Nvidia Geforce GTX 770: overview, specifications and reviews

When it comes to inexpensive video device from the initial segment of high-end adapters, many experts recommend paying attention to the modification of Geforce GTX 770 from the famous manufacturer Nvidia. For several years of existence in the Russian market, this video adapter is the best-selling device in the affordable category ($ 400). The review, characteristics and reviews of the owners presented in this article will help buyers decide whether it makes sense to purchase this device or not.

Clash of the Titans"

The Nvidia Geforce GTX 770 video adapter is built on the GK 104 graphics core and is positioned on the market as an intermediate version between the two top-end GTX 680 top-end video cards and the flagship of the Nvidia Geforce Titan line. Comparing the three listed devices, the reader will find their complete external similarity, or rather the same cooling system and physical dimensions.

As the tests show, which are confirmed by the experts' feedback, the novelty has a rather high performance that provides it with a superiority over the top-end device of the previous generation, model 680 GTX, but its price is 30% cheaper than attracts all fans of dynamic games. There is information that the Geforce GTX 770 chip was introduced to the market as an alternative to an inexpensive solution from the AMD HD 7970.

Specifications

Following the pace, the Nvidia Geforce GTX 770 takes advantage of the full range of state-of-the-art technologies for high-end devices. True, the basic characteristics were slightly understated by the manufacturer, so as not to interfere with the stable income from sales of Geforce Titan - nothing personal, only business.

1. The clock speed of the graphics core is 1046 MHz (in Boost 2.0 mode, the core runs at 1085 MHz). Physical cores CUDA 1536 pieces, 128 texture blocks.
2. The memory is built on a modern GDDR5 bus and has a capacity of 2 GB, but there are soldered sites for its expansion, which some manufacturers used, releasing products with 4 GB of RAM on board. The effective clock speed of the Nvidia Geforce GTX 770 is 7010 MHz, although it works on a 256-bit bus. Hence the small bandwidth (224.4 GB / s), in contrast to the flagship Titan.
3. As well as it is necessary to all devices of a game niche, the videoadapter supports mode SLI, gives to extraneous programs access to processors CUDA, supports games 3D and at a hardware level understands a video stream Blu Ray.

Heating and cooling

It is considered that the GK 104 chip, borrowed from the 680 GTX modification, is very energy-consuming - 230 watts. First, the requirements for the power supply unit are overestimated (600 W minimum), and additional connectors (6-pin and 8-pin) must be present. The second problem is the strong heating of the graphic core during operation, which in a few seconds without adequate cooling will quickly pass through the mark of 100 degrees Celsius.

In the laboratory Nvidia felt that with the cooling of the Geforce GTX 770 only the system from the Titan flagship will be able to cope. The device has a turbofan located at the back of the video card, aluminum radiator grilles on the entire surface of the printed circuit board, which are hidden by a protective cover. With cooling, such a system copes with dignity, unless it is a question of overclocking clock frequencies.

Leader of sales

The ASUS Geforce GTX 770 video adapter appeared on the Russian market immediately attracted the attention of many buyers. Low cost has become the main criterion for many users before buying. The device has a proprietary DirectCU II cooling system, which the manufacturer installs on most of its video devices. The aluminum radiator covers the entire area of the printed circuit board, and the copper tubes, piercing the perimeter cooling system, boil down on a contact pad that removes heat from the graphics core.

A high predisposition to overclock the ASUS Nvidia Geforce GTX 770 video card is out of the question. As the review shows, the nominal frequency of the graphic core of 1059 MHz can not effectively lower the temperature of the graphics core (60 degrees Celsius). The factory installed a brand voltage controller, which should provide less heat, but in addition to increasing the power consumption (260 watts), the video adapter did not get warmer from it.

Decent hybrid

Quite another matter with the decent cooling of the hybrid video adapter ASUS Geforce GTX 770 Poseidon. The manufacturer, using someone else's experience, tried to create an air-water cooling system, and he, judging by the numerous reviews of the owners, it turned out. A water block is installed on the circuit board, which closes not only the graphic core, but also memory chips with power elements. With 50-centimeter tubes, the system communicates with the compressor, which is withdrawn separately and has an aluminum radiator with a huge fan.

The nominal core frequency of the 1059 MHz core, in fact, is already insignificant for the potential for overclocking, which is shown by the Geforce GTX 770 graphics card (the price is within 40,000 rubles). Without any overheating and unnecessary noise, the graphics core works fine at 1200 MHz, and as users say, this is not the limit.

Player favorite

The Gigabyte Geforce GTX 770 from another Taiwanese representative deserves attention of potential buyers. Having installed the proprietary cooling system Windforce III, the manufacturer tried to move competitors in the gaming niche, demonstrating the high potential of the graphics card in the overclocking of the graphics core. As the owners note in their reviews, the device works stably at a frequency of 1138 MHz (in Boost 2.0 is 1189 MHz). Not a bad result for an air-cooled system, but increasing frequencies in the future leads to a significant increase in the temperature of the graphics core.

