{"id":34375,"date":"2013-03-26T18:28:55","date_gmt":"2013-03-26T18:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=34375"},"modified":"2013-06-14T15:43:38","modified_gmt":"2013-06-14T14:43:38","slug":"the-gtx-650-ti-boost-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/the-gtx-650-ti-boost-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"The GTX 650 Ti BOOST Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"left\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ < ![CDATA[\n                                                                                      google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\/\/ < ![CDATA[\n\n\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp mceIEcenter\"><em>Editor&#8217;s Note:\u00a0 This is the GTX\u00a0 650 Ti Boost <strong>previ<\/strong><\/em><em><strong>ew<\/strong> (due to the reviewer&#8217;s illness) and only the Boost stock and overclocked results\u00a0have been\u00a0charted\u00a0compared to the\u00a0stock-clocked GTX 660 and the GTX 650 Ti non-BOOST.\u00a0 There\u00a0will\u00a0be\u00a0no compromises with this evaluation and\u00a0Part Two &#8211;\u00a0from\u00a0the 8800-GTX to the GTX 650 Ti BOOST &#8211;\u00a0will be completed\u00a0next week with\u00a029 games including F1 2102 which is replacing F1 2010 which is on its last run.\u00a0 <\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"mceTemp mceIEcenter\"><em><\/em><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Last week, AMD paper-launched the $149\u00a0HD 7790-1GB video card\u00a0to fill the hole in their lineup between the $109 to $129\u00a0overclocked HD 7770s and the $179-199 HD 7850-1GB models.\u00a0 Today, Nvidia is releasing its own\u00a0&#8220;sweet-spot&#8221; $169\u00a0GeForce GTX\u00a0550 Ti BOOST 2GB based on its &#8220;GK106&#8221; 28nm Kepler DX11.1 architecture.\u00a0 In early April, Nvidia&#8217;s partners will also begin shipping a $149 1GB GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST to compete on price directly with the 1GB\u00a0HD 7790.<a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_BOOST_3q.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-34444\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_BOOST_3q\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_BOOST_3q.jpg?resize=396%2C322\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_BOOST_3q.jpg 550w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_BOOST_3q-300x243.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 396px) 100vw, 396px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia is completing their Kepler line-up with the release of their\u00a0seventh GPU which\u00a0fills the hole in their own line up between the GTX 650 Ti and the GTX 660.\u00a0 At 169 dollars the GTX 650 Ti BOOST is intended to\u00a0soundly beat\u00a0the overclocked HD 7770s and HD 7790s and perhaps\u00a0also beat or match\u00a0the HD 7850. To make the deal even more attractive, Nvidia is bundling a $75 free to play (F2P) bundle of in game items ($25<em> World of Tanks, <\/em>$25<em> Hawken <\/em>and $25<em> Planetside 2<\/em>) together with the GTX 650 Ti\u00a0BOOST\u00a0at participating etailers worldwide.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/75-ingame.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-34443\" title=\"75-ingame\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/75-ingame.jpg?resize=495%2C273\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/75-ingame.jpg 550w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/75-ingame-300x165.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia&#8217;s\u00a0suggested e-tail pricing (SEP) has been adjusted and both reference and overclocked GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB boards will be available for sale beginning today.:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0$109 &#8211; GeForce GTX 650 (positioned vs. HD 7770)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0$129 &#8211; GeForce GTX 650 Ti\u00a0(positioned vs. HD 7770 GHZ OC editions)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0$149 &#8211; GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 1GB\u00a0(positioned vs. HD 7790)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0$169 &#8211; GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB\u00a0<\/strong>(positioned vs. HD 7850-1GB)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0$199 &#8211; GeForce GTX 660\u00a0(positioned vs. HD 7850 2GB)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We received a reference GTX 650 Ti Boost video card from Nvidia under NDA, and for the past week, we have been comparing it to the Sapphire factory overclocked Vapor-X HD 7770s that it is going head-to-head with, as well as to Nvidia&#8217;s last generation, the GTX 550 Ti and to AMD&#8217;s entry-level for gaming, HD 7750 . We will also compare the new GTX 650 Ti to the GTX 660 to get an overall idea of the new GTX 650 Ti BOOSTS&#8217;s price to performance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">From comparing the specifications of the new BOOST to the GTX 650 Ti, it is quite apparent that the new GPU has much more in common with the GTX 660.\u00a0 It has the same number of ROPs, the same 192-bit memory interface and 2GB of GDDR5 vRAM at 6000MHz.\u00a0 The BOOST edition of the GTX 650 Ti sits on the same 9.5&#8243; PCB with 1 PCIe connector as the GTX 660, and\u00a0also has the same clock speeds &#8211; 980MHz base clock with 1033MHz Boost.