Geforce 770 GTX video card: specifications, reviews, overclocking

The focus of this article is a novelty from Nvidia, a video game accelerator based on the 770 GTX. The potential buyer is given the opportunity to get acquainted with the product more closely, to learn the technical characteristics of the video adapter and on the basis of feedback from professionals to make their own conclusions before purchasing a productive video card for their computer. The review of available brands in the Russian market will allow the future owner to decide on the manufacturer, which today is not considered.

Small excursion

Many readers will agree that in the last few years the policy of Nvidia on the world market looks a bit strange. Chipset 770 GTX, which, judging by the labeling, should have the performance inherent in the middle game class, is a powerful device that can compete with the more expensive segment of high-end, even the last generation. Making sure of this is quite simple: the graphics core, appearance and performance are clearly alluding to the legendary GTX 680 and Titan video accelerators.

As explained by marketers of Nvidia, everything is quite simple. It turns out that the struggle is not for increasing productivity, but for a price niche, which is important to take in counterbalance to competitors from AMD. With the release of an inexpensive HD 7970 GHz video card from Radeon, the GTX 770 became the analogue in the niche of 400 u. E. After all, the manufacturer did not have new chipsets at hand, the GK 104 core was taken into use. The rush to bring the novelties to the market led to the fact that the cooling system in the Nvidia laboratory was borrowed from Geforce Titan.

Laughs the one who laughs last

There is already something to think about for owners of top-end devices based on the GTX 680. After all, they recently had to pay a round sum (600 US dollars) for a high-performance video adapter for resource-intensive games for the acquisition of the top model. Nobody even suspected that Nvidia company will present the same video card on the market, only 30% cheaper - GTX 770, which is better than the original. And what about the general? It:

• A technical process of 28 nanometers;
• The area of the crystal is 294 square millimeters;
• 3.54 billion transistors;
• 1536 stream processors;
• 128 texture blocks;
• 32 blocks of rasterization;
• Memory technology GDDR 5 with 2 GB on board (and there are 4 GB from some manufacturers 770 GTX);
• Memory bus 256 bit.

Changes touched the clock frequency of the graphics core: the novelty was 1046 MHz (680 GTX only 1006 MHz). Also, the clock speed of memory (from 6008 MHz to 7010 MHz) succumbed to the overclocking. Naturally, this all affected the bandwidth, which for the novelty increased - 224, 4 GB / s (for 680 models 192 GB / s). About any honesty of the manufacturer Nvidia in relation to buyers there can be no question - purely business.

Good pedigree

A massive radiator with a company logo, which is equipped with lighting, will certainly cause delight from the buyer. And if you consider that the backlight can be controlled with a conventional driver from Nvidia, then the novelty does not look so gloomy at first glance. It is worth noting that the 26-centimeter board is well blown with a turbofan, so there is no question of overheating.

In view of the fact that the motherboard does not require additional power, according to the manufacturer, it is recommended to use a power supply with a capacity of at least 650 watts. In general, the power consumption of the Nvidia GTX 770 graphics card has many questions. Increasing the clock frequency of memory at 1000 MHz should definitely be accompanied not only by additional power, but also by an improved cooling system. Apparently, the elimination of this problem is given to the industry giants who represent this video adapter on the market.

First went!

The video card Gigabyte GTX 770, presented to the world community, is equipped with the proprietary cooling system Windforce III. The manufacturer completely changed the design of the device, than pleased its fans. The replacement of the centrifugal fan from Nvidia by three axes was clearly more effective. This is evidenced not only by feedback in the media, but also by evidence based on testing. Many, however, are confused by the fact that the opening of the lateral cavities of the radiator has led to the fact that the hot air instead of going outside (outside the system unit), returns to the inside of the case. I am glad that Gigabyte's technologists took care of the food system. Instead of the five-phase stabilizer Nvidia, a block was installed for 8 phases.

I was pleased with the manufacturer and the technical characteristics of the video card. Overclocking on the graphics core 770 GTX is 1137 MHz (in the mode of Boost 1189 MHz). Judging by the reviews, the potential for overclocking with such a wonderful cooling system has a video adapter. Many owners managed to achieve stable operation at a frequency of 1200 MHz. A tangible increase in performance has the reverse side of the coin - the cooling system at the limit of its capabilities produces a terrible howl, which causes a strong irritation in the user.

