Overclocking the gtx 970 g1 gaming card. Another review of the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming video card. Number of texture units

GeForce GTX 970 and GTX 980 differ primarily in the number of active computational units of the GM204 chip. In the crystals allocated to the GTX 970 model, 3 of 16 MMX are disabled. Consequently, out of 2048 CUDA cores and 128 texture units, only 1664 and 104 remained in service, respectively. The differences in the configuration of the front-end GPU are quite significant. In addition, the GTX 970 has reduced clock speeds from 1126/1216 to 1050/1178 (base clock 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 the reference specifications is 7 GHz, the volume is 4 GB.

Model

GPU

Video memory

Input bus / withdrawal

TDP, W

Codename

Number of transistors, million

Technological process, nm

Clock frequency, MHz: High State / Boost State

Number of shader stream processors

Number of texture units

ROP number

Bus width, bit

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, delivery, price

The launch of the GeForce GTX 970 is not accompanied by the release of a reference device - NVIDIA has outsourced the design directly to video card manufacturers. So instead of a reference, which is not there, 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) - cards 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 work at 7012 MHz. The standard volume is 4 GB.

A feature of the GIGABYTE board is a wide range of video outputs: three DisplayPort connectors, two DVI and one HDMI. But only four monitors can be used at a time.

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

⇡ GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: construction

The device includes an original design board, the components of which are cooled by a large open 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: Cooling design masks its massive dimensions

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

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

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

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming: 3-piece cooling system

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

⇡ Pay

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

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

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

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

⇡ Test stand, testing methodology

Testbed 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 4x2GB @ 1600 MHz, CL9
ROM	Intel SSD 520 240 GB
Power Supply	Corsair AX1200i 1200W	Seasonic Platinum-1000, 1000 W
Cooling the CPU	Thermalright Archon
Housing	CoolerMaster Test Bench V1.0
operating system	Windows 7 Ultimate X64 Service Pack 1
AMD GPU software	AMD Catalyst 13.4
NVIDIA GPU Software	344.07

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

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

Benchmarks: synthetic
Program	API	Settings		Resolution
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	Resolution
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. Post Human mission start	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. Start 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 frequencies, power consumption, temperature, overclocking

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

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

BIOS allows an increase in the power limit and GPU temperature up 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 is increased by several steps. Our sample was able to overclock to 1278 MHz of the base frequency, and the dynamics observed frequencies up to 1467 MHz. The video memory added 1 GHz effective frequency 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 practically does not differ in power from its flagship counterpart under load in games. It is also slightly more power efficient than the GeForce GTX 780, although the GTX 770 is less powerful. GTX 970 also looks incomparably more profitable compared to any AMD graphics card - from R9 280X to R9 290X.

FurMark caught a slight difference between the GTX 970 and GTX 980, and the GTX 970 to GTX 770 ratio shifted in favor of the new product. AMD's top 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 a headroom for overclocking. After increasing frequencies, power consumption in both tests increased by about 30 watts compared to the results of the card at the reference frequencies for the GTX 970.

The cooling system of the GIGABYTE card is so efficient that the board with a big advantage over the rest of the test participants took first place with the lowest GPU temperatures under load. However, we cannot remain silent about the annoying drawback of the cooler: during idle time, the fans are constantly accelerated to high speeds, then quieted down. This bothersome behavior appears to be the result of a failed firmware on our test instance. After all, this is one of the first board designs.

⇡ Performance: synthetic tests

• The gap between the flagship card, the GTX 980, and the GTX 970 is huge.
• However, the novelty left behind both the GeForce GTX 780 and the main rival, the Radeon R9 290.

• The GTX 970 is still far behind the GTX 980, but not that much different from the GeForce GTX 780 Ti.
• AMD's top graphics cards are left behind the GTX 970, although the R9 290X is beaten by a minimal margin.

TessMark

• Disabling three SMMs in GM204, coupled with a decrease in GPU clock speeds, affected performance in a predominantly geometric load. GTX 970 is slightly slower compared to 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 graphics card.
• GTX 970 and Radeon R9 290 are almost equal in results.
• The GTX 780 has a negligible advantage over the GTX 970 at Ultra HD resolution, and vice versa in WQHD mode.

⇡ Performance: gaming

Far cry 3

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

Tomb raider

• The gap between the GTX 970 and the GTX 980 is impossible to miss at both resolutions.
• GTX 970 and GTX 780 are equivalent at Ultra HD resolution, but significantly faster at WQHD.
• The GTX 970 also competes on an equal footing with the R9 290X in Ultra HD and even scored slightly more FPS at lower resolutions.

