Review of the gtx 970 gigabyte card. Another review of the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming video card

Readers of the information portal i2HARD We could already get acquainted with the very successful GTX 970 model made by Gainward. But it is worth recognizing that the Phantom model, and indeed the products of this company, are extremely rare in the vastness of our homeland. In this material we will test GTX 970 from a more famous brand Gigabyte, whose products everyone can purchase in stores in their city right now.

Specification

• Manufacturer: Gigabyte;
• Model: GV-N970WF3OC-4GD;
• GPU: GM204;
• Process technology: 28 nm;
• GPU frequency: 1114 MHz (1253 MHz in GPU Boost mode);
• Number of shader processors: 1664;
• Video memory: 4 GB;
• Video memory type: GDDR5;
• Video memory bus width: 256 bits;
• Video memory frequency: 1750 MHz (7.0 GHz QDR);
• SLI support: yes;
• HDCP support: yes;
• Ports: 3 x DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D, DVI-I;
• Max. number of connected monitors: 4;
• Additional power connector: 8-pin + 6-pin;
• Length: 295 mm.

Packaging and equipment

When it comes to Gigabyte products, the packaging remains the same, even with the division of models from AMD and nVidia. Only the accompanying inscriptions on the box and the description of key features change.

This approach helps the company reduce costs. The logic here is simple: if you develop a universal packaging size and design, then in the future a minimum of effort will be spent to match the required model. In fact, only the shape changes, which fixes the video card inside and protects it from damage during delivery.

The package contents are modest; here you will find a user manual and a couple of adapters with 8- and 6-pin molex connectors for additional power supply to the video card.

The example of this model shows that the company tried to reduce production costs as much as possible in order to GV-N970WF3OC-4GD You got it at a better price.

Product appearance

An important parameter here is the length of 295 mm, which slightly limits lovers of compact systems and owners of outdated case models from thinking about purchasing. When assembling a new computer, problems can be avoided, since most modern cases allow the use of video cards up to 300 mm in length.

There is no plate on the back and, along with the lack of side lighting, these are the most noticeable differences from the more expensive model GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD.

When oriented towards the motherboard, we see large slits in the sidewall; one might even say that it is almost absent.

On the other side there are connectors for power, and the casing covers more of the central part of the radiator.

To function properly, you will need a high-quality power supply with a power of 550 W or higher. It is desirable to have 6- and 8-pin additional power connectors.

It can also be noted that the heatsink is noticeably longer than the printed circuit board.

To connect multiple displays, the video card is equipped with the latest interfaces: 3 x DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D, DVI-I.

Cooling system

Model GV-N970WF3OC-4GD equipped with a two-slot Windforce 3X cooling system. The manufacturer decided to sacrifice the length instead of covering the third slot. The plastic casing is a little flimsy, I highly recommend not holding the card by it, it can easily be damaged.

A pleasant tradition has become the absence of warranty seals on screws, so enthusiasts will replace the thermal interface with a better one immediately after purchase.

Unlike the older model GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD, there are not four, but two heat pipes. To increase efficiency, the radiator is divided into three compartments, each of which is cooled by a personal fan.

One part is used to remove heat from the power elements.

The central radiator should cool the graphics chip using direct contact technology, where the tubes are in direct contact with the GPU. To remove heat from memory chips, a separate plate equipped with thermal pads is used. It is important to note that not all chips are cooled, since some of them are located on the back side of the board.

And the third section, which can be called auxiliary, completes the engineering idea. There is a noticeable recess covering the top of the additional connectors. power supply on the board.

All fans are mounted on three screws, and the design of the blades is vaguely reminiscent of Aerocool Shark fans. Such tricks increase the efficiency of air flow.

All fans are marked PowerLogic PLD08010S12H; the impeller diameter is 75 mm.

Printed circuit board

In case of PCB differences between models GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD And GV-N970WF3OC-4GD no, which is a plus in favor of the latter. The layout of the elements on the board differs from the reference one.

In the center is the most popular graphics chip today, GM204, which is characterized by economical consumption and high performance.

The memory is represented by chips manufactured by Samsung, which should have a positive effect on overclocking. All microcircuits are marked K4G41325FC-HC28. The volume of 4 GB is collected by 8 modules of 512 MB each.

Unlike the reference sample with four phases of GPU power supply, this one uses an enhanced circuit with six phases.

A PWM controller manufactured by ON Semiconductor labeled NCP81174 controls the power phases; it is soldered on the reverse side of the board.

Next to the 27 MHz quartz resonator there are two microcircuits labeled PI3WVR12412. These are video signal switches that allow you to switch between DisplayPort and HDMI.

On the reverse side, in addition to the memory chips, there are two linear stabilizers, which are characterized by a low voltage drop across the control element (labeled uP0104P).

Two power phases are reserved for memory. Empty landing pads can be useful so that each phase delivers more power and will apparently be used on a more advanced model. In addition, nearby you can see the p-channel field-effect transistor AP3310GH and the linear stabilizer L1117LG.

