?Better late than never? isn't a phrase we hear all that often in technology circles but it describes PNY's GTX 980 XLR8 Pro OC perfectly.

NVIDIA's GTX 980 was launched to rave reviews just over six months ago and since then, every single NVIDIA board partner has introduced their own take on custom cooled, overclocked versions. However, at least in North America, PNY's lineup consisted of a simple reference version that sold primarily to system integrators. Their usually-awesome XLR8 OC series was conspicuous by its absence. Things are changing since PNY is finally rolling out models that are meant hit the enthusiast segment.

One of the first out of the gate is the GTX 980 4GB XLR8 Pro OC which also happens to use PNY's new yet nonetheless confusing naming scheme which consists of the XLR8 CG, XLR8, XLR8 Pro and XLR8 Elite series. In short, the CG utilizes reference coolers, the standard XLR8 models will boast custom PCBs yet simplified cooling designs and the Pro-branded cards will have higher clock speeds alongside upgraded components and substantially better heatsink assemblies. Finally the Elite cards are billed as the best of the best with extreme out-of-box frequencies.