Bioshock Infinite

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

Crysis 3

• Due to the low frame rate, the difference between GTX 980 and GTX 970 is not striking.
• The novelty also practically does not differ 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 not great.
• The GTX 970 also outperforms the GTX 780 by a narrow margin and hits the heels of the Radeon R9 290X.

Company of Heroes 2

• GTX 980 noticeably outperforms GTX 970 only at WHQD resolution, in Ultra HD mode the distance is reduced.
• The GTX 970 is also slightly faster compared to the GTX 780.
• But the two top AMD graphics cards have gone 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 then only in WQHD mode.
• The novelty is almost as good as the AMD flagship.

Battlefield 4

• There is a huge difference between the GTX 970 and the GTX 980.
• The GTX 970 barely outperforms the GTX 780, but lags just as much behind the Radeon R9 290.

• The advantage of the NVIDIA flagship over the GTX 970 is more pronounced at WQHD resolution. In 4K, the difference is not so 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 the rather old Tahiti GPU.
• The GTX 970, just behind the GTX 780, is in second place from the bottom.



CompuBench CL: Ocean Surface Simulation

• In this task, the GTX 970 is also not very successful. Even if the GTX 980 cannot compete on equal terms with products based on the GK110, the GTX 970 is inferior even to the GeForce GTX 770.
• The top of the Radeon R9 290 and R9 290X are completely out of reach for the GTX 970, and only the R9 280X has comparable performance.



CompuBench CL: Particle Simulation

• In the next test, the GM204 leads the way. GeForce GTX 970 is second only to its brother, leaving behind all video adapters based on the GK110.
• The AMD team ranked far below the chart.
conclusions

In its price niche, the GeForce GTX 970 is an even more spectacular card than the GTX 980. The main merit of the latter is that it brought the prices of the flagship NVIDIA video card back to the usual level - $ 549. The GTX 970, on the one hand, is very different from the flagship in specs and performance. On the other hand, this time the discount is unusually large for NVIDIA. If earlier for the second-oldest video card one could expect a price around $ 400, now you can get a top-end GPU of the Maxwell architecture, albeit in a fairly cut 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, which is most annoying for AMD, not only successfully competes with the Radeon R9 290 , but often not inferior to the Radeon R9 290X. At the same time, the power consumption of the GeForce GTX 970 is simply incomparable with the appetites of the top AMD adapters.

A few words about the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming video card. The device has a very efficient open-type cooling system. The 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, you can achieve more impressive results.

We have already published, but later another video card was delivered to our test lab - Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming. It is aimed at high performance, which is why the video card is equipped with a powerful WindForce cooler capable of dissipating up to 450W of heat. In our review, we'll see if Gigabyte's new product can be called the fastest video card, how efficiently the cooling system works, and whether the GPU efficiency has been lost due to overclocking.

Gigabyte now offers three GeForce GTX 970 graphics cards. In addition to the standard GeForce GTX 970 WindForce 3X, it is also available for purchase, which Gigabyte is targeting for compact chassis. We tested the GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming with the highest clock speeds.

NVIDIA partners for video cards based on GPU Maxwell received a fairly decent headroom in frequencies, which made it possible to present models with significant factory overclocking. In theory, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming graphics card is one of the fastest models. In this article, we'll see if this is enough to provide performance leadership in practice.

Information about architecture

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming (GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD)
Retail price	about 20.3 thousand rubles in Russia from 360 euros in Europe
Products webpage	Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming Official Page
Technical information
GPU	Maxwell (GM204)
Technical process	28 nm
Number of transistors	5.2 billion
GPU clock speed (base)	1.178 MHz
GPU clock speed (Boost)	1.329 MHz
Memory frequency	1.750 MHz
Memory type	GDDR5
Memory size	4.096 MB
Memory bus width	256 bit
Memory bandwidth	224.4 GB / s
DirectX version	12
Stream Processors	1.664
Texture blocks	104
Raster Operations Pipelines (ROP)	64
Pixel fill rate	75.4 Gpixel / s
SLI / CrossFire	SLI

For the reference GeForce GTX 970 graphics card, NVIDIA set the base frequency to 1.050 MHz. Gigabyte has increased it to 1.178 MHz. Boost frequency has been increased from 1.178 MHz to 1.329 MHz. That is, Gigabyte for the GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming set the base frequency at a level that corresponds to the minimum Boost bar of the reference video card. We got an overclock of almost 13 percent. Gigabyte decided not to change the memory frequency, which runs at the previous 1.750 MHz.

