ASUS graphics card engineering leads the industry once again with the introduction of Direct CU II SSU thermal design. Comprising two "S" & one "U" shapes, the heatpipes are precision shaped for optimal efficiency & heat transference. They are also nickel-plated to minimize oxidization, with their mid-section now placed directly over the GPU die. This design shortens heat transfer travel to lower thermal resistance & create bi-directional flow for up to twice the cooling capacity in the same space as that required by existing graphics card cooler designs.