The GeForce GTX 770 Review: Calling In A Hit On Radeon HD 7970?

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Wait, the new GeForce GTX 770 is powered by Nvidia's old GK104? That's right. And guess what? The card is faster, quieter, more feature-complete, and less expensive than the GeForce GTX 680 that came before it. Can it usurp the compelling Radeon HD 7970?

Gigabyte GTX 770 OC Windforce

We’re happy to see that Gigabyte’s GeForce GTX 770 OC Windforce (GV-N770OC-2GD) remains a dual-slot card, qualifying for duty in an SLI setup, even in cramped quarters. The cooling fins are oriented vertically though, so the majority of warm exhaust air is expelled upward. The rest gets blown on to the mainboard from where the card’s own fans draw it back in.

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Technical Specifications And Dimensions
GPU Clock1,135 MHz
Boost (according to BIOS)1,189 MHz
Actual Boost Under Load1,254.4 MHz
Height125 mm / 4.92 inches
Length282 mm / 11.1 inches
Width (Cooler Side)36 mm / 1.41 inches  (<= dual slot)
Width (PCB side)4 mm / 0.16 inches (no back plate, frame only)
max. Weight982 g / 34.6 ounces
Fans3 x 75 mm / 2.95 inches (fan diameter)
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Let’s begin our tour of this card with its new Windforce cooler and familiar 75 mm fans. It’s been fundamentally reworked compared to its predecessor. For example, Gigabyte replaced the previous incarnation's plastic shroud with one made of metal, and the cooling fins are now spaced further apart, enabling more evenly distributed airflow combined with lower operating noise.

The top of the card sports an eight- and six-pin PCIe power connector, as well as two connectors for SLI bridges.

Heat is dissipated through a bifid cooler with the help of six heat pipes (2 x 8mm and 4 x 6 mm) made of a new composite material. RAM and VRM modules receive their own heat sinks, which are also connected to the big cooler.

Connectivity options mirror those of the reference card, including two dual-link DVI connectors, HDMI, and a DisplayPort output. 

Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini is an Editor Emeritus at Tom's Hardware US. He edits hardware reviews and covers high-profile CPU and GPU launches.
329 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jessterman21
    Amazing - this oughtta shake up the market!
    Reply
  • GMPoisoN
    CF 7970s > All
    Reply
  • EzioAs
    Thanks for the article.

    Kind of an expected performance increase. Seeing overclocked GTX 680 review was conclusive enough unless you've never seen one. Never expected this card to be getting the Smart Buy award though to be completely honest.

    Hey, how about another title for the review?
    - GTX 680 Gets a New Cooler, BIOS Update and Price Drop! -

    No? I'll think of a better one...
    Reply
  • CarolKarine
    the fact that every single site is comparing nvidia's next-gen stuff with AMD's current gen stuff kinda sickens me. don't start throwing around "Nvidia's got this gen in the bag" till we see what AMD comes up with. they've had what, 1 1/2, 2 years? I'm hoping for GCN 2 and a die shrink on a new architecture.
    Reply
  • Memnarchon
    EzioAsNever expected this card to be getting the Smart Buy award though to be completely honest.Better power consumption than 7970GE.
    Less noise than 7970GE.
    Runs cooler than 7970GE.
    Same FPS as 7970GE.
    $50 less cost.

    Yeah indeed, why to get the Smart Buy award I wonder...
    Reply
  • Novuake
    That is some aggressive pricing right there! LOL
    Reply
  • rmpumper
    Finally, a card that will drop the prices of hd7000 and gtx600 GPUs.
    Reply
  • tlg
    Well in the UK the GTX770 is still more expensive than the HD7970.
    Reply
  • GMPoisoN
    10884687 said:
    When you factor in the 4 games that come with the HD7970 GHz Edition, it is still cheaper than the GTX 770. I find it odd that nVidia had over a year to come up with something to beat AMD in single GPU performance at this price point but failed to deliver.

    Yes, there is a bit of power savings. Yes, multi-GPU performance is better. But, that is nothing new. I also wouldn't expect future drivers to deliver much in the way of performance improvements since this card is essentially a GTX 680 v2.

    Ultimately, I expected more from nVidia. Yes, this is a polished card out of the gate. But I'm not sure the release of this card will affect AMDs bottom line as things currently stand, performance wise.

    Agreed. Sapphire 7970 Ghz ftw <3
    Reply
  • SiliconWars
    None of Nvidia's partners are using the reference cooler so this is just a scam to get better turbo clock speeds and good scores on quiet and cool operation. You've been had Chris and now you've spread Nvidia's lies to your readership.
    Reply