Typically for a GeForce GTX 970, we get a memory configuration of 4.096 MB, it is connected over a 256-bit bus and runs at 1.750 MHz. Like all other GeForce GTX 970 graphics cards, we get 1,664 stream processors, 104 texture units, and 64 raster pipelines.

The GPU-Z screenshot confirms the technical specifications and also allows you to find out additional characteristics of the video card.

Boost frequency of 1.329 MHz is only Gigabyte's minimum bar, if temperature and power consumption allow, the frequency in practice will be even higher. As our tests showed, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming has a frequency of 1.418 MHz in practice, which is much higher than the minimum bar. This is partly due to the very low temperature of the GPU, which did not exceed 56 ° C. At least in our test configuration, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1.Gaming was able to unleash its potential.

Readers of the information portal i2HARDwe could already get acquainted with the very successful GTX 970 model performed by Gainward. But we must admit 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 buy in the shops of 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 bit;
• 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 unchanged, even with the separation 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. Here the logic is simple, if you develop a universal package size and design, then a minimum of effort is spent in the future 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 bundle is 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 has tried to reduce production costs as much as possible in order to GV-N970WF3OC-4GD you got it at a more pleasant 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 buying thoughts. When assembling a new computer, problems can be avoided, since most modern cases allow using video cards up to 300 mm long.

There is no plate on the reverse side and along with the absence 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 slots in the sidewall, one might even say that it is almost absent.

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

To function properly, you will need a quality 550W PSU or higher. It is desirable to have 6 and 8-pin auxiliary power connectors.

It can also be noted that the heatsink is noticeably longer than the PCB.

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

Cooling system

Model GV-N970WF3OC-4GD equipped with a two-slot cooling system Windforce 3X. 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 is easy to damage it.

The absence of warranty seals on the screws has become a pleasant tradition, 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 improve 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 load cells.

The central heatsink is supposed to cool the graphics chip using direct contact technology, where the tubes are in direct contact with the GPU. A separate plate equipped with thermal spacers is used to remove heat from the memory microcircuits. It is important to note that not all chips are cooled, as some of them are located on the reverse side of the board.

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

All fans are mounted on three screws, while the design of the blades vaguely resembles Aerocool Shark fans. Such tricks increase the efficiency of the 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 for the latter. The layout of the elements on the board differs from the reference one.

In the center is the most popular GM204 graphics chip, which is economical in 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 recruited by 8 modules of 512 MB.

In contrast to the reference sample with four phases of GPU power supply, it uses an amplified circuit with six phases.

A PWM controller manufactured by ON Semiconductor, marked NCP81174, controls the power phases, it is soldered on the back of the board.

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

On the reverse side, in addition to memory chips, there are two linear stabilizers, which differ in a low voltage drop across the regulating element (marking uP0104P).

Two power phases are reserved for memory. Empty landing pads can come in handy so that each phase gives more power and will probably be used on a more advanced model. In addition, a p-channel field-effect transistor AP3310GH and a linear stabilizer L1117LG can be seen nearby.

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 regulator: Schyte Kaze Q-12;
• Power supply: Corsair AX860, 860 watts;
• Case: NZXT Switch 810;
• Monitor: VIEWSONIC VP2770-LED;
• Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1;
• Drivers: GeForce 344.75

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

From analogs Gigabyte GV-N970WF3OC-4GDfeatures a proprietary cooling system with three fans, a modest factory overclocked GPU and a modified PCB.

Synthetic tests

To assess performance in synthetics, we used the Valley Benchmark, Heaven Benchmark, 3DMark11, 3DMark Vantage and 3DMark13 tests.

Game tests

Let's move on to gaming applications and focus on the testing methodology. The FPS was measured 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

ShadowPlay is arguably the most useful additional option available through the driver. With this function, you will not miss an important game moment, just press the hotkey and everything will be written to the specified location. Thus, you no longer need to buy a separate device for recording, because with ShadowPlay there is no longer a drop in the performance of the recorded application, as, for example, happened with FRAPS.

It's easy to activate this option, first go to GeForce Experience and make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements.

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

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

I will give an example of shooting gameplay using this technology, while for informational content, FRAPS has been launched and you can compare the FPS level with the one indicated earlier in the tests.

Temperature and overclocking

For overclocking, the MSI Afterburner utility was used, overclocking was carried out with raising the voltage:

• The GPU frequency was increased by 190 MHz, which in the final version was 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 by 64 MHz, the results were much more impressive by manually changing the parameters. Such a significant increase in the frequency of the GPU and MEM will have a noticeable impact on the level of performance.

Testing took place in an open case at a room temperature of 26 degrees. In idle mode, the frequency of the GPU and memory 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 just an excellent indicator even taking into account the low consumption of the chip.

