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Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 2 GB Graphic Card Review (Part 1)

9/16/2013 5:02:37 PM

The third and almost the last card in 2013 in the new GeForce GTX 7x0 line of new Nvidia has just been officially released. We researched its features and intended to show you how it compares to the previous generation rivals.

Sumer is not the time for the makers to announce their new solutions but Nvidia has changed its strategy for 2013 and followed the undoubtedly success of GeForce GTX 770 with an additional graphics card, which is called GeForce GTX 760. 

GeForce GTX 760 2 GB

GeForce GTX 760 2 GB

This product is not that simple in term of performance and location in the model range of Nvidia as well as against the replacement of AMD, and we intend to classify it in this review.

Technical specs and market positioning

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 readings are listed in the comparing table with Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 and GeForce GTX 660 Ti:

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 readings

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 readings

By that, GeForce GTX 760 bases on the same Kepler GK104 GPU line as GTX 770 and GTX 660 Ti. Its basic clock rate in 3D app is 66MHz which is lower than GTX 770 and higher than 65 MHz compared to GTX 660 Ti, or staying exactly between these 2 lines. GTX 760 has fewer merged shading processor: 384 (or 25%) and 192 (14.3%) compared with GTX 760 and the GTX 660 Ti in succession. It also has the respectively smaller number of technical material-creating unit. GeForce GTX 760 has the same ROP number (raster operator) like GTX 770, specifically is 32. The main feature of the new card is its larger memory bus, currently 256 bit broad compared to the 192 bit bus of GTX 760. Memory frequency is the same to 6,008 MHz, so we can expect the former to beat the latter at high res or when activating antialiasing in scale of full screen.

For market positioning, GeForce GTX 760 docs delivering the advertising purpose performs obvious improvements in performance compared to GeForce GTX 275 (is there anyone who can remember its specs?) and GeForce GTX 560:

Obvious improvement im performance compared to geforce GTX 275 and geforce GTX 560

Obvious improvement in performance compared to GeForce GTX 275 and GeForce GTX 560

Of course, GeForce GTX 760 intends to compete with graphics cards that are completely different in fact. However, Nvidia is optimistic about the new card performance, announcing that it is faster than the regular version and Boost of AMD Radeon HD 7950 is more costly.

It’s faster than the regular version and Boost of AMD Radeon HD 7950

It’s faster than the regular version and Boost of AMD Radeon HD 7950

Move on a little bit, we can show you a quite different far-sighted in fact.

In the current product line, Nvidia places GeForce GTX 760 between GeForce GTX 770 and GTX 660 (the former seems to replace GeForce GTX 660 Ti):

Nvidia places GeForce GTX 760 between GeForce GTX 770 and GTX 660

Nvidia places GeForce GTX 760 between GeForce GTX 770 and GTX 660

According to this presentation, we seem to have no sign of any new graphics card from Nvidia till the end of 2013.

Now let’s check the reference of GeForce GTX 760.

Design and features

The official announcement of GeForce GTX 760 comes with the announcement about its original version with the exclusive cooler and overclocking from the factory from almost all Nvidia partners. We will try to have one of them for this time’s test but we will talk about the reference model.

GeForce GTX 760 looks simpler than GTX 780 or GTX 770, like GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost in the appearance:

GeForce GTX 760 looks simpler than GTX 780 or GTX 770

GeForce GTX 760 looks simpler than GTX 780 or GTX 770

The engraved plastic case of the cooling system covers the entire surface of the card. On the on the opposite side, we can see a short PCB expanded by a fan wrapping box. The “GeForce GTX” words on the upper edge are highlighted. The card is 242mm long.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 is equipped with 3 video outputs: dual-link DVI-I và DVI-D, HDMI 1.4a, and DisplayPort 1.2.

3 video outputs: dual-link DVI-I và DVI-D, HDMI 1.4a, and displayport 1.2.

3 video outputs: dual-link DVI-I and DVI-D, HDMI 1.4a, and displayport 1.2.

GTX 760 is not different from the premium model of the new Nvidia line considering video interface. It also has 2 MIO connections (to attach 2, 3, or even 4 graphics card in SLI mode) and 2 6-pin connections in their normal positions: 

2 6-pin connections in regular positions

2 6-pin connections in regular positions

According to the technical specs, GeForce GTX 760 doesn’t consume more than 170W of power, 60 lower than the requirement of GTX 770 and 20W higher than GTX 660 Ti which also has 6-pin connection.

It’s odd when Nvidia developed a completely new PCB for a graphics card with the technical specs as GeForce GTX 760. Therefore, it bases on PCB from GeForce GTX 660 Ti which this new model shown up to replace.

Based on PCB from Geforce GTX 660 Ti

Based on PCB from Geforce GTX 660 Ti

The power system is positioned on the front of the device and cooled with a large aluminum heatsink. It combines the 4+2+1 phase (GPU+ memory +PLL). 

Power system is placed on the front of the device

Power system is placed on the front of the device

It’s controlled by an ON Semiconductor NCP5392P controller which can be found on the opposite side of PCB.

There’s a gap for the memory chip at both sides of PCB

There’s a gap for the memory chip at both sides of PCB

By the way, there’s a gap for memory chip at both sides of the PCB, so we can expect the 4-gigabyte version of GeForce GTX 760 in the future.

The innovated GK104 A2 chip in our model was produced on the 28nm tech in Taiwan on the 15th week of 2013 (mid-April).

GK104 innovated A2 chip

GK104 innovated A2 chip

GPU die is only 294 mm2 wide, combining 3,540 million of transistors. The basic GPU clock rate in 3D app is 980 MHz. it can officially increase to 1,033 MHz in our test, with the max temperature and voltage purpose, GPU frequency can reach its peak at 1,137 MHz, a good level higher than the preset one, 100 MHz. the effect of the GPU Boost 2.0 tech is very obvious here.

GPU frequency lowers to 135 MHz in the 2D app while the voltage is lowered from 1.2 to 0.862 V.

GeForce GTX 760 reference carries the 2 gigabyte GDDR5 memory in the FCBGA-packaged chip which is placed on both sides of the PCB. Here are the H5GQ2H24AFR R0C components of Hynix.

The H5GQ2H24AFR R0C components of Hynix

The H5GQ2H24AFR R0C components of Hynix

Memory chip is ranked at 6,000 MHz and GeForce GTX 760 use that memory review in the 3D app. In 2D mode, the frequency is lowered to 648 MHz. memory bus bandwidth is mention above, in technical specs.

Here is what GPU-Z utility can report about GeForce GTX 760:

Report about Geforce GTX 760

Report about Geforce GTX 760

ASIC quality of GPU is 80.3%:

ASIC quality of GPU is 80.3%

ASIC quality of GPU is 80.3%

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