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Faster, Smoother, Richer&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Nvidia designed the GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST primarily for gamers who want to enjoy their games with the graphics settings and anti-aliasing (FXAA) turned up to high, although not necessarily up to ultra or high MSAA settings, paired with a 1920&#215;1080 display. That means that Nvidia has positioned it directly against the factory overclocked HD 7770s such as our <a href=\"alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29688\">Vapor-X Sapphire HD 7770 GHz OC edition<\/a> which currently sits in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newegg.com\/Product\/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102993\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.newegg.com\/Product\/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102993', '$150 price range']);\" >$150 price range<\/a> with an additional $15 mail-in-rebate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It is very likely that the GTX 650 Ti BOOST will also be compared against the faster and generally $10 to $10 more expensive HD 7850 (generally 1GB version), although Nvidia has positioned the GTX 660 at $200,\u00a0a bit closer to the 2GB version of the HD 7850&#8217;s price range\u00a0.<\/p>\n<p>The GTX 650 Ti and Ti BOOST\u00a0are Nvidia&#8217;s replacement for <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=25002\">the GTX 550 Ti which launched April, 2011 at $149<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 The regular GTX 650 Ti \u00a0follows the pricing tradition of the GTX 450 which also debuted at $149. Both the entry-level GeForce GTX 650 and the GTX 650 Ti are designed for gaming at 1920&#215;1080 resolution. In the past, the most popular resolutions were 1280&#215;1024 and 1680&#215;1050 displays, but recently 1080p has become the most popular gaming resolution due to low LCD prices. Nvidia built the GeForce GTX 650 Ti and TI BOOST\u00a0to deliver best-in-class performance for these gamers.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The GTX 650 Ti BOOST&#8217;s Competition &#8211; the factory overclocked HD 7770s, the new HD 7790, and the HD 7850-1GB<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This time, Nvidia is aiming for slightly less than GTX 660 performance with a Ti BOOST with a slightly better than &#8220;entry-level&#8221; video card to directly compete with AMD&#8217;s just above entry level gaming card, the HD 7790. This morning, the HD 7770 is selling for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newegg.com\/Product\/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&amp;DEPA=0&amp;Order=BESTMATCH&amp;N=100006662&amp;isNodeId=1&amp;Description=hd+7850&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.newegg.com\/Product\/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&amp;DEPA=0&amp;Order=BESTMATCH&amp;N=100006662&amp;isNodeId=1&amp;Description=hd+7850&amp;x=0&amp;y=0', 'an average price on Newegg from $110-$149']);\" >an average price on Newegg from $110-$149<\/a>, depending on if it is the stock (860MHz core), GHz (1000MHz), or the even more highly-clocked editions such as our Sapphire Vapor-X HD 7770 GHz OC edition (1100MHz core).\u00a0\u00a0 The HD 7790 is not yet available until next month but is expected to be priced at $149 for the stock clocked versions and ten dollars more for the overclocked versions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The GTX 650 Ti&#8217;s Game Bundle &#8211; $75\u00a0of in-game items for 3 popular online PC\u00a0F2P games<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For a limited time only, gamers who purchase select GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST graphics cards will receive $75 in-game for Hawken, World of Tanks, and Planetside 2 ($25 for each game).\u00a0\u00a0 If a gamer instead purchases a GTX 660, they will receive $150 in-game for the same games ($50 for each game).\u00a0 This might make a real difference to a gamer who is actively playing these games.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What&#8217;s New with Kepler&#8217;s GTX 650 Ti BOOST?<\/h3>\n<p>Nvidia&#8217;s marketing buzzwords for the GTX 680, GTX 690, GTX 670 and GTX 660 launches are, <em><strong>&#8220;Faster. Smoother. Richer.&#8221; <\/strong><\/em>The GTX 650 Ti is also designed for extreme efficiency and high performance.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Faster<\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 680&#8217;s Kepler architecture has 8 SMX units and 1536 CUDA cores. In comparison, the more affordable GeForce GTX 670 and GTX 660 Ti both ship with 1344 CUDA Cores and 7 SMX units. The main difference between the GTX 670 and the GTX 660 Ti is that the less expensive card has a narrower bus &#8211; cut down from 256-bit to 192-bit. Now for the GTX 660, the bus width remains the same 192-bit, but the GTX 660 is further cut down from the Ti&#8217;s 7 SMX units and 1344 cores to 5 SMX units and 960 CUDA cores. In the case of the GTX 650 Ti, the SMX units are reduced to 4 with a total of 768 CUDA cores. There is no GPU boost available for the GTX 650 Ti but is obviously available for the BOOST edition.\u00a0 Also, the 650 Ti BOOST may be SLI&#8217;d but the 650 Ti may not.