Test bench configuration

• Processor: (4000 MHz);
• Motherboard: , BIOS version 1304;
• Cooler: Corsair H-110;
• Thermal interface: Arctic Cooling MX-2;
• Memory: , 2 x 8 GB DDR3 2400;
• Video card: Gigabyte GTX 970 (1114 / 7000 MHz (core/memory));
• SSD storage: Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB;
• Fan rotation controller: Schyte Kaze Q-12;
• Power supply: Corsair AX860, 860 Watt;
• Case: NZXT Switch 810;
• Monitor: VIEWSONIC VP2770-LED;
• Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1;
• Drivers: GeForce 344.75

An Intel Core i7-4790K was installed as the central processor, and the processor frequency was nominal. HyperThreading and TurboBoost were enabled during testing. The SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 1 motherboard (BIOS version 1304) was used as the system platform. The factory thermal interface on the graphics chip was replaced with Arctic Cooling MX-2.

From Gigabyte analogues GV-N970WF3OC-4GD It features a proprietary cooling system with three fans, modest factory overclocking of the GPU and a modified printed circuit board.

Synthetic tests

To evaluate performance in synthetics, Valley Benchmark, Heaven Benchmark, 3DMark11, 3DMark Vantage and 3DMark13 tests were used.

Game tests

Let's move on to gaming applications and focus on the testing methodology. FPS measurements were carried out using the FRAPS utility; the resolution in all games was set to 2560x1440 pixels. The following options are manually disabled:

• VSync (Vertical Sync)

All other settings in the games were set to the maximum possible.

ShadowPlay

Perhaps ShadowPlay is the most useful additional option provided by the driver. With this function you will not miss an important game moment; just press the hot key and everything will be recorded in the specified location. Thus, you no longer need to buy separate devices for recording, because with ShadowPlay there is no longer a drop in the performance of the recorded application, as, for example, happened with FRAPS.

Activating this option is easy; first, go to GeForce Experience and make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements.

Then go to the settings and in the upper right corner, after activation, you can change all the necessary settings.

It is clear that nVidia tried to take into account all the wishes of the players and make the recording process itself as comfortable and convenient as possible. You can choose a manual recording mode, which is unlimited in time, or you can use automation and set the required time interval. In the quality tab, recording with support for resolutions up to 4K is available, and as a soundtrack, you can record sound from the game and provide it with your comments. Using ShadowPlay as an example, you get an excellent tool for creating Let’s Play videos.

I’ll give an example of shooting gameplay using this technology, while FRAPS is running for information purposes and you can compare the FPS level with that indicated earlier in the tests.

Temperature and overclocking

For overclocking, the MSI Afterburner utility was used, overclocking was carried out by increasing the voltage:

• The GPU frequency was increased by 190 MHz, which in the final version amounted to 1304 MHz. At the same time, the value of the dynamic frequency reached 1443 MHz.
• The memory frequency was increased by 465 MHz and the value was 1985 MHz (7.94 GHz QDR).

Despite the factory overclocking of the graphics core to 64 MHz, by manually changing the parameters it was possible to achieve much more impressive results. Such a significant increase in GPU and MEM frequencies will have a noticeable impact on performance levels.

Testing took place in an open case at room temperature of 26 degrees. In idle mode, the GPU and memory frequency is reduced to 135/324 MHz, this directly affects energy efficiency and improves temperature performance.

The cooling system copes well with its direct task and even under load the temperature does not go beyond 62 degrees, this is simply an excellent indicator even taking into account the low consumption of the chip.

The fan speed varies depending on the load on the video card (from 1529 to 1927 rpm). Despite the seemingly high tachometer values, the fans are very quiet both at idle and under load. In this case, there is no compromise; low temperatures under load and at the same time quiet operation of the cooling system evoke only positive emotions.

Conclusion

For example GV-N970WF3OC-4GD Gigabyte has produced a very successful product that is devoid of any noticeable disadvantages. The only drawback is the length of the video card, which introduces some restrictions on compatibility with compact or older cases. Otherwise, we see only positive aspects: a good cooling system, impressive results of manual overclocking, low operating temperature, low chip consumption and support for a number of proprietary technologies from nVidia.

Some are tormented by the question of choosing what to buy. GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD or GV-N970WF3OC-4GD. Does it make sense to overpay for a more expensive model? The answer will be this: there are no significant differences between the video cards, and whether it’s worth paying extra for two additional heat pipes, a backplate and a backlight is up to you to decide.

Pros:

• Efficient WINDFORCE 3X cooling system;
• Quiet, even under load;
• Good results in overclocking GPU and memory;
• Low consumption;
• Supports TXAA, GPU Boost, Adaptive V-Sync, ShadowPlay;
• Excellent performance.

Minuses:

According to the editors, taking into account all the pros and cons, the Gigabyte GTX 970 (GV-N970WF3OC-4GD) receives the Gold award.

