{"id":33836,"date":"2013-02-21T14:57:22","date_gmt":"2013-02-21T14:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=33836"},"modified":"2013-08-02T16:08:12","modified_gmt":"2013-08-02T15:08:12","slug":"nvidias-titan-arrives-to-take-the-performance-crown-the-performance-benchmarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/nvidias-titan-arrives-to-take-the-performance-crown-the-performance-benchmarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Nvidia&#8217;s Titan arrives to take the performance crown &#8211; 36 Performance Benchmarks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ < ![CDATA[\n\/\/ < ![CDATA[\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-5104669416173387\";\n\/* posts *\/\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"9025238556\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 234;\ngoogle_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\/\/ < ![CDATA[\n\/\/ < ![CDATA[\n\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Nvidia announced its second &#8220;designer card&#8221; two days ago, the $999 GeForce GTX Titan, based on its GK110 GPU on 28nm Kepler DX11.1 architecture. This new 7.1 billion transistor single-GPU flagship card is a continuation of Nvidia&#8217;s strategy for an exotic card that is aimed at the highest end of PC gamers and we are going to measure its performance.\u00a0 We will\u00a0use 30 modern games and 7 synthetic benchmarks to\u00a0compare it to the other top performing video\u00a0cards in the world &#8211;\u00a0 the GTX 690, GTX 680, and the GTX 590, plus the HD 7970 GHz edition, and the HD 6990.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33804\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_Titan-1619-proc\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForce_GTX_Titan-1619-proc.jpg?resize=471%2C183\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForce_GTX_Titan-1619-proc.jpg?resize=471%2C183 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForce_GTX_Titan-1619-proc-300x116.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> The industrial designs of the GTX 690 and the Titan are aimed particularly at gamers who might spend over $3000 on three video cards for Tri-SLI and who want the absolute fastest, and yet a reasonably quiet PC &#8211; at any cost.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33866\" title=\"Designer1-2\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Designer1-2.jpg?resize=480%2C373\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Designer1-2.jpg?resize=480%2C373 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Designer1-2-300x233.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>Titan\u00a0is also aimed at the small form factor PC to give them a powerful but small video card, and finally at the smaller cost-conscious programmers to grow CUDA by allowing full double precision for the first time in a &#8220;gaming&#8221; GPU even though it does nothing for gaming.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33803\" title=\"Cosmos__and_Tiki-6936_SepFl\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Cosmos__and_Tiki-6936_SepFl.jpg?resize=480%2C276\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Cosmos__and_Tiki-6936_SepFl.jpg?resize=480%2C276 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Cosmos__and_Tiki-6936_SepFl-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The GTX Titan is the culmination of years of Nvidia&#8217;s efforts with their new DX11.1 Kepler architecture, their single-GPU flagship video card. Yet this card does not replace the GTX 690 which also retails for $999. Nvidia believes that they both have their place in their product line-up. This time, Nvidia is aiming for just-below dual-GPU GTX 690 performance on a single card. The specifications of the Titan are quite impressive:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33815\" title=\"Specs-2\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Specs-2.jpg?resize=366%2C376\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Specs-2.jpg?resize=366%2C376 366w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Specs-2-292x300.jpg 292w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 366px) 100vw, 366px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Because we received a Titan from Nvidia on Monday, we will bring you the second part of our two-part review now. Today, we are comparing the performance of the GTX 690 with the new Titan, as well as with AMD&#8217;s very fastest single-GPU offering, the HD 7970 at GHz edition speeds. There are also two very limited editions of the dual-GPU HD 7970-X2 cards made by AMD&#8217;s partners which each retail for $1500 but they are halo cards as only 1000 cards of each were made.<a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/collection.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33867\" title=\"collection\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/collection.jpg?resize=384%2C362\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/collection.jpg?resize=384%2C362 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/collection-300x282.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We will also compare the GTX 680 as well as the dual-GPU GTX 590 from the last generation and AMD&#8217;s last generation, HD 6990 which consisted of two downclocked HD 6970s on a single PCB. Both of these last generation 40nm dual-GPU cards were faster than the GTX 680 and HD 7970 when the new 28nm cards launched, and we shall see if there are any changes due to driver improvements. In particular, AMD&#8217;s Catalyst drivers have shown good performance improvents over the past few months, and the HD 7970 GHz edition has taken the single-GPU performance crown from the GTX 680 &#8211; and Nvidia wants it back!<a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28955\" title=\"7970-gtx680\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg?resize=300%2C179\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg?resize=300%2C179 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Soon you will see us pit the stock and overclocked GTX Titan against the reference GTX 690, GTX 680 and GTX 590 against our PowerColor reference design HD 7970 at GHz edition at boost speeds (1050MHz) and the HD 6990, using 30 modern games and 7 synthetic benchmarks mostly using 1920&#215;1080 and 2560&#215;1600 resolutions, as well as 13 game benchmarks at 5760&#215;1080 using the GTX 690, Titan, GTX 680 and HD 7970 GHz. We are also comparing the performance of our last generation reference dual-GPU video cards, HD 6990 and the GTX 590 (below) as they were &#8211; up until today &#8211; the fastest video cards of AMD&#8217;s and Nvidia&#8217;s last 40nm generation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28956\" title=\"6990-gtx590\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg?resize=300%2C206\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg?resize=300%2C206 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We shall also compare Nvidia&#8217;s 3-panel Surround working now off of a single GTX Titan at 5760&#215;1080 resolution with the GTX 690, 680 and with the HD 7970&#8217;s 3-panel Eyefinity. Lastly, we also bench PhysX, &#8216;on&#8217; versus &#8216;off&#8217;.