GPU card, the GeForce 7950 GX2 being the rare and successful exception.</p>
<p>By our reckoning, the last two we experienced firsthand were the dual GeForce 6800 GT cards from ASUS and Gigabyte . After the initial excitement generated by these behemoths dwindled, they quickly faded from the limelight. Nevertheless, that has not stopped vendors from trying. GeCube has been one of those who have attempted at such a card with the Gemini, which featured dual Radeon X1600 XT processors. First seen at last year's CeBIT, the prototype was never released commercially. However, it seems that GeCube has not given up on the idea and the introduction of ATI's Radeon X1650 XT has revived the Gemini. </p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img src="http://images.hardwarezone.com/upload/files/2010/04/bbb2a10c49.jpg" title="GeCube's attempt to combine two Radeon GPUs onto a single PCB - the Gemini 2, with two Radeon X1650 XT cores integrated" alt="" /></p>
<p class="rteleft">Dubbed the Gemini 2, this new dual GPU graphics card has two Radeon X1650 XT cores on a single PCB. Remarkably, GeCube has managed to keep the cooler to a single slot despite the additional complexity of cooling two cores. Outfitted with a heavy, full copper heatsink and capable of powering up to four monitors through custom connectors, this graphics card has been modified to run ATI's Native CrossFire through a PLX bridge chip that links the two GPUs via an 8-lane bus and at the same time, communicates via 16 lanes with the PCIe bus. While we have seen examples of dual GPUs using SLI, this is probably the first time we have seen a CrossFire version. And unlike the last Gemini, Gemini 2 will be available for enthusiasts.</p>			</div>
		</div>
			<div class="pagination" >
		<span class="desc">Page 1 of 8</span>
		<ul>
			<li class="prevnext prev"><a href="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt" class="disabled">&lsaquo; Prev</a></li>
			<li class="skip">
				<form id="PageAddForm" method="post" action="/go"><fieldset style="display:none;"><input type="hidden" name="_method" value="POST" /></fieldset>					<select name="data[Page][url]" class="page-selector" id="PageUrl">
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt" selected="selected">Introduction</option>
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/gecube-gemini-2">The GeCube Gemini 2</option>
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/test-setup-61">Test Setup</option>
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/results-3dmark05-3dmark06">Results - 3DMark05 &amp; 3DMark06</option>
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/results-splinter-cell-chaos-theory-fear-directx-9-benchmarks-2">Results - Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory &amp; F.E.A.R (DirectX 9 Benchmarks)</option>
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/results-company-heroes-quake-4-sm20-benchmarks">Results - Company of Heroes &amp; Quake 4 (SM2.0+ Benchmarks)</option>
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/temperature-testing-overclocking-2">Temperature Testing &amp; Overclocking</option>
<option value="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/conclusion-182">Conclusion</option>
</select>					<input type="submit" class="submit" value="Go" />				</form>			</li>
			<li class="prevnext next"><a href="/review-gecube-gemini-2-dual-radeon-x1650-xt/gecube-gemini-2" class="">Next &rsaquo;</a></li>
		</ul>
	</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 
		var container = document.getElement ('#product-review'),
			content = container && container.getElement ('.content'),
			pagination = container && container.getElement ('.pagination'),
			form = pagination && pagination.getElement ('form'),
			menu = form && form.getElement ('.page-selector'),
			links = {
				prev: pagination && pagination.getElement ('.prev a'),
				next: pagination && pagination.getElement ('.next a')
			},
			page = -1,
			desc = 'Page {curPage} of {lastPage}'
		;

// Tag as Javascript-enabled
		pagination.addClass ('js');

menu.addEvent ('change', function (e)
		{
			var curPage = this.selectedIndex + 1,
				lastPage = this.length,
				url = this.get ('value'),
				pageContent = container && container.getElement ('.page')
			;