Test results

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

The hero of the review outperforms the GeForce GTX 780 Ti Assassin's Creed when comparing participants at factory frequencies. The old man has a negligible advantage in overclocking. Among all the participants, Gigabyte is second only to the GeForce GTX 980. The gap between AMD solutions is colossal.

Battlefield 4

In Battlefield 4, Gigabyte has a 7% advantage over the regular GeForce GTX 970. The results are initially at the level of the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. The lag behind the GeForce GTX 980 is less than 10%. Radeon R9 290X is 10-11% weaker. The increase from overclocking is 13-16%.

BioShock Infinite

At face value, there's a minuscule difference between the Gigabyte and the GeForce GTX 780 Ti in BioShock Infinite. The modest gap from the leader GeForce GTX 980 is easily covered by overclocking.

Crysis 3

Gigabyte is 10% faster than the reference in Crysis 3. Same minimum fps with GeForce GTX 780 Ti with a lag of 3% on average. Radeon R9 290X is weaker in terms of minimum fps with the closest average fps value. Overclocking speeds up Gigabyte by 13%.

Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition

In Dead Rising 3, the video adapter in question is nominally more productive than the GeForce GTX 780 Ti and is only 4-5% weaker than the leading GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon R9 290X. The difference with the reference is 10%, about the same increase from overclocking.

Far Cry 3

In Far Cry 3, the review hero is 7-12% better than the reference, an advantage over MSI Gaming is 3-6%. The difference with the GeForce GTX 780 is 14-22%. The gain for the older Radeon is 1-3%. The gap from older NVIDIA representatives is small, especially in terms of minimum fps.

Hitman: Absolution

The latest high-definition Hitman game with anti-aliasing is critical of memory bandwidth. Here, NVIDIA's new products are sharply losing ground under the pressure of AMD video adapters. There is little difference between all GeForce GTX 970, because the potential is limited by the identical memory frequency. For the same reason, there is a minuscule difference between MSI and Gigabyte in overclocking. The increase in frequencies itself provides the hero of the review with an increase of 13-14% relative to the initial frequencies. This allows you to slightly overtake the GeForce GTX 980 in nominal terms, but it is not possible to reach the level of the GeForce GTX 780 Ti.

Metro: Last Light

Based on the results of testing at the Ashes level in Metro: Last Light, the Gigabyte in question at factory frequencies turns out to be identical to the GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon R9 290X. The difference with the reference is 10%. The increase from overclocking is 10%.

In the built-in benchmark, Gigabyte initially has a stronger position relative to the older Radeon. Increasing frequencies provides a 22% performance advantage over the 1051-1210/7012 MHz frequency configuration.

Murdered: Soul Suspect

Tomb Raider
Here the regular version of the GeForce GTX 970 is slightly inferior to the GeForce GTX 780, but this is not a problem for Gigabyte - the G1 Gaming confidently outperforms the old man. With the minimum fps as close as possible, the review hero loses to the AMD flagship in terms of average frame rate.

Watch Dogs

In nominal terms, Gigabyte has the second position after the GeForce GTX 980 in Watch Dogs. The difference with the leader is 4%, the advantage over the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 1-3%, the gain relative to the older Radeon is 5%. When overclocked, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti manages to outperform Gigabyte, and the lead of the GeForce GTX 980 increases. Gigabyte itself, due to overclocking, brings the advantage over the GeForce GTX 970 with a frequency configuration of 1051-1210/7012 MHz to 22-23%.

And again second place after the GeForce GTX 980 with a difference of 7%. The advantage over the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is less than 5%; the old man is slightly faster in overclocking. Gigabyte is almost 14% better than the regular version of the GeForce GTX 970 and 17% more productive than the Radeon R9 290X.

Here AMD’s position is stronger, but still the Radeon R9 290X loses by up to 8%. The results of the GeForce GTX 780 Ti are 7% lower than those of Gigabyte. The gap from the leader, GeForce GTX 980, is the same. The difference with the reference GeForce GTX 970 is almost 12%, overclocking provides an additional performance increase of 11%.

Energy consumption

Gigabyte consumes noticeably more compared to the regular versions of the GeForce GTX 970 and GeForce GTX 980. Even MSI Gaming is more economical at its factory frequencies. But Gigabyte also has the highest initial frequencies. In overclocking, it again has the highest performance in comparison with its counterparts, but lower compared to older GeForces. The results of AMD representatives do not need any special comments; they are outsiders in terms of energy efficiency.