<a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/690-titan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33868\" title=\"690-titan\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/690-titan.jpg?resize=384%2C313\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/690-titan.jpg?resize=384%2C313 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/690-titan-300x244.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To recap the architectural and other features of the GTX Titan, check out our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=33800\">Part 1 Introduction<\/a> published on Monday.\u00a0 First, let&#8217;s take a closer look at the new GTX Titan.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><!--pagetitle: Introduction--><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: A Look at the GTX Titan--><\/p>\n<h3><strong>A look at the Titan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia has redesigned their GEFORCE logo and the Titan and the GTX 690 are described as &#8220;Exotic Industrial Design&#8221;. They are the first &#8220;designer&#8221; cards from either Nvidia or AMD and its &#8220;looks&#8221; are part of the design for efficiency and cooling.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33805\" title=\"GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr1a\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr1a.jpg?resize=480%2C372\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr1a.jpg?resize=480%2C372 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr1a-300x232.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Like with the GTX 690, the frame of the GTX Titan cover is made of cast aluminum, and it is protected with trivalent chromium plating. Trivalent chromium gives the GTX Titan its look and is is very durable. The fan housing of the GeForce GTX Titan is made from injection molded magnesium alloy which is used for its light weight, heat dissipation, and acoustic dampening properties.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33806\" title=\"GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr2a\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr2a.jpg?resize=480%2C364\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr2a.jpg?resize=480%2C364 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr2a-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A 10-phase power supply with a 10-layer 2oz copper PCB provides high-efficiency power delivery with less resistance, lower power and less heat generation. Lower power and less heat also enhances the board\u2019s longevity, while the added PCB layers provide maximum signal integrity.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33807\" title=\"GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr3\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr3.jpg?resize=480%2C338\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr3.jpg?resize=480%2C338 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_3Qtr3-300x211.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To create the intricate geometries required for the fan housing, Nvidia used a form of injection molding called thixomolding, in which liquid magnesium alloy is injected into a mold. Each Kepler GPU has its own distinct cooling unit. A clear polycarbonate window allow you to see the vapor chamber that plays such a critical role in cooling the GK110 GPU.<\/p>\n<p>The GeForce GTX logo on the edge of the Titan board is LED backlit. The lettering is laser-etched, ensuring precise design. This LED acts as a power indicator which lights\u00a0up when the board is in use. The intensity of this LED can be manually adjusted using tools provided by the AIB manufacturers. With some cards, the intensity can be based on GPU utilization, so the LED will shine brighter as GPU utilization increases.<\/p>\n<p>We got EVGA&#8217;s LED control but haven&#8217;t had a chance to use it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/logo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33820\" title=\"logo\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/logo.jpg?resize=480%2C144\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/logo.jpg?resize=480%2C144 480w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/logo-300x90.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here are the connectors on the Titan backplate: <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33808\" title=\"GeForceGTX_Titan_Bracket\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_Bracket.jpg?resize=480%2C202\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_Bracket.jpg?resize=480%2C202 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/GeForceGTX_Titan_Bracket-300x126.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here it\u00a0is compared with the GTX 690&#8217;s 3 DVI connectors and mini-DisplayPort\u00a0(left):<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">g<a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/backplates-690-titan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33869\" title=\"backplates-690-titan\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/backplates-690-titan.jpg?resize=480%2C126\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/backplates-690-titan.jpg?resize=480%2C126 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/backplates-690-titan-300x78.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Titan has two dual link DVI ports, a full-sized Display Port and a HDMI port. Typically, only one adapter is needed for 3-Panel gaming using Nvidia&#8217;s Surround whereas two are generally needed for an AMD HD 7970.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Quiet Gaming<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Titan&#8217;s self-contained cooler consists of a copper vapor chamber and a dual-slot heatsink while an aluminum baseplate provides additional cooling for the PCB and board components.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia uses an axial fan that has optimized the fin pitch and angle at which air from the fan hits the fin stack as the smoother the airflow, the lower the noise output. The section of the baseplate directly underneath the fan is carved with low-profile channels to encourage smooth airflow, and all components under the fan are low-profile to minimize turbulence and create an efficient airflow.<\/p>\n<p>The gamer using a GTX Titan gets treated to a less-perceptible noise. When you listen to the fan alone &#8211; even at 80 percent, it\u2019s clean and smooth &#8211; and this is especially contrasted with the HD 6990, a very noisy card, and to a lesser extent even with the GTX 590, and it is even quieter than the GTX 680.