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

Conclusion

For example GV-N970WF3OC-4GD Gigabyte has a very successful product, which is devoid of any noticeable drawbacks. The only drawback is the length of the video card, which introduces some restrictions on compatibility with compact or outdated 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, 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 video cards, and whether it is worth paying extra for two additional heat pipes, a backplate and a backlight is up to you.

Pros:

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

Minuses:

According to the editors, considering 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 bypasses the GeForce GTX 780 Ti Assassin's Creed when comparing the participants at the factory frequencies. The old man has a meager advantage in overclocking. Among all the participants, Gigabyte is second only to the GeForce GTX 980. The backlog of 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. Lagging behind the GeForce GTX 980 is less than 10%. Radeon R9 290X is 10-11% weaker. The gain from overclocking is 13-16%.

BioShock Infinite

At par, the difference between Gigabyte and GeForce GTX 780 Ti in BioShock Infinite is negligible. The modest gap from the leader GeForce GTX 980 is easily covered by overclocking.

Crysis 3

Gigabyte is 10% faster than Crysis 3 reference. Same minimum fps with GeForce GTX 780 Ti with 3% lag in average. Radeon R9 290X is weaker in minimum fps with the closest average fps value. Overclocking allows Gigabyte to accelerate by 13%.

Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition

In Dead Rising 3, the video adapter under consideration is rated better than the GeForce GTX 780 Ti and only 4-5% weaker than the leading GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon R9 290X. The difference with the reference is 10%, about the same gain from overclocking.

Far cry 3

In Far Cry 3, the review hero is 7-12% better than the reference, the advantage over MSI Gaming is 3-6%. The difference with the GeForce GTX 780 is 14-22%. The superior Radeon has a gain of 1-3%. The lag behind the senior representatives of NVIDIA is small, especially in the minimum fps.

Hitman: Absolution

The latest game in the Hitman series at high resolutions with anti-aliasing is critical to memory bandwidth. Here new NVIDIA products are sharply losing ground under the onslaught of AMD video adapters. There is little difference between all GeForce GTX 970s, as the potential is constrained by the identical memory frequency. For the same reason, the difference between MSI and Gigabyte is negligible 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 value, but it fails to reach the level of the GeForce GTX 780 Ti.

Metro: Last Light

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

In the integrated benchmark, Gigabyte initially has a stronger position relative to the older Radeon. The frequency boost 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 loses a little to the GeForce GTX 780, but for Gigabyte this is not a problem - the G1 Gaming confidently bypasses the old man. At the closest minimum fps, the review hero loses to the AMD flagship in average frame rate.

Watch dogs

In nominal value, Gigabyte ranks second after GeForce GTX 980 in Watch Dogs. The difference with the leader is 4%, the advantage over the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is at the level of 1-3%, the gain over the older Radeon is 5%. When overclocked, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti manages to bypass Gigabyte, and the gap between 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 the 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 efficient than the Radeon R9 290X.

Here AMD's position is stronger, but still the Radeon R9 290X loses up to 8%. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 7% less than Gigabyte. Lagging behind the leader, GeForce GTX 980, is the same. The difference with the reference GeForce GTX 970 is almost 12%, overclocking provides an additional 11% performance gain.

Energy consumption

Gigabyte consumes noticeably more compared to 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 starting frequencies. In overclocking, it again has the highest performance in comparison with its brothers, but lower than in relation to the old GeForce. 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 graphics card showed good performance indicators, which are provided by an extremely high factory overclocking. 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 colder 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 a top-end product of the previous series, but it is noticeably noisier and hotter. The success of the new product is to a certain extent conditioned by the characteristics of the GPU GM204, and to some extent by the modification of the cooler - an updated design, a new design of fans. 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 NVIDIA has managed 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 air cooling frequencies from a GeForce GTX 970 - your choice is the Gigabyte GV-N970G1. If you are extremely sensitive about the noise level, you can look for alternatives. Gigabyte does not create acoustic discomfort, but there are models that are completely inaudible in operation.

For a long time I was going to not knowing 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 of the middle segment of graphics accelerators. I was going for a long time, and I was going. Greetings gentlemen! GTX970. And, perhaps, the best embodiment of it is 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 a famous Taiwanese brand. But now that I have the first representative of the G1 Gaming line in my hands, I propose to take a closer look at it.

Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming meets us with a box in the classic Gigabyte style, black. On the front side, we see a description of the techniques used and the technologies supported. On the back side, we are told about the advantages of the Windforce3X cooling system, the use of the Flex display technology for displaying images on multiple monitors, dual BIOS (GIGABYTE DualBIOS), the use of an ultra-reliable elementary base (Ultra Durable VGA), and, attention (!!!), manual selection of chips quality for the G1 Gaming line. Those. this promises us high-quality crystals inside and a decent overclocking potential at the output ... Well, let's 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 the top-end (at the time of release) card in the line. Two adapters for 6pin and 8pin, CD with drivers and manual. Why this kit did not include at least a DVI-D-Sub adapter and a sticker I personally do not understand. You expect something more interesting from the top gaming line of the top company!
Opening!


Visually, the card looks very nice! Windforce3X has updated the casing since the days of the GTX 7XX series and has become so brutal, and the back plate gives out a premium product. A 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 consideration, the following feature, length, attracts attention. The map is very long! Sooo! Occupying two slots in height, the length is stated within 312 mm! For comparison, the dual-GPU (!) HD7990 and GTX690 were 315mm maximum 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 at the level!

Separately, I would like to say about the so-called backplat, or back plate. This structural element, in its current design, carries the same brutal style as the casing of the cooling system. Moreover, in addition to the visual pleasure of contemplating such beauty in its system unit, this device has only one practical value, it does not allow the card to bend in the pci-e slot under the weight of the cooling system. There is no question of any cooling of the power supply and memory elements, since there is a decent gap between the backplate and the printed circuit board of the video card.

The fans have also undergone changes with the release of the 9th series. The fan design has now been improved to reduce air turbulence, which should lead to better cooling for the graphics card. I am always very careful about such statements of 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 been tested more than a dozen times), I would like to draw your 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-end in the gtx970 series from Gigabyte, now the Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming GTX 970 is ahead of it in terms of GPU frequency in nominal / boost. But everyone understands that +13 MHz in the core is purely digital superiority that will not affect the fact that in games these cards will be equal. And the actual difference between the Xtreme Gaming line is the increased number of heat pipes, reduced length and RGB backlighting of the fans, which is certainly not small, but, as they say, does not affect the speed!

Now let's move on to the gaming tests. And today we have a lot of them! The test is pretty simple. A half-hour run with measurements of the minimum, maximum and average fps and maximum temperature of the video card. Let's also check how one of the latest processors from Intel i5 6600 will work in tandem with the Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming. The 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, in spite of its size, 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 at 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 by 100%! But at maximum settings, the FPS is as playable as possible. 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 a video card are set to the highest. But, oddly enough, at maximum graphics settings, neither the processor nor the video card was fully loaded during 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 draw, we got different fps values. The minimum fps is 60, the average is 90, the maximum is 110.

Witcher 3

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

Fallout 4

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

Assassins creed: Syndicate

But the last series of adventures of the assassin made our card capitulate at maximum settings with msaa x8 anti-aliasing. If fps did not fall below 40 indoors, then when I went outside, I saw sad numbers in the fps graph, the minimum of which was 9. I had to return to the msaa x2 recommended by the system. In such conditions, fps did not fall below 45, on average it was 60, and did not grow 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 maximum 60 fps. If not for one fact: the load of video memory does not fall below 4000MB. Knowing the old scandalous problem with the gtx970 with 0.5GB of slow memory, we were right to expect any performance drops, but there are none. A 4GB card paired with 16GB of RAM can handle the game with a bang. What happens if the card has 2 GB of memory available is anyone's guess.


P.S. As a bonus, we can mention the now popular game Armored Warfare, which, at maximum settings, submitted to our map with the same constant, artificially limited by the 60 FPS system.
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 a high asic 72,% shows us that, most likely, some sort of selection is actually underway. Previously, having in stock 2 pieces of GTX970 from other asic vendors above 63%, I have not seen. As you can see from the picture, the high asic promises good overclocking with air cooling.
Having made several (about 10) unsuccessful runs in FurMark, the memory core frequency indicators froze at the following numbers:


I want to note right away that raising the voltage on the core did not help me in this case. Above 1489 on boost, the card did not want to pass the benchmark.
Of course, 1489 is a very good result, the previous cards started at 1435 maximum, 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% overclocking led to an approximately equal increase in the frame rate, in the same Witcher it is about + 10%, from 45 to 49 in the same conditions. Very good in my opinion.

Output:

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 productive and quiet cooling system, the possibility of high manual overclocking, excellent performance in games, all with it.
From the fact that in this map the end user may not be satisfied - this 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 with 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.
So, even though Gigabyte has released a new XtremeGaming gaming line and a new GTX970 series card in it, Gigabyte GTX970 G1 Gaming also remains in the top segment of this series, and the lack of fan illumination and the absence of additional heat pipes make its price in retail more attractive in relation to the new product.