conclusions

The Gigabyte GV-N970G1 Gaming-4GD video card demonstrated good performance, which is ensured by an extremely high factory overclock. If the regular version of the GeForce GTX 970 is weaker than the GeForce GTX 780 Ti, then Gigabyte in most cases is a full replacement for the old flagship. At the same time, Gigabyte is cooler and quieter than the leader of the old generation. For comparison, you can refer to the review of Gigabyte GV-N780OC-3GD - this is not yet the top product of the previous series, but it is noticeably noisier and hotter. The success of the new product is to a certain extent due to the characteristics of the GM204 graphics processor, and to some extent to the modification of the cooler - updated design, new fan design. Thanks to this, Gigabyte can maintain low operating temperatures with low noise. The printed circuit board is made according to a non-reference design with a reinforced power subsystem. Record acceleration. So far, not a single representative of the new generation of NVIDIA has been able to demonstrate similar frequencies. Operation in this mode is possible at the initial fan speed or at a very slight increase. If you need maximum frequencies with air cooling from the GeForce GTX 970, your choice is the Gigabyte GV-N970G1. If you are extremely sensitive to noise levels, you can look for alternative options. Gigabyte does not create acoustic discomfort, but there are models that are completely inaudible during operation.

I spent a long time thinking about what to write in my first review about a video card based on a chip that has been on the market for a year and a half, and has been written about more than once or twice. About the model that is Steam's leader among discrete video cards. About the card, which is currently the benchmark for the middle segment of graphics accelerators. It took me a long time to get ready, and I finally got ready. Greetings gentlemen! GTX970. And, perhaps, its best embodiment is the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming!

This is not my first experience with GTX970 series cards, but all hands did not reach one of the top representatives of the famous Taiwanese brand. But now that I have the first representative of the G1 Gaming gaming line in my hands, I suggest you take a closer look at it.

Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming greets us with a box in the classic Gigabyte style, black. On the front side we see a description of the techniques used and supported technologies. On the back side we are told about the advantages of the Windforce3X cooling system, the use of Flex display technology for displaying images on multiple monitors, two BIOS (GIGABYTE DualBIOS), the use of an ultra-reliable elementary base (Ultra Durable VGA), and, attention (!!!), manual selection of chips in quality for the G1 Gaming line. Those. This seems to promise us high-quality crystals inside and decent overclocking potential at the output... Well, we'll see!
Inside, again, there is a classic black box with a video card, under which there is a compartment with an additional kit. Which, it should be noted, is very modest for a top-end (at the time of release) card in the line. Two adapters for 6pin and 8pin, a disk with drivers and a manual. Why this kit did not include at least a DVI↔D-Sub adapter and a sticker is personally unclear to me. You expect something more interesting from a top gaming line from a top company!
Let's open!


Visually the map looks very nice! Windforce3X has updated the casing since the GTX 7XX series and has become so brutal, and the back plate gives off a premium product. The set of outputs is also classic for modern video adapters: 1 x DVI-I, 1 x DVI-D, 1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort. Upon further examination, the following feature, length, attracts attention. The map is very long! Sooo! Occupying two slots in height, the length is stated to be within 312 mm! For comparison, the dual-chip(!) HD7990 and GTX690 were a maximum of 315mm in their longest versions. On the one hand, such a length of the card makes us think about the possibility of placing it inside its case, but on the other hand, it seems to indicate that the cooling of our chip will be up to par!

Separately, I would like to say about the so-called backplate, or back plate. This design element in its current design has the same brutal style as the cooling system casing. Moreover, in addition to the visual pleasure of contemplating such beauty in your system unit, this device has only one practical meaning: it prevents the card from bending in the PCI-e slot under the weight of the cooling system. There can be no talk of any cooling of the power and memory system elements, since there is a decent gap between the backplate and the graphics card’s printed circuit board.

The fans also underwent changes with the release of the 9th series. Now the fan design has been improved to reduce air flow turbulence, which should lead to improved cooling of the video card. I am always very cautious about such statements from manufacturers, preferring to check all this in practice.

Before starting gaming testing (we will not have benchmarks, due to their complete uselessness for ordinary users, and they have already been tested more than a dozen times), I would like to draw attention to the place of this video card in the GTX970 family from Gygabyte.

As you can see from the table, before the release of the Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming line, our card was the top one in the gtx970 series from Gigabyte, now in terms of GPU frequency at nominal/boost it is ahead of the Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming GTX 970. But everyone understands that +13 MHz on the core is purely digital superiority which will in no way affect the fact that these cards will be equal in games. And the actual difference between the Xtreme Gaming line is the increased number of heat pipes, reduced length and RGB lighting of the fans, which is certainly not small, but, as they say, does not affect the speed!

Now let's move on to gaming tests. And today we have a lot of them! The test is quite simple. A half-hour run with measurements of the minimum, maximum and average FPS and the maximum temperature of the video card. We will also check how one of the latest processors from Intel i5 6600 will work in tandem with the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming. Measurements will be made using the MSI Afterburner program.

Computer configuration:

• I5 6600 + Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.C + 2X Noctua NF-P12
• MSI B150 Night Elf
• Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming
• G.Skill 16 GB 2133MHz
• Sea Sonic 460W Fanless Platinum
• Crucial MX200 240GB
• HGST 500Gb
• Fractal Design Core 1500 + Lamptron FC2

As we can see, despite its size, the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming fits perfectly into a compact system and feels great in it!
GAMES:
Among the games we have today:

• Battlefield 4,
• World Of Tanks,
• Witcher 3
• Fallout 4,
• Assassins creed: Syndicate,
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

All games were tested in 1920x1080 resolution.