<\/p>\n<p>Sixty percent is the point where the Titan&#8217;s becomes\u00a0noticeable and the stock\u00a0fan profile rarely allows it to reach it.\u00a0 In fact, the 80C that Nvidia uses for their default temperature target\u00a0is set\u00a0rather low. We frequent throttled our Boost\u00a0at that temperature, and our early benchmark results were slightly variable as boost\u00a0went on and off as the temperatures neared 80C.\u00a0 We found that 85C with the stock fan profile was more\u00a0ideal for us and the card never throttled Boost at its stock voltage and fan profile while we observed it.<\/p>\n<p>At regular fan profiles we never reached an intrusive noise\u00a0level over our Cooler Master Seiden Water cooler and the Thermaltake case fans &#8211; even under maximum load in gaming; we generally did not hear the GTX Titan&#8217;s fan over our PC&#8217;s other cooling fans.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SLI and Tri-SLI<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The GTX Titan is set up for Tri-SLI by using three GTX Titans.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/3-way.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33821\" title=\"3-way\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/3-way.jpg?resize=480%2C519\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/3-way.jpg?resize=480%2C519 480w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/3-way-277x300.jpg 277w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s $3,000 worth of Titan pictured above.\u00a0 Nvidia claims that it is significantly quieter than GTX 680 Tri-SLI to say nothing of HD 7970 TriFire accoustics.<\/p>\n<p>The Titan specifications look extraordinary with solid improvements over just about anything else with the exception of the GTX 690. Let&#8217;s check out performance after we look at our test configuration on the next page.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Test Configuration--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong>Test Configuration &amp; Driver Release Notes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration &#8211; Hardware <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Intel Core i7 3770K (overclocked to 4.5GHz); Turbo is on.<\/li>\n<li>EVGA Z77 FTW motherboard (Intel Z77 chipset, latest beta BIOS, PCIe 3.0 specification; CrossFire\/SLI 16x+16x using Plex chip.)<\/li>\n<li>8GB Kingston DDR3 PC1866 Kingston RAM (4&#215;2 GB, dual-channel at 1866MHz; supplied by Kingston)<\/li>\n<li>Cooler Master Seiden 240M\u00a0CPU Water cooler, supplied by Cooler Master<\/li>\n<li>Nvidia GTX Titan (6GB, 836\/6008MHz, reference clocks), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>Nvidia GTX 680 (2GB, 1006\/6008MHz, reference clocks), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>Nvidia GTX 690 (4GB, 1006\/6008MHz, reference clocks), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>Nvidia GTX 590 (4GB, 1607\/1707MHz, reference clocks), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>Power Color Radeon HD 7970 (3GB, overclocked to GHz speeds 1050\/6000MHz)<\/li>\n<li>AMD HD 6990, reference clocks, supplied by AMD<\/li>\n<li>Onboard Realtek Audio<\/li>\n<li>Genius SP-HF 800A speakers, two pairs in 4.0 Quadraphonic configuration, supplied by Genius<\/li>\n<li>Two identical 500 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 hard drives configured and set up identically from drive image; one partition for Nvidia GeForce drivers and one for ATI Catalyst drivers<\/li>\n<li>Two Kingston 240GB HyperX SSDs used for frame time measurement. <em>\u00a0<\/em>Supplied by Kingston<\/li>\n<li>Thermaltake ToughPower 775W power supply unit supplied by Thermaltake<\/li>\n<li>Thermaltake Overseer RX-I full tower case, supplied by Thermaltake<\/li>\n<li>Philips DVD SATA writer<\/li>\n<li>HP LP3065 2560&#215;1600 thirty inch LCD<\/li>\n<li>ASUS VG278 27&#8243; 3D Vision 2 Ready 120Hz display; and three 23&#8243; VG248 3D Vision Ready 120Hz displays used for Surround\/Eyefinity, supplied by ASUS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Test Configuration &#8211; Software<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>ATi Catalyst 13-2 Beta 5 drivers; highest quality mip-mapping set in the driver; use application settings; surface performance optimizations are off<\/li>\n<li>NVIDIA GeForce Beta 313.96 for the GTX 590\/680\/690. GeForce 314.09 launch drivers for the GTX Titan and 314.07 for the GTX 690 and GTX 680 for testing 5760&#215;1080 only. High Quality; Single-display Performance mode; Prefer Maximum Performance<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7 64-bit; very latest updates<\/li>\n<li>Latest DirectX<\/li>\n<li>All games are patched to their latest versions.<\/li>\n<li>vsync is forced off in the control panels.<\/li>\n<li>Varying AA enabled as noted in games; all in-game settings are specified with 16xAF always applied; 16xAF forced in control panel for <em>Crysis<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>All results show average frame rates<\/li>\n<li>Highest quality sound (stereo) used in all games.<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7 64, all DX9 titles were run under DX9 render paths, DX10 titles were run under DX10 render paths and DX11 titles under DX11 render paths.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">The Benchmarks<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Synthetic<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Vantage<\/li>\n<li>3DMark 11<\/li>\n<li>3D Mark 2013 Firestrike\/Firestrike Extreme<\/li>\n<li>Heaven 3.0\/4.0<\/li>\n<li>Valley 1.0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX9 <\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Serious Sam 3 BFE<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Alan Wake: Ameican Nightmare<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The Witcher 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Borderlands 2<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX10<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Crysis<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Far Cry 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Just Cause 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>World-in-Conflict: Soviet Assault<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Resident Evil 5<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX11<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>BattleForge<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Alien vs. Predator<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>STALKER, Call of Pripyat<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Metro 2033<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>F1 2010<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>H.A.W.X. 2<\/em><em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Lost Planet 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Total War: Shogun II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Civilization V<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Crysis 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Dirt 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Deus Ex: Human Revolution<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Batman: Arkham City<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Battlefield 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Max Payne 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>the Secret World<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Sleeping Dogs<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Sniper Elite V2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Hitman: Absolution<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Assassin&#8217;s Creed III<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The above is our test bench. We may also be able to cover some frame time comparisons in a follow-up article.