The GTX 780 arrives – 25 Games benchmarked!

GTX 780 Availability

The Nvidia GTX 780 is shipping today and it will also be immediately available for order from leading OEMs and from etailers and retailers.   It replaces the GTX 680 and will co-exist with the GTX 690 and the GeForce Titan

Final Thoughts

GTX 780 IS impressive. However, the big question is what does it bring over the GTX 680 and is it “worth” $650.  Well, it is nearly 30% faster than the GTX 680 which it is replacing and this time, there is no performance competition from AMD as there was when the first Kepler launched.

The GTX 780 did extraordinarily well performance-wise comparing it to the the last generation dual-GPU GTX 590 and HD 6990 where it brings higher performance than any other video card in the world to date except for the GTX 690 and the Titan.  The GTX 780 does appear to offer up to 70% performance improvement over the GTX 580, the big die GF110 GPU.  And the GTX 780 offers close to 90% of the Titan’s performance for $350 less!

We are totally impressed with the GK110 cool-running Kepler chip that has very good overclockability. It slots above the HD 6990 and the GTX 590 and it leaves the GTX 680 and HD 7970 GHz edition in the dust.  It is at least 25% faster overall than the HD 7970 GHz Edition in the games that we tested.

The GTX 780 also looks awesome inside just about any case.  In addition, the LED GEFORCE logo is programmable and we did have a little time to check out EVGA’s program.

We see good overclockability with extreme quietness at stock voltage and fan profile even when the GTX 780 is overclocked. It catches and surpasses the stock Titan rather easily in every single case.  The temperature limit is set too low in our opinion at 80C, but it is easily changed.

The only issue might be the GTX 780’s higher launch price and we expect that it gives about 75% or more of the performance overall of the GTX 690 in a single GPU also in a strikingly presented package. $649 is expensive and yet we are quite certain that it will appeal to the gamer who demands the very best – without any compromises for a single high resolution display or even 5760×1080 Surround gaming. If you have a GTX 680 or a GTX 690, you simply cannot run Max Payne 3 with maxed-out ultra setting in Surround like you can with the GTX 780 or with the Titan.

We want to make it clear that a gamer that prefers “bang for buck” would never consider the GTX 780 at all at $649. Rather a pair of GTX 660s in SLI or a pair of HD 7950s in CrossFire might make sense to a performance oriented but budget conscious gamer.  The GTX 780 appeals to the enthusiast who wants the single-GPU fastest card without paying for the extra 3GB of Titan’s vRAM.

The GTX 780 is also targeted at mainstream users that must have the fastest single GPU card in a super-high performance small form factor gaming PC.

Pros

• The GTX 780 is the most powerful mainstream single GPU video card in the world second only to the Titan!
• TDP and power draw is excellent. Performance per watt is better than its competitor’s cards and it is nearly dead silent in comparison to any video card.
• Overclockability is good – GPU Boost 2.0 works as advertised.
• The reference design cooling is quiet and efficient; the card and well-ventilated case stay cool even when well-overclocked.
• 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 780 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 780 is very impressive as an “Exotic Industrial Design”. It is heavy, solid, and looks great.
• Overclocked, the GTX 780’s performance comes reasonably close to Titan’s and beats it when overclocked.  It also comes close to GTX 690 performance, and there are some games that it can play in Surround that the dual-GPU card cannot because of its larger 3GB framebuffer. It also does not suffer from the issues associated with multi-GPU.

Cons

• The price.  It has launched $150 higher than the GTX 680 or even that last large die GTX 580 and it matches the launch pricing of the GTX 280.  Yet it compares favorably in every way to GTX Titan which is priced $350 higher.
• The temperature limit is set somewhat low at 80C and will often hold back boost with the stock fan profile
• Voltage adjustments are still pretty narrow and may not please the extreme overclocker.

The Verdict:

• If you are buying an ultimate single-GPU flagship video card right now and looking for the highest mainstream performance in a single GPU, the GTX 780 is the only choice. We feel it deserves ABT’s highest award – the “Kick Ass” award because it is completely unique in design and performance for a mainstream card. However, if you want good bang-for-buck, look elsewhere for performance, to multi-GPU solutions.

We do not know what the future will bring, but the GTX 780 brings an excellent top-performer to the GeForce family and it clearly establishes itself as the second fastest single-GPU video card in the world, just below Titan. With great features like PhysX and the second generation of 3D Vision, one can be assured of immersive gaming by picking this card for 2560×1600 or even higher resolutions including for Surround and/or for 3D Vision Surround.

If you currently game on an older generation video card, you will do yourself a big favor by upgrading. The move to a GTX 780 will give you better visuals on the DX11 pathway and you are no doubt thinking of Tri-SLI if you want to get the ultimate in gaming performance. Price is the only issue and if you are a bang-for-buck gamer, you will no doubt prefer a pair of GTX 660s in SLI for similar performance.

The competition is hot and AMD offers their own set of features including Eyefinity and HD3D but they simply cannot touch the raw power of the GTX 780. We do not know how they will respond but are looking forward to it.

Stay tuned, there is a lot coming from us at ABT. Next up is an evaluation of Kingston HyperX “Beast” RAM. 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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