Punch the dragon's tail

The video card Nvidia GTX 770 from the famous company MSI somehow did not impress users with its appearance. The standard cooling system, at first glance, has long become boring fans who always want something new from their favorite manufacturer. However, with a detailed study of the radiator, the owner will certainly notice the innovation. The radiator is literally pierced with five copper tubes that converge on the radiator's contact pad with a graphic core.

Quite interestingly implemented by MSI technologists for the GTX 770 graphics accelerator. In the factory version, the video accelerator has the nominal core frequencies and memory buses declared by the manufacturer Nvidia. However, bundled with the video card there is a proprietary utility MSI Gaming App, which can independently overclock the graphics core. The most interesting thing is that the increase in frequency is inextricably linked with the temperature sensor on the device's chipset. That is, in the game mode, those who are well circulating the air in the system unit, will be able to achieve 1180 MHz, for example. And other users can not squeeze more than 1100 MHz out of the kernel due to poor airflow.

The criterion of "price-quality"

All the beloved Taiwanese manufacturer once again pleased its fans with an affordable price, launching the Asus GTX 770 DirectCU II device on the market. Hot novelty has a double cooling system. In addition to the standard heat dissipation system in the form of aluminum radiators with copper tubes and two coolers, a warm-water plate is installed underneath the printed circuit board. For a low-cost device such a cooling system is clearly a luxury, and therefore raises suspicion of users.

Innovation ASUS not everyone will like. The manufacturer offers its own overclocking system, which is carried out using the proprietary utility and works without user intervention. In normal mode, the kernel runs at 1058 MHz, but at the slightest load the indicator increases, stopping at the 1110 MHz mark. Judging by the feedback, such a system does not like users, because in parallel to the load, the heat dissipation increases, which tries to eliminate two substandard coolers (a hum at 65 dB clearly hints at cheap bearings).

Work on bugs

Send ASUS technologists to retire early. Apparently, after an avalanche of negative reviews about their product, a serious Taiwanese brand decided to be rehabilitated, and introduced to the world a noiseless device Asus GTX 770 ROG POSEIDON. The video card has a hybrid heat sink system based on liquid-air cooling. The owner is given the opportunity to choose the mode of operation of the cooler: in air, in liquid, in mixed mode. The cooling system covers the entire board and has a red LED light.

Like its predecessor, the video card is offered with a nominal core frequency of 1058 MHz, but the overclocking of the adapter is entirely provided to the user. Judging by the feedback of IT experts, the adapter copes with the overclocking of the graphics core up to 1200 MHz. A pleasant moment for the user is high performance and a complete noiseless video adapter. True, the price can confuse some users, because the liquid system is not free, but it's a penny compared to the real capabilities of the video card. Can they do decent things?

A strange device for overclockers

Pleased fans and the company Zotac. The GTX 770 AMP appeared before the customers in all its black and yellow combat paint. To the representatives of this brand, the owners of the devices never had questions. Cooling system at the highest level: quality fans, aluminum radiators, copper tubes, excellent heat dissipation. Even special patches for memory chips are present under the radiators - all this indicates a serious approach of the manufacturer to the products.

Decent cooling is the guarantee of any acceleration. There is something to brag to competitors. The nominal core frequency is set at 1150 MHz! Automatic overclocking with increasing load has a limit of 1202 MHz. The memory frequency freely reaches 7200 MHz. And the most interesting is that this is not the limit.

One could call a video adapter under the Zotac brand a product of the year, but there is one nuisance. If we continue to overclock by our own forces over 1202 MHz, the video card starts to get very hot and unstable to work. As practice shows, the problem is in conventional capacitors, which the manufacturer did not want to change to solid capacitors.