\u00a0 Titan generally &#8220;feels&#8221; quite smooth even compared to the GTX 680.\u00a0Let&#8217;s head to our overclocking section.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Overclocking, Acoustics &amp; Temperatures--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Overclocking, Acoustics and Temperatures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are some new or reworked Kepler features for Titan over the GTX 600 series. The first is GPU Boost 2.0<\/p>\n<p><strong>GPU Boost 2.0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The original GPU Boost was designed to reach the highest possible clock speed while remaining within a predefined power target so that the GPU would boost to the maximum clock speed it could achieve while remaining under a certain power level. In the case of the GTX 680, that power level was 170 watts. Nvidia noted that GPU power was unnecessarily limiting performance when GPU temperatures was low. Therefore for Boost 2.0, they switched from boosting based on a GPU power target, to a GPU temperature target. This new temperature target is 80 degrees Celsius.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33810\" title=\"boost-2.0\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/boost-2.0.jpg?resize=480%2C268\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/boost-2.0.jpg?resize=480%2C268 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/boost-2.0-300x167.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> As a result of Nvidia&#8217;s change, the GeForce GTX Titan GPU will automatically boost to the highest clock frequency it can achieve as long as the GPU temperature remains at or below 80C. The GPU constantly monitors GPU temperature, adjusting the GPU\u2019s clock and its voltage on-the-fly to maintain this temperature. GPU Boost 2.0 can also deliver quieter noise levels since temperature is controlled to a tighter range around the user target. This in turn helps keep the fan speed stable and reduces the overall system level noise.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to switching from a power-based boost target to a temperature-based target, Nvidia also gave end users more controls for tweaking GPU Boost behavior. Using software tools provided by add-in card partners, Titan users can adjust the GPU temperature target. By adjusting the temperature target higher, the GPU will then boost to higher clock speeds until it reaches the new temperature target.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the change in the way GPU Boost 2.0 functions, the power target setting no longer sets the typical board power, but rather it sets the board\u2019s max power. At the default power target setting of 100%, the max power setting is 250W. At the max slider setting of 106%, max board power is 265W. Note that typical board power will vary based on the ambient temperature. GPU Boost 2.0 is designed ensure maximum performance from water cooled solutions since the temperature now basically determines the clocks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GPU Boost 2.0 &#8211; Overvolting<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33811\" title=\"overvolt-1\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/overvolt-1.jpg?resize=480%2C212\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/overvolt-1.jpg?resize=480%2C212 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/overvolt-1-300x132.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>Because Titan\u2019s boost clock and voltage level is now tied to the GPU temperatures, Nvidia allows the GPU voltage to go higher than they allowed with Kepler 600 series cards. Just as with the 600 series, voltages on the Titan are limited to a range fully qualified by Nvidia. This voltage range is designed to protect the silicon from long term damage.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33813\" title=\"overvolt-3\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/overvolt-3.jpg?resize=480%2C247\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/overvolt-3.jpg?resize=480%2C247 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/overvolt-3-300x154.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> However, those who want to push their GPUs to the limit by raising the maximum voltage further, GPU Boost 2.0 enables extra \u201covervoltaging\u201d capability. This &#8220;unlocking&#8221; requires users to acknowledge the risk to their GPU&#8217;s warranty by clicking through a warning as overvoltaging is disabled by default. Each individual Titan manufacturer may limit the degree of overvoltaging supported by their cards. Support of overvoltaging is optional, and can be completely disabled in the VBIOS if they choose to do so.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overclocking Titan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Overclocking the GTX Titan is just as easy as overclocking the GTX 680 or GTX 690. What is surprising is that we nearly\u00a0matched the GTX 690&#8217;s overclock of +150\/+550MHz on the core and memory. Titan managed a completely stable +130MHz on the core and +550MHz on the memory. We did not adjust the GTX\u00a0Titan&#8217;s fan profile, thermal limit nor\u00a0voltage for our stock\u00a0benchmark runs.<\/p>\n<p>For testing overclocking stability,\u00a0we first\u00a0used FireStrike from 3DMark 2013.\u00a0 The first column (below) has the Titan out of the box stock.\u00a0 The next column shows the performance\u00a0improvement by just increasing the temperature limit from 80C to 85C.\u00a0 We found that Titan no longer throttled back Boost during gaming as it did at 80C and our performance became less variable.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33859\" title=\"OCing\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OCing.jpg?resize=500%2C82\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OCing.jpg?resize=500%2C82 625w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OCing-300x48.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Moving up the power slider\u00a0to 106% and the temperature up to the maximum 94C\u00a0using EVGA&#8217;s Precision showed very\u00a0little performance\u00a0gain over simply setting the temperature limiter to 85C.