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Smoother<\/h3>\n<p>New kinds of anti-aliasing &#8211; FXAA and TXAA &#8211; now compete with MSAA in terms of IQ while not sacrificing as much performance. <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31233\">TXAA which we evaluated in <\/a><em><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31233\">the Secret World<\/a>, <\/em>brings anti-aliasing without texture crawling or shimmering when the camera is in motion. Also, there is a new &#8220;Adaptive VSync&#8221; that is reduces tearing and stuttering associated with regular VSync. Great hardware needs great software to support it and Nvidia is also a software company.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Richer<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;\">For the first time, it is now possible to play games spanning 3 displays in Surround off of a single GeForce GTX 650 Ti (below, left) just as with the GTX 680, GTX 670, GTX 660 Ti and the GTX 660. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;\">Without buying a <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31770\">FleX HD 7770<\/a>, you will generally need two adapters for DVI for most HD 7770s (below, right) to run the competing 3-panel Eyefinity and you may also experience more tearing with the AMD solution.<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;\">Above from left to right is the regular HD 7770 GHz edition, the Nvidia reference GTX 650 Ti and the HD 7750 Low Profile Radeon showing their respective display output connectors.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 650 Ti&#8217;s display outputs include two dual-link DVIs and one mini-HDMI. While the reference design ships with three display outputs, it\u2019s important to note that the GeForce GTX 650 Ti GPU supports up to four displays, and some of Nvidia&#8217;s board partners offer this feature.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28912\" title=\"SURROUND-4disp\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg?resize=458%2C235\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg 763w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp-300x153.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;\">One 6-pin PCIe power connector is required for the 650 Ti&#8217;s operation and if you forget to connect it, you will get an on-screen reminder at boot-up &#8211; a feature not found with older Nvidia cards.<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">How does the $169 GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0compare with the GTX 660 at $199?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This evaluation attempts to analyze and compare performance of the GTX 660, the GTX 650 Ti, and the GTX 550 Ti. We also include HD 7850 performance as well as HD 7750 although we are focusing on the overclocked HD 7770. We will see what this new Nvidia Kepler entry-level gaming GPU brings to the table for about one hundred and forty-nine dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Since we do not want any chance of our CPU &#8220;bottlenecking&#8221; our graphics, we are testing all of our graphics cards by using our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=30448\">Ivy Bridge Intel Core i7-3770K at 4.80GHz<\/a>, 8 GB Kingston PC1866 DDR3 and EVGA&#8217;s Z77 FTW motherboard. This new motherboard features 16x + 16x PCIe 3.0 specification for CrossFire\/SLI. <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> The Core i7-3770K at 4.8GHz is more than enough to differentiate even high-end video cards at high resolution and high detail settings. <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Before we do performance testing, let&#8217;s take a look at the GTX 650 Ti BOOST and quickly recap its new Kepler DX11.1 architecture and features.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--pagetitle: Introduction--><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Architecture recap &#038; specifications--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Architecture and Features<\/h3>\n<p>We have covered Fermi&#8217;s GK architecture in a lot of detail previously. You can can read our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28910\">GTX 680 introductory article<\/a> and and <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29157\">its follow-up<\/a>. We also covered the <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29519\">launch of the GTX 690<\/a>, the launch <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29607\">of the GTX 670<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31410\">launch of the GTX 660 Ti<\/a> and the launch of <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31852\">the GTX 660 and GTX 650<\/a>. The new Kepler architecture builds on Fermi architecture with some important improvements and refinements that we will briefly cover here before we get into performance testing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SMX architecture<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28916\" title=\"SMX\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg?resize=471%2C302\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg 785w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX-300x192.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As Nvidia&#8217;s slide indicates, the new Kepler architecture is called SMX and it emphasizes 2x the performance per Watt over Fermi. Their multi-threaded engine handles all of the information using three graphics processing clusters including the raster engine and two streaming multi-processors.