Nvidia’s GTX 760 arrives to take direct aim at the HD 7950
GTX 770 Availability
The Nvidia GTX 760 is shipping today and it will also be immediately available for order from leading OEMs and from etailers and retailers. It replaces the GTX 660 Ti at $50 lower than its $299 launch price and it edges it out in performance as well as beats the more expensive HD 7970 in more benches than it loses, to say nothing of what it will do compared to the less powerful and more expensive HD 7950 Boost edition.
Final Thoughts
However, the big question is not what does it bring over the GTX 660 Ti, but what it brings over the GTX 650 Ti and even older GPUs like the top and upper-midrange Fermi video cards. Well, it is about 15% faster than the GTX 660 Ti which it is replacing and considerably faster than the last generation GTX 560 Ti.
Best of all, the GTX 760 comes in at the same $249 launch prices as the GTX 560 Ti and $50 cheaper than the GTX 660 Ti. We anticipate that the GTX 660 Ti will come down in price as it is EoL’ed by Nvidia and it has been surpassed in every way by the less expensive GTX 760. It will be interesting to see how AMD responds. Currently, AMD is bundling 4 games with its HD 7970s and HD 7950s although they are now older and rather steeply discounted from the “up to $185” that AMD claims the bundle is worth.
We see good overclockability at stock voltage and fan profile. Overclocked, it catches and often surpasses the stock GTX 670 rather easily and often it at least matches the HD 7970’s performance. The temperature limit is set too low in our opinion at 80C, but it is easily changed.
The GTX 760 appeals to the enthusiast who wants a very fast video card without paying the premium of the GTX 780 or even the GTX 770. At $249 it offers more performance value than the $299 GTX 660 Ti or arguably more value than the HD 7950 which is also priced about fifty dollars more if you do not count game bundles.
Pros
- Overall. The $249 GTX 770 is faster and more fully-featured and comes with a better cooler than the $299 GTX 660 Ti which it replaces. It also does very well against the more expensive HD 7970 which starts well above $300
- TDP and power draw are still very good. Performance per watt is excellent and it is similarly quiet in comparison to the GTX 670.
- Overclockability is good for the core and very good for the memory – GPU Boost 2.0 works as advertised.
- It is possible to use three of these cards for extreme Tri-SLI performance
- 3D Vision 2 and PhysX enhance gaming immersion and both are improved using the GTX 770 compared to the last generation.
- New AA allows for high performance without jaggies in deferred shading lighting engines
- Adaptive VSync reduces stuttering while retaining the advantages of minimizing tearing.
- The GTX 760 is available in a 2GB or 4GB configuration
Cons
- The temperature limit is set somewhat low at 80C and will often hold back boost with the stock fan profile. Our GTX 760 ran a little hot and noisy.
- Voltage adjustments are still pretty narrow and may not please the extreme overclocker.
- There is no game bundled with the GTX 760.
The Verdict:
- If you are buying a $250 video card right now and looking for the good bang-for-buck performance in a single GPU, the GTX 760 is an excellent choice. We feel it deserves ABT’s “Great Value” award because it is offers a solid performance improvement over the more expensive GTX 660 Ti for about fifty dollars less and it nearly equals the much more expensive GTX 670.
We do not know what the future will bring, but the GTX 760 brings an excellent performer to the GeForce family and it establishes itself as the fourth fastest single-GPU video card in Nvidia’s lineup. With great features like PhysX and the second generation of 3D Vision, one can be assured of immersive gaming by picking this card for 1920×1080 or even for 2560×1600 or even for Surround and/or for 3D Vision.
If you currently game on an older generation video card such as Fermi, you will do yourself a favor by upgrading. The move to a GTX 760 will give you higher performance in the $249 price point from a GTX 560 Ti and you are no doubt thinking of SLI if you want to get nearly the ultimate in gaming performance without paying for Titan or GTX 78o pricing.
The competition is hot and AMD offers their own set of features including Eyefinity and HD3D and some large 4-game bundles. We have seen steep discounting where the HD 7970 has dropped close to $300 with the GTX 770 launch and perhaps we may see a similar strategy with the HD 7950.
Stay tuned, there is a lot coming from us at ABT. Next up is an evaluation of WildBlue satellite ISP versus Exede satellite service. And don’t forget to check our forums! Our tech discussions are becoming among the best to be found anywhere!!
Mark Poppin
ABT Senior Editor
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