Battlefield 4

It would seem that more than one year has passed since the release of Battlefield 4, but it still loads the video card 100%! But at maximum settings the FPS is the most playable. Minimum 60, Maximum about 120. Average about 80.

World Of Tanks

One of the most popular online games is famous for its demands on processors, but with an HD client, the requirements for the video card are set to the highest. But, strange as it may seem, at maximum graphics settings neither the processor nor the video card was fully loaded throughout the entire session, which means that the power of our system is more than enough for this game. Naturally, on different maps, due to the different number of objects to be drawn, we received different fps indicators. Minimum fps - 60, average - 90, maximum - 110.

Witcher 3

The Witcher is one of the best, if not the best game of 2015, not only distinguished by its high-quality gameplay and exciting plot, but also by its demands on the components of the gaming system. At maximum graphics settings with high Nvidia Hairworks settings, we get at least 45 fps in the hardest places for the video card. The average fps is 60, the maximum fps can be seen in confined spaces and a cave, where it exceeds 90.

Fallout 4

One of the latest big innovations in the gaming industry was also easily conquered by the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming. Also, at maximum settings, the card only gets full load in large open spaces. And even in such conditions, we have at least 55 fps at our disposal. Average fps – 75, maximum – 95.

Assassins creed: Syndicate

But the latest series of assassin adventures forced our card to capitulate at maximum settings with msaa x8 anti-aliasing. If fps did not drop below 40 indoors, then when I went outside, I saw sad numbers in the fps column, the minimum of which was 9. I had to return to those recommended by the msaa x2 system. In such conditions, fps did not fall below 45, on average it was 60, and did not rise above this mark.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

The last part of the famous franchise could be safely skipped, since at maximum settings the video card constantly produces a maximum of 60 fps. If it were not for one fact: the video memory load does not fall below 4000MB. Knowing the old scandalous problem of the gtx970 with 0.5 GB of slow memory, we had the right to expect any performance drops, but there are none. A 4GB card paired with 16GB of RAM handles the game with a bang. What will happen if the card has 2 GB of memory is anyone's guess.


P.S. As a bonus, we can mention the now popular game Armored Warfare, which, at maximum settings, conquered our card with the same constant, artificially limited system of 60 FPS.
Overclocking + cooling system:
Not the most necessary for the average user, but nevertheless a very interesting function - overclocking!
We all remember the promise of manual selection of chips for this line, and the high ASIC of 72.% shows us that, most likely, some kind of selection is really underway. Previously, having 2 pieces of GTX970 from other ASIC vendors, I have not seen higher than 63%. As we can see from the picture, the tall ASIC promises us good overclocking with air cooling.
Having made several (about 10) unsuccessful runs in FurMark, the memory core frequency indicators froze at the following figures:


I would like to immediately note that raising the voltage on the core did not help me in this case. The card did not want to pass the benchmark above 1489 on boost.
Of course, 1489 is a very good result, previous cards started at a maximum of 1435, but I really wanted to overcome the 1500 mark.

At the same time, the card warmed up to a maximum of 68 degrees, the fans worked in normal mode, and their speed did not rise above 60%, which, despite the small size of the case, did not affect the background noise in any way, and the computer continued to remain almost silent. In games, the temperature did not exceed 65 degrees and the sound background also remained comfortable.
In games, this 15% overclock led to an approximately equal increase in frame rate; in The Witcher it was about +10%, from 45 to 49 under the same conditions. Very good in my opinion.

Conclusion:

And the conclusion is simple. With the GTX970 G1 Gaming, Gigabyte has launched one of the best and most balanced video cards for gaming in FullHD resolution at maximum graphics settings. The highest level of factory overclocking, a powerful and quiet cooling system, the possibility of high manual overclocking, excellent performance in games, everything is with it.
One of the things that may not suit the end user about this card is the length. Of course, 312 mm is a lot for modern video cards, especially in non-top series, but the cooling system justifies every centimeter of length with its quiet and efficient operation. In our example, you could also see that cards of this length can be placed in compact gaming systems.
Also in our review, we could see that the fresh, but not top-end Intel Skylake i5 6600 processor was more than enough to fully load our card where it was needed.
In total, even despite the release of the new XtremeGaming gaming line by Gigabyte and the new GTX970 series card in it, the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming also remains in the top segment of this series, and the absence of fan lighting, which is not necessary for everyone, and the absence of additional heat pipes make its price at retail more attractive in relation to the new product.

GeForce GTX 970 and GTX 980 differ primarily in the number of active computing units on the GM204 chip. In the dies dedicated to the GTX 970 model, 3 of the 16 MMXs are disabled. Consequently, out of 2048 CUDA cores and 128 texture units, only 1664 and 104 remained in service, respectively. The differences in the GPU front-end configuration are quite significant. In addition, the GTX 970 has lowered clock speeds: from 1126/1216 to 1050/1178 (base frequency and Boost Clock, respectively).