// Disable controls
			menu.set ('disabled', 'disabled').blur ();
			if (pageContent) pageContent.setStyle ('opacity', .5);

new Request.HTML ({
				'url': url,
				'method': 'get',
				'link': 'cancel',
				'update': content,
				'onSuccess': function ()
				{
					// Update controls
					menu.erase ('disabled');
					links.prev
						.set ('href', menu.getChildren ('option')[(curPage > 1)? curPage - 2: curPage - 1].get ('value'))
						[(curPage > 1)? 'removeClass': 'addClass'] ('disabled')
					;
					links.next
						.set ('href', menu.getChildren ('option')[(curPage < lastPage)? curPage: curPage - 1].get ('value'))
						[(curPage < lastPage)? 'removeClass': 'addClass'] ('disabled')
					;
					pagination.getElement ('.desc').set ('text', desc.substitute ({ curPage: curPage, lastPage: lastPage}));

captureIntraLinks ();
					new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement (container);
				},
				'onFailure': function ()
				{
					// Restore controls
					menu.erase ('disabled');
					if (pageContent) pageContent.setStyle ('opacity', 1);
				}
			}).send ();
		});
		$$([links.prev, links.next]).addEvent ('click', function (e)
		{
			e.stop (); this.blur ();
			if (!this.hasClass ('disabled'))
				menu.set ('value', this.get ('href')).fireEvent ('change');
		});
		form.addEvent ('submit', function (e)
		{
			e.stop (); this.blur ();
			menu.fireEvent ('change');
		})

// Capture all intra-page links and hook to js
		function captureIntraLinks ()
		{
			content.getElements ('a[href^="#"]').flatten().each (function (link)
			{
				var target = link.get ('href').substr (6).trim ();
				if (target && target.match (/^\d+$/) && target <= menu.length)
					link.addEvent ('click', function (e)
					{
						e.stop (); this.blur ();
						menu.selectedIndex = target - 1;
						menu.fireEvent ('change');
					});
			});
		}
		captureIntraLinks ();

// Trigger initial pagination state
		var target = location.hash && location.hash.substr (6).trim ();
		if (target && target.match (/^\d+$/) && target <= menu.length && target != page)
		{
			menu.selectedIndex = target - 1;
			menu.fireEvent ('change');
		}
 
	});
//]]>
</script>
				</div>

<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 
		var section = $('tab-product-content-review'),
			dropdown = section.getElement ('#reviews-list'),
			tId = 0
		;

if (section && dropdown)
		{
			var list = dropdown.getElement ('ul'),
				links = list.getElements ('li a')
			;

dropdown.addClass ('js');
			list.set ('morph', { 'link': 'cancel' });

$$(dropdown, list).addEvents ({
				'mousemove': function ()
				{
					$clear (tId);
				},
				'mouseenter': function ()
				{
					list.set ('morph', {'duration': 'short'}).morph ({ 'opacity': 1 });
				},
				'mouseleave': function ()
				{
					tId = function () { list.set ('morph', {'duration': 'short'}).morph ({ 'opacity': 0}); }.delay (1000);
				}
			}).fireEvent ('mouseleave');

links.addEvent ('click', function (e)
			{
				e.stop ();
				//unescape the 'alt' prooperty
				var o = new Element('i', { 'html': this.get ('alt')});
				new Request.HTML ({
					'url': o.get('text') + '&as=ajax',
					'method': 'get',
					'link': 'cancel',
					'update': section.empty().grab(new Element('div')
						.addClass ('waiter')
						.grab (new Element ('span', {
							text: 'Please wait while we load your article ...'
						}))
					)
				}).send ();
			})

section.getElements ('.footer .comments a').addEvent ('click', function (e)
			{
				e.stop ();
				new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement ($('tab-product-details'));

var href = this.get ('href').match (/#.+$/), target = href && href[0];
				if (target)
					(function () { new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement ($(target.substr (1))); })
						.delay (3000);

$('tab-product-comments').getChildren ('a')[0].fireEvent ('click');
			})
		}
		if( $$('.image-caption-container').length < 1 )
		{	
			$$('.article .content img[title]').each (function (img)
			{
				// skip if title is empty
				if (!img.get ('title')) return;
			
				new Element ('span', {'class': 'image-caption-container'})
					.addClass (['left', 'right'].contains (img.get ('align'))? img.get ('align'): '')
					.set ('width', img.get ('width'))
					.replaces (img)
					.grab (img)
					.grab (new Element ('div', {
						'class': 'image-caption',
						'html': img.get ('title').trim ()
					}))
				;
				img.erase ('align');
			
				var link = img.getParents ('a');
				if (link) link.addClass ('captioned');
			});
		}
 
	});
//]]>
</script>

Graphics Cards Guide

GeCube Gemini 2 (Dual Radeon X1650 XT)

Filter by Manufacturers

You may also be interested in...