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- Date:
- Tuesday , December 17, 2013
- Author:
- David Schroth
- Editor:
- Brent Justice
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GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC REV 2.0 Video Card Review
On our test bench today is the factory overclocked GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC video card. We have put it up against AMD's latest offerings of the Radeon R9 290X and Radeon R9 290 to see whether the custom Windforce 3X heatsink fan unit is able to cool off the competition for one card to emerge as the victor.
Introduction
GIGABYTE is a hardware manufacturer and one of the most respected PC component builders in the business today. The company was established in 1986 in Taipei, Taiwan, and is best known for its motherboards. GIGABYTE has a vast product line, including motherboards, graphics cards, notebooks, LCDs, mobile devices, tablet computers, computer cases, and many other PC peripherals.
On our test bench today is the, GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC (GV-N780OC-3GD) Rev. 2.0 video card.
GeForce GTX 780
The GeForce GTX 780 is based on the same GK110 Kepler architecture as the GeForce GTX TITAN. What you will find is scaled down CUDA cores, and memory, to meet the new price point. The GeForce GTX 780 has an MSRP of $499. That is currently $200 less expensive than a GeForce GTX 780 Ti. The GTX 770 currently can be found in the low $300 range. The GeForce GTX 780 consists of 2,304 CUDA Cores. This compares to 1,536 on the GTX 680 and 2,688 on the GTX TITAN.
The GTX 780 has a Base Clock of 863MHz with a Boost Clock of 900MHz. There are 3GB of GDDR5 on the GTX 780; this is an upgrade from the 2GB on the GTX 680, and exactly half of the TITAN’s capacity. The GTX 780 has a 384-bit memory bus with 6GHz clocked memory. The TDP is 250W.
Also on board is support for NVIDIA's new GPU Boost 2.0 which is also found on the TITAN. This improves upon the original GPU Boost utility's ability to provide higher real-world frequencies in-game, and also supports temperature capping just like the TITAN. There is also new fan technology which minimizes fan speed fluctuations for smoother fan operation, and less noise.
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC Rev. 2.0
There are two versions of the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC video card. There is a Revision 1.0, and then there is a newer Revision 2.0 model. To figure out which model you have, look at the labeling of the video card on the PCI-Express connector. You will see the labeling "GV-N780OC-3GD" and right beside it a "REV 2.0" if you have Revision 2.0. If you don't see "REV 2.0" then you have the first revision of this model.
There are some power design differences between the two revisions. On the first revision you will find one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector. On the Revision 2.0 model you will find that it sports two 8-pin power connectors and an 8+2 phase VRM power design with voltage control. The clock speeds and cooling setup are exactly the same between the revisions however. Therefore, if you are an enthusiast looking for overclocking potential, you want the newer Revision 2.0 design. We have the Revision 2.0 model today for evaluation.
The GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC Rev. 2.0 comes equipped with a factory base clock of 954MHz, a 91MHz increase over stock and a boost clock of 1006MHz, a 106MHz increase over the stock boost clock and features GIGABYTE’s Windforce 3X cooling system. It is configured with 3GB GDR5 memory running at a 6.0GHz effective rate.
The cooling system is comprised of four heat pipes that carry heat away from the GPU to an array of aluminum fins that are cooled by a trio of fans. GIGABYTE is using fans with the "Triangle Cool" technology which is supposed to increase airflow and reduce turbulence. GIGABYTE guarantees a 450W cooling capacity for the Windforce cooling solution, which seems rather ambitious for a 250W TDP GPU.
It is worthwhile to point out that the Windforce 3X cooling solution strapped to the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC Rev. 2.0 video card is different from the Windforce 3X solution that has been found on other cards over the past few years, including the R9 280X, GTX 760 OC, and all of the other Windforce 3X based solutions that we have evaluated.
The heatpipe and heatsink configuration appear to be unchanged from the prior iterations of the card, however the fan shroud and fans have changed with the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC video card. The plastic shroud has been replaced with a metal shroud that does not provide as much coverage as the prior plastic one did over the heatsink assembly. The fans also seem to be thinner than the prior versions and look a bit more flimsy. The card’s feel in hand is heftier than the prior version of the Windforce 3X.
The GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC comes with a 3 year factory warranty and is currently available in etail for $499.99. Batman Arkham Origins and the NVIDIA Holiday Gift bundle are included with the purchase of the card.
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC Images
The GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC is packaged in a black box that features the outline of an eye looking at you. We did not perform any tests to determine whether the eye will follow you as you walk through a room even though that might be helpful for sales in a retail environment. The front of the box highlights the GeForce GTX 780 GPU, the 3GB of GDDR5 memory installed, the OC GURU II software and a 450W cooling capacity guarantee.
The front of the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC features a black metallic fan shroud that serves to house the fan and direct airflow away from the GPU. The cooling solution utilizes four heat pipes to pull heat way from the GPU to where it can be cooled by the dual triple. The fan shroud extends beyond the back of the PCB by a small amount, making it an even longer card. This extra extension of the shroud off the back makes the card the longest that we currently have in stock in the underground bunker, therefore, if you have a small case, it would be wise to order a shoe horn to help you fit it in.
On the I/O panel there are four ports. These include one DP port, one DVI-D port, one DVI-I connector, and one HDMI connector. The power connector is on top of the video card and requires a double 8-pin PCI-e connection. The video card’s measurements are 11 inches in Length, 1.5 inches Wide, and 5.25 inches in height.