<\/p>\n<p>The Fermi SM is now called the SMX cluster. Each SMX cluster includes a Polymorph 2.0 engine, 192 CUDA cores, 16 texture units and a lot of high-level cache. In the GTX 680, four raster units and 128 Texture units comprise 32 ROPs; eight geometry units each have a tessellation unit, and more lower-level cache. Both the GTX 670 and the GTX 660 Ti each have 4 graphics engines but one less SMX unit and only 24 ROPs.<\/p>\n<p>The GeForce GTX 650 Ti ships with 768 CUDA Cores and four SMX units. The memory subsystem of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti consists of two 64-bit memory controllers (128-bit) with 1GB of GDDR5 memory.<\/p>\n<p>The other main differentiation between the GTX 670\/680 and the GTX 660 Ti, GTX 660 and GTX 650\/Ti, is that the 660 and the 650 bus is much narrower at 192-bit, cut down from 256-bit. One main differentation between the GTX 650\/Ti and the higher GTXes is that the memory speed is lower at 5400MHz data rate and that there is no GPU Boost.<\/p>\n<p>From top to bottom, the GeForce lineup now consists of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>GeForce Titan<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 690<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 680<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 670<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 660 Ti<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 660<\/li>\n<li><strong>GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost Edition<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 650 Ti<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 650<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GT 640<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GT 630<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GT 620<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GT 610<\/li>\n<li>GeForce 210<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Under load, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST draws\u00a0up to\u00a0160W of power. This is no adjustment nor a power target slider available for the non-Boost although there is for the BOOST edition. In contrast, at maximum power, the GTX 650 Ti (non-Boost) will draw around 110W in non-TDP apps. There is no GPU Boost available on the GTX 650 or 650 Ti although it is obviously available on the BOOST edition.<\/p>\n<p>This is a very brief overview of Kepler architecture as presented to the press at Kepler Editor&#8217;s Day in San Francisco a few months ago. We also attended Nvidia&#8217;s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) and you can find a lot more details about the architecture in <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29692\">our GTC 2012 report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Adaptive VSync<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Traditional VSync is great for eliminating tearing until the frame rate drops below the target &#8211; then there is a severe drop from usually 60 fps down to 30 fps if it cannot meet exactly 60. When that happens, there is a noticeable stutter.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia&#8217;s solution is to dynamically adjust VSync &#8211; to turn it on and off instantaneously. In this way VSync continues to prevent tearing but when it drops below 60 fps, it shuts off VSync to reduce stuttering instead of drastically dropping frame rates from 60 to 30 fps or even lower. When the minimum target is again met, VSync kicks back in. In gaming, you never notice Adaptive VSync is happening; you just notice less stutter (especially in demanding games).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28932\" title=\"AdaptiveVSynch\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg?resize=480%2C269\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Adaptive VSync is a good solution that works well in practice. We spent more time with Adaptive VSync by playing games and it is very helpful although we never use it when benching.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>FXAA &amp; TXAA<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>TXAA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There is a need for new kinds of anti-aliasing as many of the modern engines use differed lighting which suffers a heavy performance penalty when traditional MSAA is applied. The alternative, to have jaggies is unacceptable. TXAA &#8211; Temporal Anti-Aliasing is a mix of hardware mult-sampling with a custom high quality AA resolve that use temporal components (samples that are gathered over micro-seconds are compared to give a better AA solution). It&#8217;s main advantage is that it reduces shimmering and texture crawling when the camera is in motion.<\/p>\n<p>There is TXAA 1 which extracts a performance cost similar to 2xMSAA which under ideal circumstances give similar results to 8xMSAA. Of course, from what little time we have spent with it, it appears to be not quite as consistent as MSAA but works well in areas of high contrast. TXAA 2 is supposed to have a similar performance penalty to 4xMSAA but with higher quality than 8xMSAA.<\/p>\n<p>TXAA was the subject of <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31233\">a short IQ analysis of <em>the Secret World<\/em><\/a> &#8211; the first game to use it. So far, it appears to be a great option for situations where MSAA doesn&#8217;t work efficiently and it almost completely eliminates shimmering and texture crawling when the camera is in motion. It works particularly well for <em>the Secret World<\/em> as the slight blur gives the game a cinematic look.