Block diagram of GM204 as part of GeForce GTX 970

But the back-end of the processor was not affected. 64 ROPs and four 64-bit memory controllers are still active. The effective RAM frequency according to reference specifications is 7 GHz, the volume is 4 GB.

Model

GPU

Video memory

Input bus/ output

TDP, W

Code name

Number of transistors, million

Technical process, nm

Clock frequency, MHz: High State/Boost State

Number of shader stream processors

Number of texture units

ROP number

Bus width, bits

Chip type

Clock frequency: real (effective), MHz

Volume, MB

PCI-Express 3.0 x16

GeForce GTX 970

PCI-Express 3.0 x16

PCI-Express 3.0 x16

PCI-Express 3.0 x16

PCI-Express 3.0 x16

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: specifications, package contents, price

The launch of the GeForce GTX 970 is not accompanied by the release of a reference device - NVIDIA farmed out the design directly to video card manufacturers. So, instead of a reference, which does not exist, we will get acquainted with a new position in the line of NVIDIA consumer video adapters using the example of GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming (GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD) - a card of the original design.

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: packaging and contents

The GPU in the device operates at an increased frequency, chosen in a curious way. If in the reference specifications the GTX 970 Boost Clock is 1178 MHz, then for the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming this is the base frequency, and the Boost Clock is 1329 MHz. The manufacturer did not overclock the graphics memory, leaving it to operate at a frequency of 7012 MHz. The standard volume is 4 GB.

A special feature of the GIGABYTE board is a large set of video outputs: three DisplayPort connectors, two DVI and one HDMI. But you can only use four monitors at a time.

It was not possible to find this model in Russian online stores, but on the American website newegg.com it costs $369 - more than the recommended price, but its technical characteristics are higher than the reference ones.

⇡ GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: design

The device includes a board of original design, the components of which are cooled by a large open-design cooler - WINDFORCE 3X. The radiator is served by three fans with an unusually large number of blades - 11. The elegant casing of the cooling system minimally obstructs the passage of air.

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: the design of the cooling system masks its impressive dimensions

The back surface of the PCB is covered with a thin protective plate with numerous slots. A glowing WINDFORCE logo is mounted at the end of the video card. The heatsink extends far beyond the board area, so the device is quite long, despite the compact PCB. However, due to the fact that the thickness of the cooler fits completely into two slots, as well as the openwork design of the CO, the video card does not look bulky, but, on the contrary, light and elegant.

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: Bottom reinforcement plate significantly extends the card

The radiator consists of three parts connected by heat pipes. In the block belonging to the GPU, the tubes are flattened, located close to each other and form a base that removes heat from the chip. Another block is used to cool powerful transistors in the power system. The third is a branch of the GPU unit, suspended on the same heat pipes above the edge of the printed circuit board.

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: three-section cooling system

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: PCB is much shorter than the cooling system

⇡ Pay

Thanks to the 256-bit memory bus, the board has a fairly simple layout. 4 GB of DRAM are equipped with Samsung K4G41325FC-HC28 chips with an effective frequency of 7 GHz.

The power supply system is built according to a 6+1+1 scheme (the number of phases for powering the GPU, memory chips and PLL, respectively). Six- and eight-pin additional power connectors are used.

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: memory is soldered on both the front and rear surfaces of the board

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: 4 empty spaces for DRAM crystals are visible, that is, in theory, the memory capacity could be increased to 8 GB

⇡ Test stand, testing methodology

Test bench configuration
CPU	Intel Core i7-3960X @ 4.6 GHz (100x46)	Intel Core i7-3970X @ 4.6 GHz (100x46)
Motherboard	ASUS P9X79 Pro
RAM	DDR3 Kingston HyperX 4x2 GB @ 1600 MHz, CL9
ROM	Intel SSD 520 240 GB
power unit	Corsair AX1200i, 1200 W	Seasonic Platinum-1000, 1000 W
CPU cooling	Thermalright Archon
Frame	CoolerMaster Test Bench V1.0
operating system	Windows 7 Ultimate X64 Service Pack 1
Software for AMD GPUs	AMD Catalyst 13.4
NVIDIA GPU software	344.07

To measure system power, a stand with a Corsair AX1200i power supply is used. Energy-saving CPU technologies are disabled in all tests. The PCI-Express bus operates in 3.0 mode. To activate PCI-E 3.0 on GeForce 600 and 700 series video cards in a system based on the X79 chipset, a patch from NVIDIA is used.

In the NVIDIA driver settings, the CPU is always selected as the processor for PhysX calculations. For AMD cards, the Tesselation setting is always transferred from the AMD Optimized state to Use application settings. In CrossFire configurations, the Frame Pacing option remains enabled.