\u00a0 Next (in the 4th column), we overclocked the memory +550Mhz and got a decent boost but not as much as overclocking the core +130Mhz (5th column), which was our highest overclock on stock fan profile and voltage. Finally we overclocked the memory and the core in the second to last column\u00a0while the\u00a0last column shows Titan on the upper limit of stability with the voltage unlocked and maxed out.<\/p>\n<p>We would suggest that for absolute stability, +155MHz (not +165MHz, sufficient for a Firestrike run) might be the maximum we can run which is about +25Hz more with the unlocked voltage than at stock.\u00a0 We saw 1188MHz as our highest boost at 1.200V, the highest overvoltage\u00a0Titan would allow. \u00a0It&#8217;s probably not what extreme overclockers are looking for since Nvidia has still locked down the voltage and the TDP\u00a0pretty tightly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Temperatures running at stock settings were an issue for Boost as the fan profile remained extraordinarily quiet at maximum load, but they allowed the temperature to reach 80C which throttled back Boost and made some of our results variable.\u00a0 We found that setting the upper limit to 85C no longer limited Bost; our other choice was to set the fan profile higher\u00a0so that it would reach 60%.\u00a0 For us, the VGA fan became noticeable over 60% and\u00a0much more so\u00a0at 75%.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Let&#8217;s head to the performance charts and graphs to see how the GTX\u00a0Titan compares with the GTX 690 as well as with the last generation dual-GPU flagships &#8211; the AMD HD 6990 and the Nvidia GTX 590 &#8211; as well as with\u00a0the top video cards of this generation, the HD 7970 and the GTX 680.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Performance Summary Charts--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Performance summary charts &amp; graphs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Here are the summary charts of\u00a030 games and\u00a06 synthetic tests. The highest settings are always chosen and it is DX11 when there is a choice; DX10 is picked above DX9, and the settings are ultra or maxed. Specific settings are listed on the Main Performance charts. The benches are run at 1920&#215;1080 and 2560&#215;1600 with separate charts devoted to overclocking, PhysX, and 5760&#215;1080 Surround, as well as dividing games up into easy-to-read charts by their DX pathway and by resolution.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-SyntheticBenches1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33850\" title=\"Main-Cht---SyntheticBenches\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-SyntheticBenches1.jpg?resize=554%2C177\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-SyntheticBenches1.jpg?resize=554%2C177 692w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-SyntheticBenches1-300x95.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX91.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33851\" title=\"Main-Cht---DX9\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX91.jpg?resize=554%2C177\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX91.jpg?resize=554%2C177 692w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX91-300x95.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX101.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33852\" title=\"Main-Cht---DX10\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX101.jpg?resize=554%2C177\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX101.jpg?resize=554%2C177 692w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX101-300x95.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33853\" title=\"Main-Cht---DX11-1\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-11.jpg?resize=554%2C241\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-11.jpg?resize=554%2C241 692w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-11-300x130.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-21.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33854\" title=\"Main-Cht---DX11-2\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-21.jpg?resize=554%2C209\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-21.jpg?resize=554%2C209 692w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-21-300x113.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-31.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-33855\" title=\"Main-Cht---DX11-3\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-31.jpg?resize=554%2C241\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-31.jpg?resize=554%2C241 692w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Main-Cht-DX11-31-300x130.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now 5760&#215;1080 with the same settings as above<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10801.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33865\" title=\"5760x1080\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10801.jpg?resize=500%2C321\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10801.jpg?resize=500%2C321 500w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10801-300x192.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>All results, except for Vantage, Firestrike\u00a0and 3DMark11, show average framerates and higher is always better. In-game settings are fully maxed out and they are identically high or ultra across all platforms. As usual, we begin with the synthetics.<\/p>\n<h2>Futuremark &amp; Heaven synthetic tests<\/h2>\n<p>3DMark 2013 Firestrike\u00a0is Futuremark&#8217;s latest DX11-only benchmark, 3D Mark 11 is\u00a0also DX11\u00a0and Vantage is DX10. Unfortunately, scores are completely meaningless when they are presented in this way but they do offer supporting data to accompany our game benches. Here are the charts with Vantage, 3D Mark11, and Firestrike&#8217;s basic and extreme tests:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/FuturemarkSynthetic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33873\" title=\"FuturemarkSynthetic\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/FuturemarkSynthetic.jpg?resize=482%2C809\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/FuturemarkSynthetic.jpg?resize=482%2C809 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/FuturemarkSynthetic-178x300.jpg 178w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now we look at Unigine and our old standby Heaven 3.0.\u00a0 It has been recently updated to version 4.0 and there is a new synthetic, Valley 1.0:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Heaven-Valley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33874\" title=\"Heaven-Valley\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Heaven-Valley.jpg?resize=482%2C982\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Heaven-Valley.jpg?resize=482%2C982 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Heaven-Valley-147x300.jpg 147w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Again, synthetic tests are interesting but they are not necessarily indicative of real world gaming performance. In all three cases, the GTX\u00a0Titan &#8220;wins&#8221; over everything else except the GTX 690\u00a0by a large margin. Next up, let&#8217;s look at DX9 games.