"Phantom" - the first after God

Yes Yes! It is the GTX 770 Phantom graphics card under the Gainward brand in the factory performance that is the world market leader among analogues. Naturally, to achieve such results, the video co-accelerator was assisted by a proprietary cooling system. Three turbocharged coolers are installed not on top of the radiator, but directly in it (between the plates). According to the engineers of the company, this system performed well on the previous model of the GTX 570 video adapter and, judging by the reviews, many users expected that the brand would surprise them with something more productive.

The nominal frequency of the graphic poison is 1046 MHz, but within a few seconds the firmware Expert Tool is able to squeeze out 1250 MHz from the core. And this is a regular overclocking, and then everything depends on the owner's desire and the temperature inside the system unit - if not to lead to overheating, there is potential for raising productivity. Burn the graphics core will not succeed, because at the BIOS level there is a cut-off that, at a core temperature of 100 degrees Celsius, resets all settings to nominal (1046 MHz) and stops the operating system - the "blue window of Windows death" with the driver.

Eminence grise

Quite a strange approach to the release of a video adapter based on Nvidia GTX 770 from EVGA. Gray box, black drives with drivers and interface cables. Yes, and the video adapter does not differ much from the original copy of the manufacturer Nvidia. Only the company logo on the radiator casing and the inscription "Superclocked" indicate the accessory of the video card to EVGA. Technical characteristics of the video adapter correspond to the declared data of Nvidia, and in the process of overclocking the device produces an unpleasant rumble. Only users will appreciate the price - it is just as strange as the video card itself (380 USD).

There is another representative of the company EVGA in the market, made in the same gray style, but instead of the regular cooler Nvidia, the device has a proprietary Active Cooling Xtreme cooling system with two turbocharged fans. The nominal frequency of the graphics core is 1085 MHz, and in the Boost mode - 1137 MHz. Quite good performance, if you consider that the cooling system, even at the maximum, works very quietly, in comparison with other products on the GTX 770 chipset. The media reviews on these two devices are more questioning. What are these two products and how they got on the Russian market, still remains a mystery for many users.

Return of the legend

Judging by the opinions of marketers, the company Point of View (PNY), which disappeared from the Russian market, returned. The manufacturer presented a product for overclockers: a video card with the marking XLR8 OC based on Geforce GTX 770. The characteristics of the device will definitely attract the attention of many users. The base core frequency is set at 1150 MHz (in Boost mode 1202 MHz). The overclocking potential of the video accelerator is small and, judging by the reviews, it is not at all welcomed by the manufacturer, as the whole booklet that comes with the device is devoted to improving productivity on its own. In brief: any overclocking is fixed in the BIOS and immediately takes away the guarantees.

And without user intervention, the video accelerator shows excellent performance in games. The stability of the device contributes to the proprietary cooling system, consisting of an aluminum radiator and two silent coolers. Fans of World of Warcraft will love the gift from the manufacturer - Pandaren Monk, which will help cope with the enemy in the battles of pets. The rest of the buyers will be pleased with the affordable price (390 USD).

The most beautiful video adapter

If you compare video cards in appearance, the leader in the nomination "Best Design" would certainly be a device from the manufacturer Palit - Geforce GTX 770 OC Edition. With the naked eye you can see the team work of the technologists, engineers and designers of the company. Under black, as a resin, protective casing with three turbocharged fans hide the burned radiators. Owners in their reviews note that after opening the package, long could not admire the beauty of the video card. This is a masterpiece!

The manufacturer did not frustrate its customers and managed to combine beauty with high performance. As it turned out, the cooling system copes with its task by 100%, which will please all fans of overclocking. Excellent blowing, minimum of noise - what else do you need for a wonderful pastime for your favorite game? The core operates at a frequency of 1085 MHz (in the Boost mode - 1137 MHz) and splits perfectly up to 1160 MHz.

Finally

With the advent of a video card based on the 770 GTX, the gaming market has clearly become confused. If earlier to run a resource-intensive game at high resolutions it was required to purchase an adapter from a high-end niche, the cost of which is about 1000 y. E., Now, without five minutes, the budget employee competes freely with the top-end device. Certainly, some changes in the market will occur, because it should not be so that an expensive device was on performance worse than a representative of a cheap niche. On the other hand - it's a great chance for all game lovers to get a decent and inexpensive video adapter that will cope with any loads in the coming years.