Benchmarks: synthetic
Program	API	Settings		Permission
3DMark 2011	DirectX 11	Extreme profile
3DMark	DirectX 11	Fire Strike test (not Extreme)
TessMark	DirectX 11	Set 4 (2048x2048), tessellation x8/x16/x32/x64	AF Off	1920x1080
Unigine Heaven 4	DirectX 11	DirectX 11, max. quality, tessellation in Extreme mode	AF 16x, MSAA 4x	2560x1440 / 3840x2160

Benchmarks: games
Program	API	Settings	Anisotropic filtering, full screen anti-aliasing	Permission
Far Cry 3 + FRAPS	DirectX 11	DirectX 11, max. quality, HDAO. Start of the Secure the Outpost mission	AF, MSAA 4x	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Tomb Raider. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11	Max. quality	AF 16x, SSAA 4x	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Bioshock Infinite. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11	Max. quality. Postprocessing: Normal	AF 16x, FXAA	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Crysis 3 + FRAPS	DirectX 11	Max. quality. Start of the Post Human mission	AF 16x, MSAA 4x	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Metro: Last Light. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11	Max. quality	AF 16x, SSAA 4x	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Company of Heroes 2. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11	Max. quality	AF,SSAA 4x	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Batman: Arkham Origins. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11	Max. quality	AF, MSAA 4x	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Battlefield 4 + FRAPS	DirectX 11	Max. quality. Beginning of the Tashgar mission	AF 16x, MSAA 4x + FXAA	2560x1440 / 3840x2160
Thief. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11	Max. quality	AF 16x, SSAA 4x + FXAA	2560x1440 / 3840x2160

⇡ Test participants

The following video cards took part in performance testing:

• AMD Radeon R9 280 (918/5500 MHz, 2 GB)
• GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming (1050/7012 MHz, 4 GB)

⇡ Clock speeds, power consumption, temperature, overclocking

Although the GTX 970 has a lower base clock than the GTX 980, it actually has a higher GPU Boost range. In games, the GPU reaches frequencies up to 1213 MHz (163 MHz above the base), and, therefore, in this regard, it is not far behind the GTX 980 (1253 MHz). The GTX 970 is slightly voltage limited at 1.212V, while the GTX 980 goes up to 1.225V.

As for the GIGABYTE video card, with standard settings the graphics processor operates at frequencies from 1178 MHz (Base Clock) to 1342 MHz (the maximum value observed under load).

The BIOS allows the power limit and GPU temperature to be increased to 112% and 91 °C, respectively. You can also raise the maximum voltage on the GPU to 1.256 V. At the same time, the frequency range increases by several steps. Our sample was overclocked to 1278 MHz base frequency, and in dynamics frequencies up to 1467 MHz were observed. The video memory increased its effective frequency by 1 GHz without any problems.

	Base Clock, MHz	Max. Boost Clock, MHz	Base Clock, MHz (overclocking)	Max. registered Boost Clock, MHz (overclocking)
GeForce GTX 980	1127	1253 (+126)	1387	1526 (+139)
GeForce GTX 970	1050	1213 (+163)	1278	1467 (+189)
GeForce GTX TITAN Black	889	1032 (+143)	1100	1262 (+162)
GeForce GTX TITAN	836	1006 (+145)	966	1150 (+184)
GeForce GTX 780 Ti	876	1020 (+144)	986	1130 (+144)
GeForce GTX 780	863	1006 (+143)	1053	1215 (+162)
GeForce GTX 770	1046	1176 (+130)	1190	1333 (+143)

At reference frequencies, the GeForce GTX 970 is practically no different in power from its flagship brother under load in games. The new product is also slightly more economical compared to the GeForce GTX 780, although the GTX 770 demonstrates less power. The GTX 970 also looks incomparably better compared to any AMD video card - from the R9 280X to the R9 290X.

Using FurMark, we were able to detect a slight difference between the GTX 970 and GTX 980, and the ratio of GTX 970 to GTX 770 shifted in favor of the new product. Top-end AMD video adapters are still much more power-hungry, but the Radeon R9 280X paradoxically demonstrates lower power in FurMark than in the gaming test.

The GIGABYTE board has overclocking power to spare. After increasing the frequencies, power consumption in both tests increased by about 30 W compared to the results of the card at the reference frequencies for the GTX 970.

The cooling system of the GIGABYTE card is so effective that the card took first place with the lowest GPU temperatures under load by a large advantage over the rest of the test participants. However, we cannot remain silent about the annoying drawback of the cooler: when idle, the fans constantly either accelerate to high speeds or die down. Apparently, this annoying behavior is the result of a failed firmware update on our test unit. After all, this is one of the first samples of the board.

⇡ Performance: Synthetic Benchmarks

• The gap between the flagship card, the GTX 980, and the GTX 970 is quite large.
• However, the new product leaves behind both the GeForce GTX 780 and its main rival, the Radeon R9 290.