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>FXAA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Nvidia has already implemented FXAA &#8211; Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing. In practice, it works well in some games <em>(Duke Nukem Forever\/Max Payne 3)<\/em>, while in other games text or other visuals may be a bit blurry<em>. <\/em> FXAA is a great option to have when MSAA kills performance. We plan to devote a entire evaluation to comparing IQ between the HD 7000 series and the GTX 600 series as well as comparisons with the older series video cards.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Specifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are Nvidia&#8217;s specifications for the reference GTX 650 Ti:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-32131\" title=\"650ti-SPECS\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/650ti-SPECS.jpg?resize=506%2C580\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/650ti-SPECS.jpg 562w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/650ti-SPECS-261x300.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now Compare to the BOOST Edition:<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/SPECS.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34445\" title=\"SPECS\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/SPECS.jpg?resize=471%2C491\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/SPECS.jpg 471w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/SPECS-287x300.jpg 287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As discussed in our introduction, the GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0is very similar to the GTX 660 but with less shader power.\u00a0 Its specifications suggest that the\u00a0BOOST editon will perform far closer to the GTX 660 than the\u00a0650 Ti.\u00a0 \u00a0The GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0was also designed from the ground up to deliver exceptional tessellation performance. Tessellation is the key component of Microsoft&#8217;s DirectX 11 development platform for PC games.<\/p>\n<p>Tessellation allows game developers to take advantage of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST&#8217;s GPU&#8217;s tessellation ability to increase the geometric complexity of models and characters to deliver far more realistic and visually rich gaming environments. Needless to say, the new GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0brings a lot of features to the table that current Nvidia&#8217;s customers will appreciate, including improved CUDA&#8217;s PhysX, 2D and 3D Surround plus the ability to drive up to 3 LCDs (plus a 4th accessory display from a single GTX 650 Ti with some models); superb tessellation capabilities and a really fast and power efficient GPU in comparison to their previous GTX 450 and GTX 550 Ti.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3-panel Surround (plus an Accessory display with some GTX 650 Ti models) from a single card<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the criticisms that Kepler has addressed from Fermi was that two video cards in SLI are required to run 3-panel Surround or 3D Vision Surround. From a single card, the GTX 670, 680, the GTX 660\/660 Ti and now the GTX 650 Ti can run three displays (plus an accessory display with some models). Interestingly, Nvidia has changed their taskbar from the left side to the center screen. We now prefer the taskbar in the center; it might be more convenient for some users rather than clicking all the way over to the left for the start menu as with Eyefinity.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that we did notice. Suround and 3D Vision Surround are now just as easy to configure as AMD&#8217;s Eyefinity. And AMD has no real answer to 3D Vision nor 3D Vision Surround &#8211; HD3D lacks basic support in comparison.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28945\" title=\"SURROUND-taskbarCenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg?resize=480%2C207\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter-300x129.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>One new option with the GTX 650\/650 Ti\/660\/660 Ti\/670\/680\/690 is in the bezel corrections. In the past, the in-game menus would get occluded by the bezels and it was annoying if you use the correction. Now with Bezel Peek, you can use hotkeys to instantly see the menus hidden by the bezel. However, this editor does not ever use bezel correction in gaming.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that we are still noting &#8211; Surround suffers from less tearing than Eyefinity although AMD appears to be working on a solution with their latest drivers. The only true solution to tearing in Eyefinity is to have all native DisplayPort displays or opt for the much more expensive active adapters. And you will need two adapters for Eyefinity for most HD 7770s to run Eyefinity (below right), whereas you only need one for Surround with the GTX 650 Ti, GTX 660, GTX 660 Ti, GTX 670 and the GTX 680.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia also claims a faster experience with the custom resolutions because of a faster center display acceleration.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A look at the GTX 650 Ti\u00a0 BOOST<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The GTX 650 Ti is also on a short PCB at 5.65&#8243;, especially compared to the GTX 680.