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX9 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We test the popular Source Engine represented by <em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em> and also a demanding DX9 game, <em>Serious Sam 3, BFE <\/em>with both at completely maxed out settings. We have also added <em>Borderlands 2<\/em> with and without PhysX, and <em>the Witcher<\/em> with maxed out settings including &#8220;ubersampling&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>First up is 2560&#215;1600:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-25.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33875\" title=\"DX9-25\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1001\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1001 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-25-144x300.jpg 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now we see 1920&#215;1080<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-19.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33876\" title=\"DX9-19\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-19.jpg?resize=482%2C1001\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-19.jpg?resize=482%2C1001 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX9-19-144x300.jpg 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Titan is generally faster than the other cards except for the GTX 690.\u00a0 The HD 6990 does match Titan in a few of the benches.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s check out DX10 games<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX10 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We test five DX10 games &#8211; <em>Just Cause 3, Far Cry 2, Resident Evil 5, Crysis <\/em>and<em> World in Conflict, Soviet Assault<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>First up at 2560&#215;1600<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-25.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33879\" title=\"DX10-25\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1023\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1023 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-25-141x300.jpg 141w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We noticed texture flashing and artifacting with our HD 7970 in this benchmark especially at 2560&#215;1600.\u00a0 Now at 1920&#215;1080:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-191.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33894\" title=\"DX10-19\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-191.jpg?resize=482%2C1021\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-191.jpg?resize=482%2C1021 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DX10-191-141x300.jpg 141w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Benching\u00a0these five DX10 games, the GTX\u00a0Titan simply stands out from the rest, losing only to the GTX 690.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX11 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Most of our testing emphasizes DX11 games and we bench 20. Since the charts get too long, we break them up into charts of 6 or 7\u00a0games each.<\/p>\n<p>First up are the older DX11 games at 2560&#215;1600.\u00a0 The HD 6990 could not complete a single run of <em>Metro 2o33<\/em> but would crash after beginning the run.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33882\" title=\"OLD-dx11-25\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OLD-dx11-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1000\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OLD-dx11-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1000 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OLD-dx11-25-144x300.jpg 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now those same games at 1920&#215;1080:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OLD-dx11-191.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33883\" title=\"OLD-dx11-19\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OLD-dx11-191.jpg?resize=482%2C1000\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OLD-dx11-191.jpg?resize=482%2C1000 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/OLD-dx11-191-144x300.jpg 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now the newer DX11 games at 2560&#215;1600:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-25.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33884\" title=\"newer-dx11-25\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1101\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1101 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-25-131x300.jpg 131w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-25-448x1024.jpg 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now the same DX11 games at 1920&#215;1080:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-19.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33885\" title=\"newer-dx11-19\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-19.jpg?resize=482%2C1101\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-19.jpg?resize=482%2C1101 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-19-131x300.jpg 131w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newer-dx11-19-448x1024.jpg 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There is simply no contest &#8211; the GTX 690 is the fastest video card anywhere but the overclocked Titan comes pretty close<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Now let&#8217;s check out our newest DX11 games<\/p>\n<p>Here are\u00a0our newest DX11 games at 2560&#215;1600.\u00a0 Please note that there is an issue with Titan drivers with the <em>Sniper Elite V2<\/em> benchmark.\u00a0 &#8220;Advanced Shadows&#8221; had to be disabled in the in-game menu or else the run would lock up.<\/p>\n<p>We ran <em>Sniper Elite V2<\/em> with the maximum\u00a0in-game settings including\u00a04.0X SuperSampling which is incredibly demanding but looks awesome compared to running with it off.\u00a0 On the other hand, &#8220;Use Compute Shaders&#8221; appears to implement DOF with a huge performance hit\u00a0and with\u00a0not as significant an\u00a0IQ change except to blur part of\u00a0the scene &#8211; so we test with Compute shaders off\u00a0versus on to compare performance across all of our test video cards.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-25.