• The GTX 970 is still far behind the GTX 980, but it's not all that different from the GeForce GTX 780 Ti.
• AMD's top video adapters remained behind the GTX 970, although the R9 290X was defeated by a minimal advantage.

TessMark

• Disabling three SMMs in the GM204, coupled with a decrease in GPU clock speeds, affected performance in a predominantly geometric load. The GTX 970 is slightly slower compared to the GeForce GTX 980 and GTX 780 Ti.
• And yet, even in this form, the GTX 970 left behind all competing AMD video adapters along with the GeForce GTX 770.

Unigine Heaven 4

• The GTX 980 is again much faster than the second oldest video card.
• The GTX 970 and Radeon R9 290 are almost equal in results.
• The GTX 780 has a slight advantage over the GTX 970 at Ultra HD resolution, but the opposite is true in WQHD mode.

⇡ Performance: Gaming

Far Cry 3

• The difference between the GTX 970 and GTX 980 is significant in WQHD mode, but not so noticeable in Ultra HD.
• The GTX 970 is equal to AMD's flagship Radeon R9 290X at Ultra HD resolution and even slightly ahead of it at WQHD. The same applies to the GeForce GTX 780.

Tomb Raider

• The gap between the GTX 970 and the GTX 980 is hard to miss at both resolutions.
• The GTX 970 and GTX 780 are equivalent at Ultra HD resolution, but at WQHD the new product is significantly faster.
• The GTX 970 also competes head to head with the R9 290X in Ultra HD and even scores slightly more FPS at lower resolutions.

Bioshock Infinite

• The GTX 970 is again far from the GTX 980.
• But you can record a confident victory of the new product over the GTX 780 and Radeon R9 290X.

Crysis 3

• Due to the low frame rate, the difference between the GTX 980 and GTX 970 is not noticeable.
• The new product is also practically no different in performance from the GTX 780 and Radeon R9 290X.

Metro: Last Light

• As in the previous test, there is a difference between the GTX 970 and GTX 980, but from a practical point of view it is small.
• The GTX 970 also beats the GTX 780 by a narrow margin and is hot on the heels of the Radeon R9 290X.

Company of Heroes 2

• The GTX 980 is noticeably superior to the GTX 970 only at WHQD resolution; in Ultra HD mode the distance decreases.
• The GTX 970 is also slightly faster compared to the GTX 780.
• But two top AMD video cards have moved ahead, although the gap between the GTX 970 and R9 290 is minimal.

Batman: Arkham Origins

• GeForce GTX 970 is significantly different from its older friend.
• The GTX 780 has only a minimal advantage over the GTX 970, and only in WQHD mode.
• The new product is almost as good as AMD's flagship.

Battlefield 4

• There is a huge difference between the GTX 970 and GTX 980.
• The GTX 970 isn't that much better than the GTX 780, but it's about the same amount behind the Radeon R9 290.

• The advantage of NVIDIA's flagship over the GTX 970 is more pronounced at WQHD resolution. In 4K the difference is not as noticeable due to the low frame rate.

Sony Vegas Pro 13

• The first places are held by AMD video adapters, including the Radeon R9 280X on a rather old Tahiti GPU.
• The GTX 970, leaving the GTX 780 ahead by a minimal margin, ended up in second place from the bottom.



CompuBench CL: Ocean Surface Simulation

• The GTX 970's success in this task is also poor. If even the GTX 980 cannot compete on equal terms with products based on GK110, then the GTX 970 is inferior even to the GeForce GTX 770.
• The top tier of the Radeon R9 290 and R9 290X is completely out of reach for the GTX 970, with only the R9 280X offering comparable performance.



CompuBench CL: Particle Simulation

• In the next test, the GM204 processor is in the lead. The GeForce GTX 970 is second only to its brother, leaving behind all GK110-based video adapters.
• The AMD team ranked far down the chart.
conclusions

In its price niche, the GeForce GTX 970 is an even more impressive card than the GTX 980. The main merit of the latter is that it returned the price of NVIDIA's flagship gaming video adapter to the usual level - $549. The GTX 970, on the one hand, is very different from the flagship in terms of specifications and performance. On the other hand, the discount this time is unusually large for NVIDIA. If earlier for the second oldest video card you could expect a price in the region of $400, now you can get a top-end GPU of the Maxwell architecture, albeit in a fairly cut-up form, for only $329.

And the most remarkable thing in this situation is that - despite the loss of a good part of the GPU computing units and lower frequencies - the GeForce GTX 970 is generally not inferior in performance to the GeForce GTX 980 and, what is most offensive for AMD, not only successfully competes with the Radeon R9 290 , but is often not inferior to the Radeon R9 290X. At the same time, the power consumption of the GeForce GTX 970 is simply not comparable with the appetites of top-end AMD adapters.

A few words about the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming video card. The device has a very effective open-type cooling system. Factory overclocking does not give it a practical advantage over the GeForce GTX 970 operating at reference frequencies, but using the good potential for further overclocking, more impressive results can be achieved.