The manufacturer installed aluminum grilles all around the perimeter of the Geforce GTX 770 circuit board, providing temperature balancing with copper tubes, and from above put a casing with three huge fans. They create an air flow sufficiently powerful for cooling, but here the dissipated heat is not discharged outside the enclosure, but remains inside the system unit. Here everything depends on the proper operation of the cooling system of the enclosure. If the power supply is installed at the top, overheating will be noticeable immediately.

Homemade hybrid

The video card Gigabyte Geforce GTX 770 has attracted many overclockers who do not want to overpay money for the brand and want to have a reliable device for their own experiments. As the owners assure in their reviews, a powerful cooling system of three coolers requires a little refinement, namely the installation of additional cooling in the form of an inexpensive water block on the graphics core, instead of one section of an aluminum grate and a base copper core. The Arctic and Scythe brands offer decent water blocks for cooling video cards.

The main thing is to make the installation so that only water cooling removes heat from the graphics core, so the regular contact pad of Geforce GTX 770 2Gb should be completely cut off. As for the technical characteristics after the upgrade, the performance gain is equal to the low noise of the entire system (1200 MHz becomes the standard indicator of the core performance).

Race for the amount of memory

The product MSI Geforce GTX 770 4GB Gaming Edition will attract customers with a huge amount of RAM on board the device. In the laboratories of the company came to the conclusion that if there is a wiring on the printed circuit board under the memory chips, then it is necessary to take advantage of this. In addition, the manufacturer has modified the power system by installing its own voltage controller and solid state drives. As a result, the dissipated power of the video adapter decreased significantly, and the proprietary cooling system from the two coolers contributed to this additionally.

In the responses of the owners only positive emotions: 1180 MHz on the core and 7050 MHz on the memory bus can be considered a worthy result. But the further dispersal leads to the fact that coolers at high speeds begin to make strange sounds, reminiscent of wailing wolves in the forest. It's up to the owner to decide what's more important: performance or silence in the system unit.

Defector

Attention buyers attracted the product Galaxy Nvidia Geforce GTX 770, the price of which is also in the range of 30,000 rubles. The manufacturer, which is known for Radeon video cards from AMD, suddenly released a video adapter for the competitor's chip. About the branded cooling system with three coolers and a copper core heat sink there are legends, so it only remains to sum up: active cooling 100% copes with the high temperature of the graphics core.

Pleases owners and the potential for overclocking. The GTX 770 chip works perfectly at a frequency of 1144 MHz, and there are prospects to increase performance further. Everything depends on the cooling inside the case of the system unit. Fans work very quietly and the prerequisites for inconvenience caused by the rumble of coolers, there are none.

Interesting offer

Zotac decided to surprise everyone in the gaming market by releasing three devices at once in different price categories. The Geforce GTX 770 video card under this brand differs not only in appearance, but also in the efficiency of the cooling system. Also, small improvements were paid to the circuit board itself , where the manufacturer replaced the controller responsible for power distribution. So, an inexpensive solution with two coolers 770 GTX AMP has a low potential for overclocking, however it guarantees the owner complete silence in operation.

A system with three fans is offered to the user at a price of 35,000 rubles. The price increase was provoked by the best overclocking potential (1100 MHz by the core) and 4 GB of RAM. A modification of Extreme Edition is offered as a device for overclockers (1180 MHz). It is worth noting that the expensive modification has a powerful cooling system, which is installed on the GeForce Titan video adapter.

Explosion from the past

Forgotten in the market of video cards brand Inno3D returned with a rather interesting proposal. The product with hybrid air-water cooling Nvidia Geforce GTX 770, whose price is within 35 thousand rubles, can attract customers. However, as the users point out in their reviews, the appearance of the device and the absence of radiators on the power cells cause mistrust at the first acquaintance. A conventional water block with 50-centimeter tubes communicates with an external cooler. Under the casing, in the area of the memory chips, there is a section of aluminum radiators, and a copper core adjoins the contact pad of the graphic core.

It puts everything in its place the performance of the video adapter. The nominal frequencies claimed by Nvidia in the Inno3D laboratories did not increase, they entrusted this work to the owners of the video card. As you might expect, the savings on the heat sinks significantly affected the heating of the PCB, it's useless to overclock the system with a water block above 1100 MHz, since the device demonstrates unstable operation.

Finally

As expected, the novelty attracted a large number of customers, because the main criterion for them is still the cost of the video card. For a Geforce GTX 770 based device, the price varies between 30-40 thousand rubles. If you calculate the coefficient between cost and performance, then in the High-End class, this video adapter will take the lead.

As for the choice in the market from the available assortment, the sales leaders are three companies: ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI. All the rest prove their superiority over competitors with high productivity, and not at an affordable price.