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33886\" title=\"newest-dx11-25\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1304\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-25.jpg?resize=482%2C1304 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-25-378x1024.jpg 378w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now the same DX11 games at 1920&#215;1080:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33887\" title=\"newest-dx11-19\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-19.jpg?resize=482%2C1301\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-19.jpg?resize=482%2C1301 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-19-111x300.jpg 111w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/newest-dx11-19-379x1024.jpg 379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Super-Widescreen 5760 x1080, Surround, 3D Vision Surround, and PhysX<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Here is the main graph made from the chart at the beginning of this section.\u00a0 All of the settings are the same maxed out\u00a0settings that we used\u00a0for our 1920&#215;1080 and 2560&#215;1600 benches:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10802.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33889\" title=\"5760x1080\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10802.jpg?resize=482%2C1401\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10802.jpg?resize=482%2C1401 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10802-103x300.jpg 103w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5760x10802-352x1024.jpg 352w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We noted a lot of jitter running the GTX 690 on <em>Borderlands 2<\/em> with high PhysX at this demanding setting.\u00a0 The HD 7970 continued to artifact with <em>Just Cause 2<\/em>, and Titan had rare jitter issues with the <em>Call of Pripyat<\/em> benchmark.<\/p>\n<p>The GTX 690 is again the overall fastest card but it cannot run <em>Max Payne 3<\/em> at all at our ultra settings because the 2GB framebuffer is too small; the\u00a0same thing happens with the GTX 680.\u00a0 From looking at all 36 of our benchmarks, the stock GeForce GTX Titan appears to have approximately 80% of the performance of Nvidia&#8217;s top card, the dual-GPU GTX 690, and it is almost 45%\u00a0faster than a GTX 680.<\/p>\n<p>Next up, let&#8217;s look at PhysX<\/p>\n<h3><strong>PhysX<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We test PhysX in two games.\u00a0 <em>Borderlands 2<\/em> and <em>Batman: Arkham City<\/em> both make great use of PhyxX and it is a shame to play\u00a0either game without it. In both cases, turning on PhysX, although affecting the frame rate, it is enough to play the game with fully maxed out details and AA with our GTX Titan and our GTX 690 spanned\u00a0across three 1920&#215;1080 displays.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/PhysX.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33893\" title=\"PhysX\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/PhysX.jpg?resize=420%2C661\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/PhysX.jpg?resize=420%2C661 420w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/PhysX-190x300.jpg 190w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Please note that the <em>Borderlands 2<\/em> benchmark is\u00a0generally more intensive using PhysX than playing the game is and that the performance hit is a bit higher in the benchmark than it should be because of the way it is set up.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Overclocking<\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">We overclocked our GTX\u00a0Titan +130MHz on the core and +550MHz on the memory. This is a good overclock on stock voltage, stock thermal,\u00a0and stock fan profile, and it falls only 20MHz short of the overclock\u00a0we got with\u00a0our GTX 690 of +150\/550MHz; or a bit further off of our GTX 680 maximum overclock with and offset of\u00a0+175\/575MHz.<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">From our charts, we\u00a0can see that\u00a0the GTX\u00a0Titan scales extremely well at 2560&#215;1600 but not as well at 1920&#215;1080. Our CPU at 4.5GHz simply needs to be clocked higher at this resolution.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>No matter how you add it up, the GTX\u00a0Titan is generally faster than any other video card except for the dual-GPU GTX 690. It also overclocks very well with the stock voltage and fan profile.\u00a0 AMD would have to respin and significantly increase the clocks of the HD 7970 to catch the GTX\u00a0Titan and we expect that it would use a lot more power and be relatively noisy and difficult to cool. We are eager to see what AMD actually brings if they decide to create their\u00a0own upcoming dual-GPU flagship card, a true HD 7990.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s head for our conclusion.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: The Conclusion--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Titan Availability<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Nvidia GTX Titan is shipping on the 21st of February and will also be available for order from leading OEMs. It should be available at etail\u00a0shortly afterward.\u00a0 At the Nvidia press meeting, it was made clear that Titan&#8217;s launch would not be limited to 10,000 cards. It was also noted that Nvidia&#8217;s partners would supply Titans by region &#8211; ASUS and EVGA would supply North America.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Future of the GTX 690<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here is a direct quote from Nvidia:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>GeForce GTX TITAN will coexist with GeForce GTX 690 at the top of our product stack. We will not be ending GeForce GTX 690 production. We feel the two cards complement each other well; GeForce GTX 690 is the ultimate graphics card for today\u2019s games if all you plan to do is drive a single high-end 27&#8243; or 30&#8243; panel. For these users, there\u2019s nothing else like GTX 690. However, with its bigger frame buffer and 384-bit memory interface, GeForce GTX TITAN is better suited for Surround gaming with multiple monitors. In addition, GeForce GTX TITAN is compatible with a wider variety of system cases thanks to its reduced power requirements and shorter board length. GTX TITAN also runs quieter and exhausts hot air outside your system chassis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Titan\u00a0IS impressive. However, the big question is what does it bring over the similarly priced GTX 690 and is it &#8220;worth&#8221; $1000.\u00a0 It 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.\u00a0We are totally impressed with the\u00a0GK110\u00a0cool-running Kepler chip that has\u00a0very good\u00a0overclockability.\u00a0 It slots above the HD 6990 and the GTX 590 and it leaves the GTX 680 and HD 7970 GHz edition\u00a0in the dust.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Titan\u00a0also looks awesome inside just about any case. We just wished that Nvidia had\u00a0made a removable\u00a0aluminum backplate for it since a raw PCB is out of place on such an outstanding looking card.