<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/PCB.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34446\" title=\"PCB\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/PCB.jpg?resize=550%2C293\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/PCB.jpg 550w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/PCB-300x159.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Display outputs include two dual-link DVIs, and one HDMI (and one DisplayPort connector for some models). One 6-pin PCIe power connector is required for operation. If a user fails to connect the power connector properly, a brief message is displayed at boot-up instructing them to plug-in the power connector.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SLI<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 650 Ti is not set up for SLI at all although the BOOST supports 2-way SLI.\u00a0 It is often an excellent upgrade path for a gamer to purchase a second identical\u00a0card in the future to nearly double the performance\u00a0as games become more demanding.\u00a0 And we have seen our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=32679\">GTX 660 SLI beat both a GTX 680 and a HD 7970 GHz edition<\/a> consistently in performance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Super-Widescreen 5760 x1080, Surround, 3D Vision Surround, and PhysX<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 650 Ti BOOST is set up exactly the same way as the more expensive GTX 660\/660 Ti, GTX 670 and GTX 680. Since the GTX 660 is considerably slower than the GTX 670 overall, one can reasonably expect the performance delta to be much lower for super-widescreen resolutions as well as for Surround, 3D Vision Surround and for PhysX as in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29607\">last evaluation of the GTX 670 in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For 3D Vision and for Surround, many games need to have their settings reduced. Just remember that you are playing across three screens and are also rendering each scene twice for 3D Vision!! And turning on PhysX on a GTX 650 Ti, although affecting the frame rate, it is enough to play the game with fully maxed out details and FXAA or AAA compared to the GTX 550 Ti that it replaces.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overclocking<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our GTX 650 Ti BOOST edition is reference clocked 980\/1500MHz. We were able to overclock a further +150MHz with complete stability even though we did not adjust the voltage nor our fan profile. We also managed +155MHz on the memory clocks and could have gone higher although performance did not scale further.<\/p>\n<p>Even with overclocking further, temperatures generally stayed below 60C and the fan rarely exceeded 40%. The reference GTX 650 Ti BOOST is a very quiet card and it could easily be used for a home theater PC (HTPC).<\/p>\n<p>Check out the performance summary charts and particularly the overclocking charts to note how well the GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0scales. The specifications look good with solid improvement over the GTX 650 Ti. Let&#8217;s check out performance after checking out our test configuration on the next page.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Test Configuration, Power Draw, Noise &#038; Overclocking--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration &#8211; Hardware<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Intel Core i7-3770K reference 3.50 GHz\/Turbo to 3.7GHz<\/span>, overclocked to 4.8 GHz<span style=\"font-size: small;\">; HyperThreading is on, supplied by Intel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>EVGA Z77 FTW motherboard (latest Beta BIOS, USB\/PCIe 3.0 specification; CrossFire\/SLI 16x+16x), supplied by EVGA<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">8 GB OCZ DDR3 PC 1866 Kingston RAM (2&#215;2 GB, tri-channel at 1866 MHz; supplied by Kingston)<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Nvidia reference GTX 650 Ti BOOST,\u00a02 GB (reference clocks of 925\/1350MHz and also overclocked, +175MHz\/+250MHz), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>Galaxy GTX 660, 2 GB reference clocks, supplied by EVGA.<\/li>\n<li>Nvidia GTX 650 Ti, 1 GB reference design and clocks, supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Onboard Realtek Audio<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">2 x 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200-12 HDDs; one for AMD and one for Nvidia<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Cooler Master Silent Pro Platinum 1000W PSU, Supplied by Coolermaster<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake\u00a0Chaser MK-I Full Tower case, supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Noctua\u00a0NH-DH14\u00a0CPU cooler and 8 case fans, supplied by Noctua<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Philips DVD SATA writer<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">HP LP3065 2560&#215;1600 thirty inch LCD. <\/span><\/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><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Nvidia GeForce 314.22\u00a0WHQL drivers for all GTXes except for the GTX 650 Ti\u00a0BOOST &#8211; 314.14 launch drivers. High Quality, prefer maximum performance, single display.