\u00a0 We realize that\u00a0a backplate\u00a0would not work for Tri-SLI on all three cards due to ventillation issues, but\u00a0it\u00a0only needs to be on the top card in a multi-GPU system since the other cards&#8217; PCBs are mostly hidden by the other cards.\u00a0\u00a0A backplate\u00a0could even be personalized for\u00a0Titan owners who desire the ultimate in customization.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In addition, Nvidia indicated that the LED logo is programmable and that their partners may have their own light sequence available for end users.\u00a0\u00a0Unfortunately we\u00a0didn&#8217;t have time to check out EVGA&#8217;s program.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We see good overclockability with extreme quietness at stock voltage and fan profile even when the GTX\u00a0Titan is overclocked.\u00a0 The temperature limit is set too low in our opinion at 80C, but it is easily changed.\u00a0 \u00a0The only issue\u00a0would be Titan&#8217;s high price and we expect that it gives about 80% or more of the performance overall of the GTX\u00a0690 in\u00a0a single GPU with a\u00a0strikingly presented package. $999 is really\u00a0expensive yet we are quite certain that it will appeal to the gamer who demands the very best &#8211; without any compromises.\u00a0 If you have a GTX 680 or a GTX 690, you simply cannot run <em>Max Payne 3<\/em> with maxed-out ultra setting in Surround like you can with Titan.<\/p>\n<p>We want to make it clear that\u00a0a gamer\u00a0that\u00a0prefers &#8220;bang for buck&#8221; would never consider\u00a0Titan at all at $999.\u00a0 Rather a pair of GTX 670s in SLI or\u00a0a pair of HD 7950s or HD 7970s in CrossFire\u00a0would make sense to a performance oriented but budget conscious gamer.<\/p>\n<p>Titan\u00a0is mostly targeted at three kind of users.\u00a0 (1) The ones that must have the fastest single GPU card and\/or a super-high performance small form factor gaming PC.\u00a0 It is also targeted at (2)\u00a0programmers who can&#8217;t afford a\u00a0KX20,\u00a0and also tat (3) the enthusiasts who have a\u00a0lot of disposable income so as to build their own &#8220;Personal SuperComputer&#8221; &#8211; with\u00a0three\u00a0Titans in TriSLI &#8211; costs not being a factor.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The GTX Titan is the most powerful single GPU\u00a0video card in the world!<\/li>\n<li>TDP and power draw is excellent. Performance per watt is better than its competitor&#8217;s cards and it is nearly dead silent in comparison to any video card.<\/li>\n<li>Overclockability is\u00a0good &#8211; GPU Boost 2.0 works as advertised.<\/li>\n<li>The reference design cooling is quiet and efficient; the card and well-ventilated case stay cool even when\u00a0well-overclocked.<\/li>\n<li>It is possible to use three of these cards for extreme Tri-SLI performance<\/li>\n<li>3D Vision 2 and PhysX enhance gaming immersion and both are improved using the GTX\u00a0Titan compared to the last generation.<\/li>\n<li>New AA allows for high performance without jaggies in deferred shading lighting engines<\/li>\n<li>Adaptive VSync reduces stuttering while retaining the advantages of minimizing tearing.<\/li>\n<li>The GTX\u00a0Titan is very impressive as an &#8220;Exotic Industrial Design&#8221;.\u00a0 It is heavy, solid, and looks great.<\/li>\n<li>Overclocked, Titan&#8217;s performance comes\u00a0reasonably close to a GTX 690&#8217;s, and there are some games that it can play in Surround that the dual-GPU card cannot because of its massive 6GB framebuffer.\u00a0 It also\u00a0does not suffer from the issues associated with multi-GPU.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The price. Even the second thousand dollar production video card just takes your breath away. Yet it compares favorably in every way to GTX 690 which is priced the same.<\/li>\n<li>The temperature limit is set very low at 80C and will often hold back boost with the stock fan profile<\/li>\n<li>Voltage adjustments are still pretty narrow.\u00a0 They will not please the extreme overclocker.<\/li>\n<li>The raw PCB is ugly in comparison to the refined aesthetics of the Titan.\u00a0 There should be a removable aluminum backplate available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The Verdict:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are buying an ultimate single-GPU\u00a0flagship video card right now and looking for the highest performance in a single GPU, the GTX\u00a0Titan is the only choice. We feel it deserves ABT&#8217;s highest award &#8211; the &#8220;Kick Ass&#8221; award because it is completely unique in design and performance.\u00a0 However, if you want good bang-for-buck, look elsewhere for performance,\u00a0to multi-GPU solutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Kick-Ass.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27918\" title=\"Kick-Ass\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Kick-Ass.png?resize=150%2C251\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We do not know what the future will bring, but the GTX\u00a0Titan brings an excellent top-performer to the GeForce family and it clearly establishes itself as the fastest single-GPU video card in the world. With great features like PhysX and the second generation of 3D Vision,\u00a0one can be assured of immersive gaming by picking this card for 2560&#215;1600 or even higher resolutions including for Surround and\/or for 3D Vision Surround.<\/p>\n<p>If you currently game on an older generation video card, you will do yourself a big favor by upgrading. The move to a GTX\u00a0Titan 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\u00a0if you are a bang-for-buck gamer, you will no doubt prefer a pair of GTX 670s in SLI for similar performance and the Titan will not be for you.<\/p>\n<p>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 Titan.\u00a0Perhaps they\u00a0will finally introduce their own flagship dual-GPU card, the HD 7990 officially.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned, there is a lot coming from us at ABT. Next up is an evaluation of the Cooler Master Seidon 240M which allowed us to benchmark at 4.9GHz.\u00a0 Did we reach 5.0 GHz?\u00a0 And don&#8217;t forget to check our forums! Our tech discussions are becoming among the best to be found anywhere!!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">Mark Poppin<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 120px;\">\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=33836\"><img decoding=\"async\" align=top title=\"Author: Mark Poppin\" src=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/titan-IL-36B1.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":33868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7814,5],"tags":[72,5887,5122,6127,6126,4413,5862,5121,121,4753],"class_list":["post-33836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-articles","category-gaming","tag-amd","tag-gk110","tag-gtx-680","tag-gtx-690-gtx-590","tag-gtx-titan","tag-hd-6990","tag-hd-7970-ghz","tag-kepler","tag-nvidia","tag-performance-evaluation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}