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span>AMD\u00a013.3\u00a0Beta 3\u00a0Catalyst drivers; latest CAPs. High Quality &#8211; optimizations off; use application settings<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Windows 7 64-bit; very latest updates<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Latest DirectX<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">All games are patched to their latest versions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">VSync is off in the control panel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">AA enabled as noted in games<\/span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">; all in-game settings are specified with 16xAF always applied; 16xAF forced in control panel for <em>Crysis.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">All results show average, minimum and maximum frame rates except as noted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Highest quality sound (stereo) used in all games.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Windows 7 64, all DX10 titles were run under DX10 render paths; DX11 titles under DX11 render paths.<\/span><\/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<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Synthetic<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vantage<\/li>\n<li>3DMark 11<\/li>\n<li>Firestrike<em><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Heaven 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<li><em>Resident Evil 6 demo<\/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>Resident Evil 5<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX11<\/strong><\/div>\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>F1 2012<\/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>Shogun II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Crysis 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Dirt 3<\/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 3<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before we get to the GTX 650 Ti BOOST&#8217;s performance charts, let&#8217;s look at overclocking, power draw and temperatures.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overclocking, Power Draw, Noise and Temperatures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Overclocking the GTX 650 Ti BOOST is just as easy as overclocking the GTX 660\/660 Ti, 670, 680 and 690. We were able to add an additional +150MHz over the base clocks that Nvidia set for the reference GTX 650 Ti BOOST. On top of that, we were able to get +155MHz on the memory; overall, a very good overclock.<\/p>\n<p>We did not adjust the GTX 650 Ti&#8217;s voltage nor fan profile. Temperatures were never an issue and the fan profile remained at stock which meant that the GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0is also extraordinarily quiet at maximum load &#8211; the fan profile rarely went over 40% and the temperatures remained under 70C under the most stressful conditions and highest load in gaming.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s head to the performance charts to see how the GTX 650 Ti BOOST &#8211; stock and overclocked &#8211; compares with the non-Boost regular\u00a0GTX 650 Ti and\u00a0the GTX 660.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Performance Summary Charts--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Performance summary charts &amp; graphs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are the summary charts of\u00a030 modern PC games and\u00a05 synthetic tests. The highest playable settings are generally chosen and it is DX11 when there is a choice; DX10 is picked above DX9, and the settings are generally maxed unless specified on the chart. Specific settings including AA are listed on the Main Performance chart. The benches are run at 1920&#215;1080 and 1680&#215;1050.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Main Overall Summary chart<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/synthetic1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34518\" title=\"synthetic\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/synthetic1.jpg?resize=513%2C166\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/synthetic1.jpg 513w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/synthetic1-300x97.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX91.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34519\" title=\"DX9\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX91.jpg?resize=513%2C267\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX91.jpg 513w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX91-300x156.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX101.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34520\" title=\"DX10\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX101.jpg?resize=513%2C185\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX101.jpg 513w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DX101-300x108.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/OlderDX11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34521\" title=\"OlderDX11\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/OlderDX11.jpg?resize=513%2C308\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/OlderDX11.jpg 513w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/OlderDX11-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewerDX11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34522\" title=\"NewerDX11\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewerDX11.jpg?resize=513%2C225\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewerDX11.jpg 513w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewerDX11-300x131.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewestDX11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34523\" title=\"NewestDX11\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewestDX11.jpg?resize=513%2C308\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewestDX11.jpg 513w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/NewestDX11-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0is quite a strong performer and overclocked it nearly matches the stock GTX 660.\u00a0 Of course, this evaluation is unfinished as we will continue to compare it to more GeForce video cards in Part 2.\u00a0 Let&#8217;s head for our (pre) conclusion.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: The Conclusion--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>(pre) Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This has been quite an enjoyable, if far too short, exploration for us in evaluating our new GTX 650 Ti BOOST that was marred by this reviewer getting a serious flu. It did extraordinarily well performance-wise comparing it to\u00a0this generation&#8217;s GTX 660 where it brings good performance value. We are totally impressed with this cool-running mainstream just above &#8220;entry level&#8221; GTX Ti BOOST gaming card.\u00a0 It totally runs away from the regular GTX 660 Ti non-BOOST editions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We see good overclockability with reasonable quietness at stock voltage and fan profile even when the GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0is overclocked and it scales well in performance. It is as quiet as the\u00a0EVGA GTX 660, a quiet card indeed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For its $169 price, it gives more than 80% of the performance of the GTX 660 which is priced at $200. Although the GTX 650 Ti BOOST is generally outclassed by the GTX 660, it is also priced about thirty dollars less.\u00a0 Add in the bundled $75 of ingame items for the 3 popular F2P games, and the GTX 650 Ti BOOST becomes a great value.\u00a0 A gamer who is really into these games, might consider spending the extra thirty dollars, however, and get the GTX 660 with the $150 ingame item bundle instead.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The GTX 650 Ti BOOST provides excellent performance for a $169 card.<\/li>\n<li>Overclockability is good and scaling is excellent.<\/li>\n<li>The cooling design is quiet and efficient<\/li>\n<li>3D Vision 2 and PhysX enhance gaming immersion and both are improved using the GTX 650 Ti BOOST compared to the GTX 650 Ti which is not in the same performance class &#8211; upgrading from the GTX 650 Ti to the GTX 650 Ti BOOST brings a solid improvement.<\/li>\n<li>Surround and 3D Vision Surround (plus an accessory display on some boards) can now be driven off of a single GTX 650 Ti by requiring a single passive adapter; HD 7770 generally requires two, and tearing is noticeably less with Surround compared to Eyefinity<\/li>\n<li>New AA allows for high performance without jaggies in deferred shading lighting engines; TXAA solves the shimmering and crawling when the camera is in motion<\/li>\n<li>Adaptive VSync reduces stuttering while retaining the advantages of minimizing tearing.<\/li>\n<li>Two-way SLI is possible as an excellent upgrade path, unlike with the GTX 560 Ti regular edition.\u00a0 Currently the competing multi-GPU AMD CrossFire generally suffers from driver issues.<\/li>\n<li>The GTX 650 Ti BOOST becomes a great value when it is bundled with\u00a0the <em>$75 F2P bundle<\/em>\u00a0(!!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Name.\u00a0 GTX 650 Ti <em><strong>&#8220;Boost&#8221;\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>&#8211; of course, this is a silly, almost minor nitpick for a card that might have been better called a GTX 660 GS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The Verdict:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are buying a $169 entry level gaming video card right now that is perfect for 1920&#215;1080 as well as being great bang for buck, the GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0is a great choice especially considering that it is bundled with $75 of ingame items.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We do not know what the future will bring, but the Nvidia&#8217;s GTX 650 Ti BOOST\u00a0brings good value and a great performer to the latest member of the 28nm GeForce Kepler family. With great features like PhysX and the second generation of 3D Vision, you can be assured of immersive gaming by picking this card for 1920&#215;1080 resolution.<\/p>\n<p>The competition is hot and AMD offers their own set of features including Eyefinity 2.0 and the faster and recently lower-priced HD 7790\u00a01GB editions.\u00a0 We hope to be able to bring you a head to head comparison of the HD 7790 with the 1GB GTX 650 Ti BOOST.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned, there is a lot coming from us at ABT.\u00a0 This upcoming week, you can expect Part two of this same GTX 650 Ti BOOST evaluation which will compare far more cards going all the way back to the 8800-GTX and the GTX 280!<\/p>\n<p>And don&#8217;t forget to check our forums. ABT forum tech discussions are 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; 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